Reaper lures Posted October 18, 2003 Report Share Posted October 18, 2003 I am wondering which dye to use for dying bucktails and also how long do you leave the tail in the dye. Also will the dye turn the brown and black part the color of the dye also or just the white. also what is the best way extract the hair from the tail just cut it or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celticav Posted October 18, 2003 Report Share Posted October 18, 2003 I like RIT, lots of colors. Some colors work better on the darker hair than others but you are gonna always have some black. I like to use a small pair of Dr. Slick scissors to cut the hair with, you wanna leave it on the tail until needed, JIM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadlystreamer Posted October 19, 2003 Report Share Posted October 19, 2003 Hi there Reaper lures, When you dye those tails and are ready to take them out of the tub or what ever you use to dye them in, tack them to a piece of plywood to dry. They will drain out and dry the way you hang them. The white will dye the color you want, but the brown part will remain brown or just take on a hint of the color you use. Like Jim said, Leave the tail intact to dye. Good luck, Oh and by the way, better do it outside. It'll smell like a wet dog when you dye them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlebear Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 This is something I have always wanted to try but I have never done.. how do the colors look.. do you have to do anything to keep them from bleeding.. I have always just bought dyed tails.. I do use the white natural tails that I get from local hunters.. will just cold water set the dye or do you add any thing like salt to set the dye? Littlebear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadlystreamer Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 Hey Littlebear, What I used to set the dye with was vinegar. It's been so long since I've done it, I think I let the tails set in the Rit dye until I got the shade I wanted, then put them in vinegar water to set the dye,rince again and then hung them up to dry.(careful, when wet you can pull the skin apart and make two out of one) The best thing to do is use a pail that can set a while and not be missed, do a tail or two and see how it turns out.If you like the results, do the rest the same. Change color when needed. Like I said before, They'll stink when they're wet, but they dry up real nice. Good luck. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlebear Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 We have been in deer season here in Kentucky and I am collecting tails.. in a few weeks I think I may try a few and see how they turn out.. thanks for the tips! Littlebear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac10 Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 Will the Rit Dye work on rabbit fur as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8flyz Posted December 26, 2003 Report Share Posted December 26, 2003 Rit dye works well on hair & feathers, but some colors turn out better if you use a lot more of the dye. It's mostly trial & error anyway! The problem with dyeing rabbit is it will take the tanning out of the hide & make it hard & brittle, if it's tanned when you start that is. If it's not tanned, it will still make the hide brittle. Dyeing with Rit is fine if you're going to be cutting the hair from the hide, like making dubbings, but if you want to use the rabbit strips, you'll have to tan the hide after dyeing. It's usually not worth all the work, unless you have a lot of rabbit hides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
