Is There A Difference Between Dye And Colorant?

[wannabe]

I was wanting to make some cherry seed brush hogs and lizards. I noticed spike it has some cherry red "dye". is there a difference in dye and colorant, and if so what and how do you use dye. Thanks for any input

[Frank]

You use it the same way but dyes will bleed if next to a lighter color. Using dyes wisely can make a good color great. All the ones I have are really transparent and really look great with a little high lite powder.

[McLuvin175]

All Dyes are Colorants, but not all Colorants are Dyes.

 

So to be more specific Colorant is a generic term for all colors like Pigments, Dyes, Pearl Powders etc. I know a lot of people also use the term Dye as a generic description for colorants as well but really shouldn't. True Dye's are a different class of colorant  as they are soluble in the plastisol both when it is a liquid and even after it is cooked and solid. Which is why they migrate through out the bait over time and even to other baits if they happen to touch each other. Think of pouring sand into a glass of water, that's like a pigment in PVC. It pretty much stays where you put it and doesn't move. Think of pouring sugar into water, that's what a dye does in PVC. It soluablizes and by osmosis migrates. I know LureWorks/Spike-It identifies their bleeding colors by adding the word "Dye" in the name, so the Cherry Red Dye 120 is a bleeder. That being said it is the color most people use in the belly portion of Red Shad and Tequila Sunrise. Since the back of those color schemes is Black you don't notice any bleed that occurs. If you are doing a single color like a Cherry Seed then it shouldn't be a issue.

 

The advantage of a dye is clarity and transparency over pigments which makes for some beautiful brilliant colors. You wouldn't use them any differently than any other colorant other than to take note that they will bleed so you will have to consider doing two things: One, make sure that if you are doing two color baits that any bleed will not affect the look over time as the dye bleeds, like in a Red Shad. Two, if you just do a solid one color then just make sure to keep them segregated from other baits for storage or packaging purposes to avoid any bleed.

 

I hope that helps.

[wannabe]

Thanks guys. Thats a tremendous help

[mark poulson]

All Dyes are Colorants, but not all Colorants are Dyes.

 

So to be more specific Colorant is a generic term for all colors like Pigments, Dyes, Pearl Powders etc. I know a lot of people also use the term Dye as a generic description for colorants as well but really shouldn't. True Dye's are a different class of colorant  as they are soluble in the plastisol both when it is a liquid and even after it is cooked and solid. Which is why they migrate through out the bait over time and even to other baits if they happen to touch each other. Think of pouring sand into a glass of water, that's like a pigment in PVC. It pretty much stays where you put it and doesn't move. Think of pouring sugar into water, that's what a dye does in PVC. It soluablizes and by osmosis migrates. I know LureWorks/Spike-It identifies their bleeding colors by adding the word "Dye" in the name, so the Cherry Red Dye 120 is a bleeder. That being said it is the color most people use in the belly portion of Red Shad and Tequila Sunrise. Since the back of those color schemes is Black you don't notice any bleed that occurs. If you are doing a single color like a Cherry Seed then it shouldn't be a issue.

 

The advantage of a dye is clarity and transparency over pigments which makes for some beautiful brilliant colors. You wouldn't use them any differently than any other colorant other than to take note that they will bleed so you will have to consider doing two things: One, make sure that if you are doing two color baits that any bleed will not affect the look over time as the dye bleeds, like in a Red Shad. Two, if you just do a solid one color then just make sure to keep them segregated from other baits for storage or packaging purposes to avoid any bleed.

 

I hope that helps.

 

That's a terrific answer!

Could I do a dark blue back/bleeding chartreuse belly, and wind up with a green line where the two meet?

[Bassinfool]

You could certainly try, it's not going to hurt! My experience doing laminates with bleeding colors and black has shown that you get more of a color gradient effect where you don't get a lot of color change but more of a dark to light change.

[Frank]

That's a terrific answer!

Could I do a dark blue back/bleeding chartreuse belly, and wind up with a green line where the two meet?

I would look like that the day after but I am afraid there no way to stop it.

[McLuvin175]

That's a terrific answer!

Could I do a dark blue back/bleeding chartreuse belly, and wind up with a green line where the two meet?

Mark,

 

If the Dark Blue color was a pigment and not a dye then you wouldn't get any mixing with the bleeding chartreuse to get a green line. As the chartreuse dye migrated up the blue back you might have a greenish tint to the blue but I don't think it would be that impressive. If the Dark Blue was a dye I suppose you would initially get some mixing into a green shade where the two colors meet but I suspect it wouldn't be a nice defined line like you would want but just a gradual undefined gradation from blue to green to chartreuse. And that wouldn't last as over time he bait would just turn some shade of green as the two dyes just mix completely in the bait. 

[mark poulson]

Drat!  Another great idea shot all to hell!!!