RIT and tintex dyes are a combination of Acid, Direct, and Disperse dyes mixed with acetic acid and salt. Acetic acid is needed to aid the acid dyes, and salt is needed for direct. (mortants= acetic acid( or citric acid) and salt are safe to use)

To get the best results with RIT or TINTEX is to heat the dye bath.

1. wash fabrics/clothing, set aside.
2. mix dyes with hot water to dissolve. ( I boil water and then mix the dye into that for better dissolving.
3. Using warm water in a large pot on the stove at a low heat, pour dissolved dye mix through a coffee strainer(metal kind) in the pot.
4. stir well.
5. add wet fabric/clothing into dye bath
6. keep stirring! and bring the heat up slowly....the more heat, the better colors get deeper and more intense.
7. If you fabric/clothing is Cotton, Rayon, Linen, add more salt....Rock/table salt. about 1 cup for item. This keep the dyes stay in the fibers.
8. once you reach the color desired, take out of bath, rinse in lukewarm warm first, then cold. Keep rinsing well.

TIPS: The more dye you use, the more intense the color gets. For deep/intense colors, you need to keep the dye bath going for about an hour. Bring the temp of the dye bath to almost a boil.

Chemical dyes are much less toxic because you only need to add either salt or acid to the dye bath. Natural dyes are misleading You would like they are safer, but because you need mortants such as Cooper and other metals, it's not so safe to do at home.

Please read the above I posted about what types of dyes to purchase for true brillint colors. You can get these at those places I mentioned.

Aljo Dyes sells a fixitive for cotton and nylon dyes. After you dye using Direct dyes for cottons, you emerse the dyed, wet fabric/clothing into a fixitive bath. This keeps the color from fading and running off. You can also use them for RIT/TINTEX

RIT and TINTEX will not dye Polyesters and acrylics, only tint them. Fake furs are made from those fibers and not recommended to dye, as any heat wilt the fur and it looks like crap afterwards.

Chemical dyes are safe as long as you use a dust mask while mixing dry dyes.

Cofee vs, Tea......do a test! French Roast? LOL

Dyeing is complicated. When you dye garments, most of the stitching will not dye because it is made from Polyester. Zippers might not dye as well. Using high heat also can shrink the fibers.

Next time you wanna dye something, tell me exactly what it is and I can then help you.

PS: I suck at spelling. :-)

Well, I don't think the iron pot will affect chemical dyes. I'm sure it would using natural dyes. I could be wrong, but even finding an large iron pot to dye in is difficult and it's not worth it pricewise. Any pot used for dyeing should never be used for cooking food.

I agree, iron and copper both with affect the dye results as they are both used for mordants, even if it is just the pot you are working with.

Thanks Miyo! Well that's encouraging! I did also buy the discharge paste, but the bleaching has a much better effect. So many processes to get through. I was a little eager on a trial and didn't go through the right steps, so my pants have small holes from the bleach. The fabric just isn't as strong in that area any more. Which is why I was worried.

I am somewhat impatient for results. : )

It will likely tint only, as you thought.. in which case all that crappy dirt will still show.

Your tub will possibly be stained, especially if it's an old one that's etched (not shiny any more) from years of cleaning.

I'd remove that coyote before you start.

Thanks to the both of you!
Two more questions:
Where can I get soda ash?
Also, I want some of the ingido to show through, will that be the effect I get if I do as instructed?

yes, if you go for a deep shade.
I've dyed my jeans for decades, works well.

ahhh it's stonewashed. They use pumice stones in huge rolling vats to do that effect.
Once you dye it, you can get a pumice stone or sandpaper to wet jeans and start rubbing. It won't look like that jean photo, but you'll get some lighter spots.
I used to do that effect for Ralph Lauren and Clavin Klein in a pinch.

First off, I would like to say that I am thinking of starting a small clothing line, and also doing stuff for re-sale for my friends and what not.

One thing I would like to try is dying jeans into different colors, such as red, purple, green, bright blue etc as well as maybe gray.

How would I go about doing this? I was thinking that I would have to first remove as much color as possible to make them as close to white as I could get. I'd assume that bleach is the best way to do that, and then I would have to use some sort of bleach stopper thing I guess. What's the whitest I could possibly get the jeans? And would it be easier to use black or blue jeans to bleach?

Now, once I have bleached the jeans, I would have to die them. After trying to research this, I have read that RIT dyes do not last as long as desired, and if I was trying to sell these jeans, that would not be a good thing. Is there a way to use the RIT dye without it fading? Or is there another type of die that I could be using?

AND FINALLY (sorry for all the questions, I hope it's not too much)

Do you know how to acid wash jeans? I was also thinking of getting black jeans from a second hand store, and acid washing them. Also, after acid washing, can you die the pants to cover in the spots with a different color?

thank you SOSOSOSOSOSO much

Hi Miyo.

I wanted to share back with you my experience with the black Dye and the Flower Girl Jackets. They really did not turn out well...I think the dye process was fine, the jackets did turn black, however, the fabric (Silk outer layer and poly inner lining) changed. The silk shrunk and lost its sheen....ended up looking very old (vintage) The lining did not shrink....so the jackets did not fit well...lining hung over the edge, and lining was longer than the length of the sleeves. Thank goodness I did not pay a lot for the jackets..and I did learn about dyeing. We did not end up using them, found sweaters instead.

Anyway, I wanted to thank you for all your assistance. I am glad professionals like you share your experience and expertise.
Suzanne