Re: "fiber reactive low impact dyes" Anyone have any suggestions?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ffokazak
Had a customre request this type of ink.
From the description, i assume its waterbased ink, but not sure.
Fiber reactive dyes that have a low impact on the environment are used to dye the actual shirt in specific dying equipment - that you undoubtably don't have.
Plastisol is very a very low impact ink, because nothing evaporates, compared to water-based inks that are more than 70% volitiles.
__________________
How are you measuring? retired Ulano Technical Support Screen printing since 1979 - SGIA Academy Member
Re: "fiber reactive low impact dyes" Anyone have any suggestions?
It's not waterbased ink... or in fact ink at all. They're not just used to dye fabric, you can also screenprint with them (by adding them to a print paste).
I doubt their interest in it is solely environmental, it will also give you different results. It's probably not something you want to take on without experience though.
Re: "fiber reactive low impact dyes" Anyone have any suggestions?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ffokazak
What would I be taking on if I decided to try this ink?
It's not ink, it's dye.
There are more OH&S considerations (not a big deal, but there's more call for respirators and gloves). Once mixed it has a very short shelf-life (24 hours, 72 at the outside). You might need some new equipment (you'll need a very accurate scale for example), and obviously you'll need some new chemicals/materials. The biggest problem is the garments need to be washed and steamed after printing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ffokazak
Do you have any good sources of info for this type of dye?
I don't. I haven't really seen it mentioned on the internet (but then I haven't gone looking either).
Re: "fiber reactive low impact dyes" Anyone have any suggestions?
Hmmm, ok.
I have a respirator, and use gloves for emulsion, etc.
I have used plasticharge ink, so it has a shirt lifespan as well.
I JUST bought a scale off of craigslist, for mixing stuff up
New chems is not a big deal.
I think i am going to talk to the customer, and get afeel for exactly what she wants, and take on this challenge.......
Have you ever bought the dye? Where did you get it?
I check a few of my regular suppliers and they dont have it...That might be the biggest trouble, is getting the dye.
Re: "fiber reactive low impact dyes" Anyone have any suggestions?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ffokazak
Have you ever bought the dye? Where did you get it?
I'm on the other side of the world, so that wouldn't particularly help.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ffokazak
I check a few of my regular suppliers and they dont have it...That might be the biggest trouble, is getting the dye.
I'm pretty sure Dharma Trading have all the relevant supplies (I don't know how competitive their pricing is, but at least they should have it so you can look into it).
What would I be taking on if I decided to try this ink?
I'm nervous that you still don't understand that Fiber Reactive Dyes are not inks. Are you sure you understand what the customer expects.
You could decide to take on the challange of over dying or re-dying shirts which with fiber reactive dyes is an all day, of overnight perhaps process that requires tanks to do the process and washing and drying equipment to wash the un-reacted dye out of the shirts, then dry them. Finding un-processed, un-dyed sewn shirts for you to then dye, could be very hard.
How will this make the customer happier than using a Hanes Beefy-T?
Think about how a freshly laundered 100% cotton shirts looks as you pull it from the dryer - all winkled, and then you need to print it.
What do you think the customer actually wants? or is willing to pay for this process?
If you understand this, forgive me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ffokazak
Do you have any good sources of info for this type of dye?
Google 'fiber reactive dyes'.
My old records show that when I taught my younger brother to make tie-dyed shirts we used Procion MX dyes which need to side (wet), for 18 to 24 hours.
My brother copied the look of the V-Neck Liquid Blue shirts by dying most of the shirt, then screen printing fish or sea images over the un-dyed areas.
The way to get the 'liquid water' look was to tie dye the shirt. Nobody cared what dye he used, it was a way to a look. Very labor intensive, but could be very creative.
You need customers that will pay for hand dying.
__________________
How are you measuring? retired Ulano Technical Support Screen printing since 1979 - SGIA Academy Member
I'm nervous that you still don't understand that Fiber Reactive Dyes are not inks.
I'm nervous that you still don't understand that despite that they can be (and are) used for screenprinting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RichardGreaves
Finding un-processed, un-dyed sewn shirts for you to then dye, could be very hard.
It's extremely easy. Alternative Apparel sell a range of PFD shirts, Dharma have a Gildan PFD.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RichardGreaves
My old records show that when I taught my younger brother to make tie-dyed shirts we used Procion MX dyes which need to side (wet), for 18 to 24 hours.
If you immersion dye it only takes 1-2 hours, so depending on the nature of the project you should be able to cut that down significantly.
I'm nervous that you still don't understand that despite that they can be (and are) used for screenprinting.
I am very familar with raw material dying from when I was a partner at United Shirts of America where we bought cotton thread, knit the fabric, dyed it, cut it, printed the sleeves, sewed the shirts and printed them again. At Carolina Pacific, where we had 300+ sewing machines, we made custom collar and placket shirts from scratch which included dying. In the rage of PFD dying in the early 1990 I taught classes on hand dying and remember hanging hundreds of shirts on clothes lines as the orange dye dripped off my elbows. I studied with Dr. Joseph Rivlin who wrote "The Dyeing of Textile Fibers" at the old Philadelphia College of Textiles, now Philadelphia University.
I know lots about dying.
I described how Liquid Blue and my brother screen printed on tie dyed shirts in hopes that could illuminate what might be done by top professionals and my hippie low tech brother.
From the poster's questions and responses, I don't know that they understand because they refered to inks, twice.
__________________
How are you measuring? retired Ulano Technical Support Screen printing since 1979 - SGIA Academy Member
Last edited by RichardGreaves; April 18th, 2007 at 05:59 AM.
"fiber reactive low impact dyes" Anyone have any suggestions? 
