Dying Wool Roving in Neon/Fluorescent/UV Colors

[VixenSingsBlack]

This was originally posted by OrangeMicol as a comment in the "Dyeing Wool Roving: Many Methods, Including Rainbow Dying" thread, but I thought it deserved its own thread since this specific topic comes up often amongst wool lovers. Thanks again to OrangeMicol!

something ive been interested in is how to dye wool roving UV colours- you dont see much UV wool around. so i did a search came across the dyeing site of Paula Burch,

http://www.pburch.net/dyeing.shtml

about using fluorescent dyes on wool she says:

"Aljo Mfg. in New York sells some fluorescent dyes among their "Silk and Wool Dyes", including Fluorescent Rhodamine B, Fluorescent Blue G, Fluorescent Violet, and Fluorescent Flavine Yellow. They are the only US source I know of for blue and violet fluorescent acid dye. Presumably you can mix a fluorescent yellow and a fluoresent blue to get a fluorescent green. You can see what they sell on their web site, but you will have to call on the phone to order.

PRO Chemical & Dye, one of my favorite dye suppliers, sells Rhodamine B and Flavine Yellow among their WashFast Acid Dye series. I don't think they have fluorescent blue, green, or violet dyes, though they do have fluorescent pigments and fabric paints.

Another extremely popular supplier of dyes, which carries some fluorescent acid dyes, is Dharma Trading Company. They are easier to buy from than Aljo. Dharma's acid dyes are made by Jacquard Products. Their #620 Hot Fuchsia is Rhodamine B, the same fluorescent hot pink as from Aljo and ProChem. They used to list #627 Brilliant Kelly Green and #628 Chartreuse as being fluorescent, but no longer list them as such; the formulas for these two dyes may have changed. They also sell a 'Fluorescent Yellow Dye', possibly Flavine Yellow, that works only on nylon and on protein fibers. No fluorescent blue or violet, unfortunately. Fluorescent yellow is also available in the new all-purpose dye being marketed by Jacquard Products as "iDye"; Dharma is the first place I've seen that carries this line of dye.

You can also buy fluorescent dye for whites. It is invisible under visible light but pops with a bright blue-white under ultraviolet light. It's a common additive in laundry detergents; you can also buy it as Rit Whitener & Brightener, and as Dharma Trading Company's Optic Whitener. You get a lot more of the product in the latter, since it is not packaged with salts and other fillers as the Rit product is.

Dylon used to sell a "UV Fluorescent Fabric dye", but not in the US, I think. It's sold in the UK; see GlowShop.com. The colors are numbered 63 yellow, 64 green, and 65 pink. They are expensive because each tiny tin contains only enough dye to dye eight ounces of dry fabric.

You should also consider fabric paint. It is not dye, but can sometimes be used like dye. It wears off much more quickly, since it sits on the surface of the fiber, but has the advantage of working on many synthetic fibers, in addition to natural fibers and untreated nylon. There are always many different colors of fluorescent fabric paint available, from ProChem, Dharma, and other suppliers. Particularly worthy of note among the different types of fabric paint are the fluorescent fabric markers, which Dharma, among other suppliers, sells. There are occasions when a small detail can be done best with a marker."

Thanks Paula! hope this is useful stuff- check out her site because its a fantastic resource!
as an additional note, glowshop.com is no longer open (i checked).

[[[Violet.Nightmare]]]

just a note... dont go looking for dylon flouressant dyes. they dont make them anymore.

[Jane Doe]

Thanks for re-posting this.
I've been curious about dying UV reactant colors for myself.
When I'm trying to make UV stuff, I currently buy wool that's already been dyed and it fluoresces by itself.
I remember many years ago, there was a vendor that sold UV felted dreads so I knew it must be possible.

[OrangeMicol]

ive now got myself a small collection of various UV dyes, some from aljo dyes and some from a company called scuddlebutt3, which supplies chemicals and equipment for home and school use.

i verified with the scuddlebutt3 that the dyes are safe for human use and they confirmed this. both brands require an acidic dye environment (how geeky do i sound)

i will let yall know when i use them and how they turn out!

[halocaustic]

I've dyed a lot of my wool UV colours. I don't rate the Dylon dyes at all for wool, but for fabric they;re good. The only dye I use for my wool is Jacquard acid Dye as it's easy, VERY vibrant and long lasting. It's specifically for wool, silk & feathers.....

Hot Fuchsia is extremely UV reactive:


As is the Kelly Green (you can see it in here if you look hard enough!):

[Jane Doe]

Thanks for the review and pictures!
I wonder if I can buy Jacquard acid Dye in Australia?
Hmmm

[Squidgy]

Wow, I cant wait to try and dye some UV wool.. so excited right now!!!

[Squidgy]

quote]just a note... dont go looking for dylon flouressant dyes. they dont make them anymore.[[/quote]

Does dylon actually work on wool, I looked at some the other day and the packet stated it is not suitable for wool!!

Halocaustic - do any of the other colours glow under UV?

[halocaustic]

Not really. Those are the only two I've noticed and I've tried nearly all of them

[Suki_Stardust]

squidgy my black hands (well navy hands now....) are testament to the fact dylon only slightly works on wool with loads of abuse to the poor fibre.... Listen to the lovely ladies here and don't end up like me with gangrenous hands

[Squidgy]

Suki_Stardust I have had plenty of experiances with different coloured fingers... lol... I will listen to the advice of all and ensure that I have one less incident with them, lol...

I have just been looking for some UV colours in the UK, and although I am not 100% sure if any shades are UV reactive, I must say that Wingham Wool is selling a huge amount of colours:

http://www.winghamwoolwork.co.uk/dye_landscape.php

There goes the remainder of my wages!!!!