Dyeing

Dyeing

Let’s add some color to our undies!

Here’s are some options.

1. Dope Dying- This is for synthetics and is added to the melted polymer. Think of a clear syrup like Karo brand syrup and adding food drops to give it a color.
2. Fiber Dyeing- This is dyeing the loose fiber stock. Used to dye cotton for the color flecks in 100% cotton heather or mélange yarns.
3. Yarn Dyeing: This can be in the form of Hank Dyeing, Package Dyeing or Warp Dyeing.
a. Package Dyeing is the most common for underwear fabrics. The Yarn is wound on special spools with perforations that allows the dye liquor to go through the cones. Popular with cotton and synthetic yarns.
4. Fabric or Piece Dyeing: This can be Jig Dyeing, Winch Dyeing, Jet Dyeing or Pad Dyeing. Jet Dyeing is the most popular for our knit fabrics and Pad Dyeing is the most popular for our woven underwear fabrics.
a. Jet dyeing- Fabric is dyed in rope form and carried through a narrow throat nozzle by a dye bath that circulates at a high rate. The vessel can go under pressure and reach the higher temperatures required to dye polyester
b. Pad dyeing- Fabric is in open width form and passed through a dye solution and then squeezed by rollers to push the dye through it. It’s usually performed on a “continuous range” with a series of pad and extractions followed by drying, rinsing and drying again.
5. Garment Dyeing – Sort of like a big washing machine. Can get tricky for complicated apparel with seams but it can also be a fashion trend. Pantyhose, gloves, sweaters are loosely placed into a net type of bag and tossed in the machine with the dye liquor.

Knit underwear is usually dyed on a Jet and solid woven fabric is pad dyed. Stripes or plaids use dyed yarns that are normally dyed in the package form.

The Pocket Textile Expert is a great resource that I used it as a resource for several of my blogs. Even though my degree is in Textile Chemistry, I need refreshers and updated info and Irfan Ahmed Shaikh’s a great resource! Check out his books at http://www.textilemaster.net/

All for now
Sincerely,
The Underwear Maven
http://www.keylargounderwear.com/