DIY Indigo dyeing- A how to thread
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Thanks for all the encouragement guys.
Okay, so I dipped everything last night again before I went to bed, then hung it up nice, and let the stuff dry over night. This morning it was stiff and crusty with white soda ash cystals dried all over. I probably used too much soda ash. But I don't think it is going to matter because evything is blue as fuck.
Anyway, I got a big bin and put a couple inches of hot water in there for a rinse. And rinsed the stuff and squeezed out as much water as I could get out, and put everything back into the dye bath. I vigorously agitated both items in the dye to make sure it penetrates because it is wet. I am going to let it sit in the dye for an hour while I have a second cup of coffee and a vape. Then let it dry all day again.
This will make 3 dips and 1 time getting almost completely dry.
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You’re vAping indigo now?
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That is juice that I make. It's pretty much nicotine and glycerin. It is just about unflavored too. Because I think 99.9% of those juice flavors are disgusting and I hate how they smell even worse.
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I can't get a decent picture today because it is so dreary out. But I think the dye was a success. The hat used to have kind of a purple cast to it before and now it has that almost black indigo color in the dark and deep blue in the sun. And the shirt just looks black indoors and navy blue outside in brighter light.
If I had it all to do over I would have pasted the dye in some hot water to partially dissolve it first then mixed it into the other hot water because there are some darker spots where chunks of dye stuck to the clothes. Also, this was a lot of work and now I have a big bucket of dye to get rid of. I might just let the dye sit there for a month or so so the water eveaporates.
I'll try to take some better pictures soon but I have to go to Illinois for work tomorrow.
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@Megatron1505 dyed leg on right vs. old non-dyed on left. I would have dipped it a couple more times for you. But it takes a long time and I have to go on a job tomorrow. You can still see a contrast in original indigo vs new. So depending on what you're going for this probably won't be worth it. I rinsed the leg out until there were no dye streaks in the water and let it dry for a bit but it is slightly damp. The dye and soda ash was $15 for a small amount. But of you were to say double or triple the strength it'd possibly be much darker.
This dyeing was a lot of work and a pain in the butt. And now I have a big bucket of dye I don't want to put down the drain to contend with. I am probably just going to let it evaporate off and put the solids in the garbage.
Basically this dye is neat but is never going to be as nice as the Japanese stuff that they have worked on for ages to perfect.
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Thanks I'm happy how my hat turned out.
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@Filthy 21/23oz junkie , you’re absolutely right dude, it does look like a hell of a lot of effort. I probably won’t re-dye my old jeans as the result may not be what I was looking for. Thank you for having a go though mate.
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Yeah it was a lot of work. But now I am happy I did it because I think my hat turned out nice. There is a deep indigo color now with lots of neat variations. Looks great.
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To quote the famous poet filthy21/23ozjunkie - “blue as fuck”
[poetry finger snaps here x5]
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Nice work Mike!
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I think on a lot of people cursing is a sign of low intelligence, especially on me. But I have worked in heavy industry for so long (among other hives of scum and villainy too) and I now have a pretty filthy mouth. I try to hold most of it back though… and I thought swearing here was against the rules for a time. Like everyone used to say, "feck". But I noticed that has since gone by the wayside. And every once in a while, I put an f-bomb in there if it makes what I am writing seem a bit more colorful.
I hope in earnest I never sincerely offend anybody here though. Really and truly. I often think about how it would be cool if there was an unmoderated part to the forum, and that access was gained by invitation only. But then I think in reality the less I say the better.
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all good Mike!
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I'm just catching up with the forum after running around for 10 days, and this thread is really great. Thanks for sharing your project, Mike @Filthy 21/23oz junkie
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My pleasure. Hey Anne, I hope this new year is the best year ever for you. @sabergirl
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Thanks, Mike @Filthy 21/23oz junkie, I've had a lot of challenges to face in the past couple years, but I'm hopeful that things are on the up and up!
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I am redying my favorite hat. I decided to just buy some synthetic dye instead of natural indigo this time. I just heated to water on the stove to boiling and added the dye then the hat. I'll leave it in there until tomorrow probably.
Before
Blue AF
Seems like it might fade to an electric blue.
