Dyeing Saddles

[JUNGLEJIM1]

Here are some pictures of saddles and half saddles that I dyed the last couple evenings. With the price of what nice saddle feathers are going for these days due to the latest craze in women's hair styling, I decided to start listing feathers on ebay starting this week. So far it's been incredible with a 10 ct pink grizzly saddle feathers over 10 inches going for $37.51 last night and other lots going over $30 as well. The longer the feather the higher the price they are going for. These will be going on ebay in small lots and we'll see what happens. I won't sell every feather I have but there's nothing wrong with making a buck or two. I heard beauticians are charging $60 to put two or three feathers in women's hair thanks to Steven Tyler on American Idol. These are color's like baby blue,lt.pink, aquamarine,chartreuse yellow and more.

 

[LedHed]

Chaaa Ching - very nice - excellent dye jobs

 

[oldfox]

Pretty Jim! Love the colors...

 

[Lost Pole]

I sure Like those. Would love to hear your dye procedure.
Gluck with the profit!
Adam

 

[Ron Don]

Wont have a problem getting rid of any of those! Now you just have to figure out what to buy with all the extra dough!

 

[Fatman]

I'll second the what/how are you dying the saddles??? Got a quick write up???

Fatman

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

I use Cushing's Perfection Dyes. One 1/3 oz. packet will dye 1 lb. of materials dry weight so a little goes a long way. I've been using it for about 7 or 8 years now,with some trial an error along the way. All that you need is a pot,water,white vinegar and the dye of your choice. Use just enough water to fully submerge the materials you intend to dye,no need to fill the pot unless you are dyeing a lot of one color. I use a stainless steel pot because I can get a decent look at the color of the dye as I'm mixing,add a little at a time to boiling water to get the shade you like,add the vinegar. The vinegar sets the dye in whatever you are dyeing.I use strung white marabou to check the color to make sure it's what I want before adding the full amount of material I want to dye.. Always presoak materials in warm water with a mild detergent,then I rinse and repeat. I wash and rinse materials twice before I add them to the pot to make sure it's clean. With a neck or saddle I'll put it directly in the pot,with smaller items like loose feathers or hackle I have a small stainless steel strainer that I put the small stuff in then add to the pot. I use tongs to work the dye deeper in the neck or saddle turning the saddle continuously. The color of the materials will be darker when wet then lighten a tad after it dries. It's better to be on the lighter than darker side because if it's to light you can dye it darker but if it's to dark you can't lighten it up. Rinse first in warm water then cold and it should be set. Let it drain and drip for a little while and once it stops dripping I usually hang it in front of a fan with hemos and let it air dry. The smaller feathers and furs I put on paper towels and lunch trays,spread out and let dry. I buy my dye on ebay. Only one person sells the Cushing's and the cost is $17.xx plus shipping for six colors. There's like 70 colors to choose from. I hope this helps, it's not hard and actually is pretty easy if you do it enough. I think I have about 20 colors and you can always mix a couple and make your own custom colors,that get's tricky at times.

 

[hhawkins]

A friend of mine at work wanted me to take a look and see what was all involed with these feathers and see if I can come up with something like that for her granddaughter. She knows I'm pretty crafty. Well, I took a gander at another assoicates feathers in her hair...all it is 2 or 3 feather attached to her hair with a small metal C-clamp that is squashed down with a pair of needle nose pliars...no strings or glue is used. One customer said that the girls can even wash their hair with the feather attached. Even Bass Pro is out of those hackle feathers, we sell a cape for $35.00.

 

[AtticaFish]

Just watched his new video on VH1 and saw his 'feather' extension - he must have 20-30 looooong griz hackles on one side. I can remember a fad from a while back where lots of people were wearing roach clips with bright colored feathers. Think Mr. T wore them on the A-Team if i am remembering right. This new feather thing has not caught on in the middle of the corn fields of Ohio yet..... may have to see if i can put some in my daughters hair and make her the hippest kid for miles around. lol

...thanks to Steven Tyler on American Idol....

JJ1 - Stick it to em!!! I am glad to see both individual tiers and the feather companies making some cash off this - make it where/when you can is my thought. It cracks me up to hear about tiers 'stockpiling' capes for their personal use because they must think there will never be another chicken raised for fisherman???? Even if the fad does not pass quickly, we just may benefit by larger supplies from the bird raisers, cheaper prices and maybe even different colors/styles of feathers in the long run. I can almost guarantee there are people out there thinking of ways they can cash in by raising new varieties of birds.

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

I was looking at saddles last night and saw a grizzly cape with bidding on it over $500+. I'm glad Hunter brought this to my attention.If he would have waited another week or so he could have really cashed in. There are quality 1/4 saddles going for up to $250+. I've seen junk saddles over $100. Wait a minute,I have one.Maybe I'll put it up. I'm tempted to put up the used Hot Pink grizzly saddle I have to see what it will go for.

 

[noel sanchez]

hey junglejim1 so you dyed them? but all I saw was green,green,green,green lol real nice job congrats

 

[Lost Pole]

It cracks me up to hear about tiers 'stockpiling' capes for their personal use because they must think there will never be another chicken raised for fisherman???? Even if the fad does not pass quickly, we just may benefit by larger supplies from the bird raisers, cheaper prices and maybe even different colors/styles of feathers in the long run. I can almost guarantee there are people out there thinking of ways they can cash in by raising new varieties of birds.

I'll have you know I have every high quality cape, saddle n feather from here to Timbuktu n each of them will catch 10,000,000 jigs each. Y'all go ahead n sell all y'all want…im going to sit on mine n tie quality jigs Bc I've been gathering my supplies for years!!!
Wanna see a rope dub jig?

 

[LedHed]

LMAO LP - you forgot a couple of top of the lines....

What is beyond stupid is stockpiling “top of the Line” fly tying material and you don’t even tye flys – yeah but one day….. These are saddles we are talking about – there are still the capes!!!! You can still tye the same patterns.

When this fad thing is over I doubt all the used feathers will go to the trash.

Saw where somebody was predicting 2 years to recover, would like to know what that was based on. Must have been a lot more hot air.

 

[CrappieHappy]

LOL @ LP....

 

[Lost Pole]

Thx for Laying out your dye procedure, JJ1!

 

[AtticaFish]

Bingo!

If you are not on FAOL, you only hear half the story! haha! When you buy things you will never use in your lifetime (and in somecases don't even know what it is but you order one in every color available, just because it is in the catalog) you have a problem.

...I've been gathering my supplies for years!!!...

 

[LedHed]

I agree with Noel "I only see green and more green".

AF - the emperor and his new clothes, Chicken Little, or the Napoleon syndrome - pick one or all.

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

I was lost for a little while, havn't been on any sites but JC for awhile now. Usually just go on ebay and count money. I'm keeping my capes and selling every saddle feather I can,unless those go crazy. I'm saving every broken saddle feather in bags for tying later. I had a guy who owns a string of salons offer me $2 a feather for 500 feathers per week until this craze is over. I'm turning him down for now because I can make more on the smaller lots. Anyone out there that can make more tying let me know.

 

[LedHed]

JJ1

"Anyone out there that can make more tying let me know."

Yeah - can see how you are saving some tying time (for now). But there are few tyers that crank out jigs, in the numbers/varieties that you do. Take advantage – think you will be out here sooner than you think.

 

[Radtexan]

Great dye job,looks like you got a pile of cash there....I agree,cash in while you can.


Funny stuff LP