Acid dye is a type of dye that produces bright and long-lasting colors on animal hair fibers and silk. It comes in concentrated, powdered form and is easy to use. The dye bath is formed by dissolving the powder in vinegar, and the process is controlled by the use of salt. The application process takes place in a washing machine and requires a rinse cycle to remove excess dye.
Acid dye is a type of dye that can be used to color certain fabrics and is called acidic because of the acetic acid it contains. Bright and long-lasting colors are typical of acid dye. Acid dye is most effective on fabrics made from animal hair fibers, such as mohair, wool, and alpaca. Silk, while not technically a hair, also dyes well. Most synthetic fibers do not respond well to acid dyes, with nylon being the notable exception.
When you buy an acid dye, it comes in concentrated, powdered form, in glass or plastic containers, or sometimes sealed in plastic, if it’s a small amount. Acid dyes are very easy to use and, as such, are well suited to home and amateur use. They produce an even color and are also very potent; half an ounce (14 g) of dye can color up to two pounds (0.9 kg) of material, depending on the exact shade.
The powdered dye dissolves in the vinegar to form the acidic dye bath. The rate at which the fabric is colored by the dye is controlled by the use of salt in the mix. The chemical process by which the acid dye binds to the fibers is quite complex and requires more than just knowledge of chemistry to fully understand. However, it is usually sufficient to simply know that the particular chemistry of the dye is what controls how fast the color is once the fabric has been dyed.
For fibers other than wool, the acid dye application process takes place in a washing machine. This is done by setting the water temperature knob to the hot wash/cold rinse position, then filling the washer to the depth needed to accommodate all of the fabric that will be dyed. Once you reach this level, put the fabric in the water just long enough to get it wet, then set it aside.
At this point, the coloring powder is added to the water and left to dissolve. When it has dissolved, the tissue is added and stirred for a few minutes, at which point about a cup (240 mL) of vinegar is added. When the machine has run through the entire wash cycle, the dye job should be completed. Once this process is done and the fabric is removed, the washing machine should go through at least one rinse cycle to get rid of the excess dye that could otherwise transfer to other clothing later on.
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