Questions?

If you have an accident with the dyes, call the poison control center immediately.

How do I make the dye solution for a color with identical numbers, like 5+5?

In these cases, you play the card twice. Measure the dyes from the card into the measuring cup, then do it a second time. In other words, use the card twice.

Why is my dyed wool spotted?

There are several possibilities. Spotting before the addition of citric acid is normal, but wool should be stirred frequently and allowed to heat up slowly to 190 degrees F. This slow rise to 190 degrees F should be enough time for the dyes to level and the spotting to go away. The Smart Color Crystals help because they slow the uptake of the dyes until certain temperatures are reached. This allows the red dyes to layer into the fiber first, followed by the blue and then the yellow dyes. If the spotting is occurring after the addition of the citric acid, you have not stirred enough once the citric acid went in. It is important to remove the wool from the dye bath before adding the citric acid. When it is returned to the dye bath, the wool must be dipped and stirred at 15-30 minute intervals until it has simmered for an hour above 190-216 degrees F. If you are leaving the wool in the jar to cool down and absorb more dye, this will cause spotting because as the dyes cool, they precipitate, falling out of the solution and crystalizing. The solution is simple. Remove the wool before the jars have a chance to cool down. The other possibility is that there was too much wool in your container. Packing your goods too tightly makes it difficult for the dye bath to spread the dye evenly across the surface of the fiber.

Do I need to paste my dye before adding boiling water?

Many dye companies will tell you to make a slurry or paste out of your dyes before adding the boiling water to make your solution. The reason they tell you this is because their product likely has salt filler in it. The salt filler makes the dyes less soluble so that it is harder to get it to go into solution. My Palette Dyes™ do not have any fillers. So they dissolve instantly when boiling water is poured over them. Just give them a stir and you should be good to go.

What are Smart Color™ Crystals?

My Smart Color™ Crystals are a special salt called sodium sulfate. When used with acid leveling dyes, this salt slows the uptake of the dyes into the fiber so that the colors are able to layer smoothly onto the wool. Because of this action, when you use Smart Color™ Crystals, the color you achieve will be slightly different from the color you achieve without them. All my samples were dyed with the Smart Color™ crystals. Note that these crystals will have the opposite effect if you use them with washfast or milling acid dyes sold by other companies.

Do Palette Dyes™ contain heavy metals?

No. There are no heavy metals in my Palette Dyes™. They are industrial chemicals used by hobbists to dye animal fibers and are considered safe to use if properly handled. For best handling practices, visit my safety guidelines page.

Should I wear a mask ?

The dye manufacturers advise against inhaling both dye powder dust, although once the powders are in solution, dye manufacturers consider them safe to use as directed. So mask up with N-95 mask when handling the powders. And review the safety guidelines page on my website.

Can I use fabric softener when I rinse my wool or dry it?

Yes, a little liquid fabric softener and a dryer sheet are fine to use.

Do Palette Dyes™ c0ntain any chemicals regulated by California Proposition 65?

No.

Do you sell recipe cards with teaspoon measurements rather than grams?

A gram scale is necessary to measure the dyes. The dyes are too light for teaspoon measurements to be accurate. So the recipe cards do not have teaspoon measurements.

Do I have to use white wool?

You can use any fabric or texture or yarn as long as it is wool. My samples were all dyed on white wool. If you use a natural, textured, plaid, or solid color wool, your color results will vary, but they will be beautiful.

Can I save my dye solution for another day?

I advise using your dye solution immediately because of concerns for safe storage and reheating. If you do store unused dye solutions, label and lid the jars. Keep them out of reach of children, pets, and any elderly people you might be caretaking. Use quart jars rather than pint jars or jelly jars. Why? Because when you reheat the solution, you have to bring it to a boil. If you do this in your microwave, you want enough head room in the jar so that it does not boil over. Use caution when handling the hot jars.

I saved my dye solution to reuse another day and now it looks crystalized and thick. Can I still use it?

Many dyes will precipitate and crystalize once the solution cools. This is totally normal. To reuse the dye solution, you have to heat it to boiling. I use my microwave, but be very careful that any plastic lid you might be using is completely unscrewed (or you will have an explosion in your microwave). Heat it up at short intervals so that it does not boil over. Use quart jars to save dye solutions, not pint jars. The extra room in the jar helps safeguard against over boils. Also, the jar is going to be hot, so use heat resistant rubber gloves when handling. Remember, the solution has to boil for all the dye to be forced back into solution. Merely heating it up will not do.

Do I need to presoak my wool in detergent?

Many dyers claim that this is necessary, but the chemists who manufacture my Palette Dyes™ have told me that this is an old wives’ tale. So I have experimented and discovered that they are right. If you follow my dyeing directions, you do not need to presoak your wool.

Can I use vinegar instead of citric acid?

Acid leveling dyes are set by lowering the pH of the dye bath to 3 or 4. Vinegar will do this, but you need a lot more of it to do the job. Also, not all vinegar is created equal. Some are more acidic than others so this makes it difficult to judge how well it will work.

Are Palette Dyes™ absorbed through the skin?

Palette Dyes™ are not absorbed through the skin, but they will stain fingernails, hair, and skin. Also they can be transferred from your hands to anything you touch, staining other surfaces. So glove up. Put on an apron. And clean up any spills immediately with bleach spray and disposable towels.

Isn’t my dye bath supposed to clear completely?

It depends. For weaker dye baths, most if not all the dye will clear. But stronger dye baths will not exhaust. Some acid dyes never exhaust completely. This is normal. It is not an indication that the dye has not fixed. To check if the dye has fixed, lift the wool out of the dye bath. The water dripping off of it should look clear. If it doesn’t, put it back in the dye bath and apply heat for another 30 minutes to fix it. If you don’t want to waste the remaining dye in the bath, toss in a piece of wool or some yarn and let it absorb the leftover dye. The color will be a fun surprise to add to your stash.

How do I dispose of dye solution?

Quantities of dyes and auxiliary chemicals used by home dyers rarely exceed limits set for disposal in municipal or even septic systems. If you have questions about disposal contact your local board of health for guidelines specific to your area.