Question: How to Dye Nylon
"I have a pair of nylon tights that I would like to dye. Is this possible?"
Answer: Nylon can by dyed with an acid dye, just like protein fibers (such as wool and cashmere).
Before using an acid dye (More about acid dyes and where to find them), soak your material in 1/2 water/vinegar solution for at least an hour.
After that you will be adding dye to water and heating the mixture in some way. The following is a list of a few different ways to use acid dye. Most tutorials involving acid dye are about dying yarn, but the same method can apply to dying nylon tights and stockings.
- Acid Dye Tutorials:
- Here is a great general yarn dying tutorial from Fibermania, using lots of rainbow colors and a simple microwave method.
- Sarah E. White shows us how to Dye Yarn with Kool-Aid. Remember to soak your yarn in vinegar beforehand.
- Here is a very thorough tutorial from Kathryn Ivy on how to dye yarn using Easter egg tablets
- This tutorial from Knitting by Zen has a bit more information about how much dye to use and how to get variegated and spotty results.
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Protein (Wool, Cashmere, Silk)
- What are Protein Fibers?
- How to Dye Protein Fibers
- Learn about Acid Dyes
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Cellulose (Cotton, Linen, Hemp)
- What are Cellulose Fibers?
- How to Dye Cellulose Fibers
- Learn about Fiber Reactive Dye
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Synthetics (Spandex, Nylon, Polyester)
- List of Synthetic Fibers
- How to Dye Synthetic Fibers
