As I understand it the reason kool aid works so well to dye feathers fur and hair is due to the fact that the coloring used is a weak acid dye. By adding some vinegar to the dye bath we can set the color into the material so it does not wash out as we fish it, or bleed onto our fingers as we are tying. Starting off with white feather and furs is the easiest as it is often hard to get consistent results when dying over a colored material.
Materials Needed:
-Kool Aid (Make sure it is the mix WITHOUT SUGAR)
-Metal Mixing Bowl
-Tongs or Spoon
-Microwave
-Vinegar
-Material to dye
-Understanding Spouse/Wife
Step 1:
Assemble all your materials in a safe place and put down plastic bags, news paper, or a section of wood to protect counter tops. A better idea is to do this outside or in a garage, one spill on the carpet, counter or floor will bring out the wrath of your significant other.
Measure two cups of hot tap water into your mixing bowl.
Step 2:
Add two packets of kool aid into the hot water and add 2-3 caps of vinegar and mix well. After mixing transfer to a microwave safe bowl or dish. You could skip the mixing bowl step I just find using the bowl allows me to mix and dissolve the kool aid better.
Step 3:
Place your container in the microwave and set the time for 1:45. Allow the mixture to heat up and carefully remove from the microwave and set on a safe surface. Add your materials to the dye bath, in this case I am using natural colored rhea feathers.
Step 4: Allow the materials to soak and check periodically for the intensity of the color. The longer you leave the materials in the bath the more color will take to the feather or fur. Always remember that the color you see while the materials are wet will always be a few shades lighter once dry. When you have reached a color you are happy with take the material out and wash it with hot water followed by cold until you no longer see any dye leeching from the material. Place the materials on some paper towel in front of a fan or near a window with a breeze to dry out.
Once dry fluff the feathers or fur up and check to see if the color is satisfactory. In this batch I did two feathers in orange and two in purple opting for a long bath time to get bright orange and dark purple respectively.
Above are the feathers after drying. The orange is a very bright very heavy dye job as is the purple, making the picture look almost black. In person as you move the feather around the tones of purple come through. You can dye any natural feather or fur with kool aid using this method and by adjusting soak times, amount of kool aid used and heat of the dye bath achieve different results. Below is some red fox dyed with kool aid in a few different colors. As you can see a lot of variation can be had by adjusting different variables.
Warning: I would always suggest trying smaller batches of materials at first instead of trying to dye a $100 saddle right out of the gates. By starting with smaller batches or on less expensive materials you can get a feel for dying and know the limitations and expectations of using this method. Some materials will dye better then others and keep in mind that sometimes things do not work out as you want. For example I have a beautiful snow white arctic fox pelt that I purchased to dye for steelhead flies. The skin on this pelt is paper thin and I find if I dye using a hot water bath the skin wants to rip apart and almost dissolve on me. This has caused me to use cooler baths and longer dye times to avoid this, so keep in mind smaller batches are better to see how materials react to the process and how colors take with the specific material.
Also do not be afraid to branch out to salt fixative dyes and proper acid dyes for dying materials once you are more comfortable with the process. Kool aid is just a cheap easy way to get your feet wet and see if this is something you would like to pursue further. Below is a picture of some other rhea feathers I dyed using salt fixative fabric dyes, while not as bright and vibrant as acid dyes they still get the job done.
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