Feather Dyeing with Acid Dyes

Let's get started!

Fill mason jars mostly full and put in stainless steel or enamel pot with just enough hot or warm water to come up the side of the jars, turn on the heat.

Add ¼ tsp dye powder to each jar and stir to dissolve. You can use more or less dye depending on how deep a shade you want.

Add one tsp of Citric Acid to each jar.

Raise the temperature to 185 degrees, just below boiling. Stir frequently to make sure everything is dissolved.

Once the temperature is hot enough quickly add your feathers. Stir well but gently, the feathers will soften in the heat and you don't want to bend them. Leave them in the dye for 2-4 minutes.

Variation Dip Dyed Feathers: Dip one end of the feather in to dye for main color for 1-2 minutes. Remove the feather and add another primary color (we used yellow) then re-dip the feather but only part way. This will give you a two toned effect that is lots of fun.

Remove the feathers and give them a quick rinse in COLD water.

Gently separate them and lay flat to dry. After a bit you will notice the edges of the feathers start to bloom/fuzz a little. Now it is safe to gently blow on them with a low hair dryer if you need to speed up drying. Once they are dry you may need to stroke them a bit with 2 fingers, one on each side, away from the quill, following the slant, to "zip" the strands back together. Think of birds and how they naturally preen to keep their feathers tidy.

Your new plumage is ready to make all kinds of things, from earrings to boas and embellishment for all kinds of things. Fly fishermen who make (or sell) fishing flies love our Acid dyes too! They even come in a few fluorescent colors.