bleaching herl instructions ?

[powderfinger]

have any of u bleached peacock herl? ty

[Hardyreels]

No, but the result may be that you are left with only stripped quill, is that what you are going for? Be quick about it and do some testing with single strands before you get carried away.

Ard

[stenacron]

Originally Posted by Hardyreels

No, but the result may be that you are left with only stripped quill, is that what you are going for?

Ard

That's a good question... is the goal to strip the quill or change the color?

You can strip it pretty fast with a pencil eraser (if that's the goal).

[s fontinalis]

use 5% bleach solution - 5ml household bleach in 95ml water.

dip the herl in the bleach, gently agitating it until the color changes, then transfer to a 10% vinegar solution to neutralize the bleach.

then transfer to water

let dry

if the herl is stripped (no fibers left) decrease the bleach concentration, or decrease the time in the bleach solution, or both.

These chemicals at the concentrations listed (5% bleach and 10% vinegar) are safe to use, there is no risk of chemical reaction affecting you. But do be careful with pure bleach when you're making the diluted solution.

[flytire]

For color I usually err on the side of success and buy them bleached and dyed

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CD4QrQMwCQ

[stimmy7]

Vinegar... interesting.

I've always used a bath of dissolved baking soda, followed by a cold water rinse to stop it.

[s fontinalis]

Originally Posted by stimmy7

Vinegar... interesting.

I've always used a bath of dissolved baking soda, followed by a cold water rinse to stop it.

here's your science lesson for today. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate i.e Na (sodium) HCO3 (bicarbonate)

In solution it exists at equilibrium between Na+ and HCO3-
Since the solution is usually in water, you get the following reaction
H20 + CO2 (atmospheric Carbon dioxide) forming H2CO3 (Carbonic Acid) which readily forms H+ + HCO3- : this is the complete equilibrium

H+, (hydrogen atom) is what give acids their acid properties (the more free H+ there is in solution, the stronger the acid).

Thus, Baking soda is an acid, just like vinegar (acetic acid), though slightly weaker

[sumojo]

i tried it before and it just striped it maybe to strong i guess . bust as far as dying that was no problem i even used food coloring with vinegar to set the color in. i guess i will have to try the bleaching again.


For just a fee feathers in the Microwave for two minutes.

[flytire]

i think the original poster asked about peacock herl