Dyeing Sponges Black

I'm wondering if anyone who has dyed their sponges has side-by-side swatches showing white sponged with ordinary sponge next to white sponged with dyed sponges? I had one last attempt at dying sponges black, this time using Rit dye (+ vinegar etc) and this is what I get:



The two outside swatches are sponged with undyed TAG sponge, the centre swatch with (Rit)dyed black TAG sponge. (Paint is all Wolfe white) When you see them next to each other there is a clear difference. Honestly, I'm not happy with that - BUT perhaps I'm just too picky & my expectations are unrealistic, I don't know.

I don't think you are being picky when it makes that big of a difference. I'm sorry you are getting that bad of a transfer. I did a side-by-side with Wolfe and my results weren't so pronounced but there is a slight graying on the petal sponge one, the world wide hardly showed any difference. It reminds me of the difference I see between Wolfe and Dfx and no one else seems to notice.

The dye release in the sponges (for me) is very noticeable when I use hand soap or dish soap to clean them but I get none when I use a vinegar water solution. I would say that even if you wash your sponges in some kind of soap, I would still rinse them out with vinegar solution to make sure all of the soap comes out. Here's my picture:

I've swatched mine, and I see no difference. After a washing cycle i have never seen any dye transfer or dye come out.
They are WWF dyed with dylon. The dylon dye did not make them pitchblack, more charcoal.
I always wash my sponges in a clothing bag in the washing machine on 30° with dixan.
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Mine are bleeding through the white. I never realized. Those i use all the time are less noticible, the one i have dye and not yet used have a big difference.
I will post a picture later.
There must be a way to stop loosing color. Does anybody know? I rinsed mine with vinegar and let them dry then washed at a light temperature. It seems is still loosing the dye.

I dyed mine on the stove, but it really was a washing machine dye. I added the salt as on the package, but the sponges did not seem to "take" the paint on the stove.
I then transferred all to the washer, and added an extra 500g of salt, thus doubling the amount. Dyed through one cycle, then let them dry, and then washed them with little detergent in another cycle.

I have never noticed them losing any colour when using or washing/rinsing.

Maybe you could try running them through a washing cycle with a 1/2 kg of salt to set?

About dyes.
comercial Dyes work by "generally" having a negative charge (think Ions in science) Companys often dye thier products then use a fixative. This is positively charged solution made to go with dyes (right amount of charge to seal it) it forms a lasting bond around the fabric.

What salt (best with cotton and its blends) and vineger (best with nylons etc) does, is cause the dye just to basically run back to the fabric as dye rather than stay sitting in the water- but it is not a fixative so it will either keep happening or run its course.

Dye doesn't tend to have problems with items that have never been dyed before. But if they have been dyed and treated with a fixitive you will usually get a problem of an item running.

So I think the solution is a fixaive.. However the problem with home dyes is you don't know if they were basically a + or a - charge dye, and fixatives just usually say fixative. (As opposed to a comercial setting where you know what you got etc)

My suggestion is to get a fixative in whatever brand you used to dye them in, and hope for the best. It still may not work it really depends with dying on what its been through before it got to you, what you are doing. basically dying is iffy.

Here are some examples of fixatives so you know what you are looking for should you choose to do this.
This is just what I seen first I am sure there will be better prices and other products.


http://about.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=5724/form_keyword=retayne/rd=1/st=query&mode=about_laundry

http://about.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=771006452/search=Rit%2BDye%2BFixative/mode=about_laundry/rd_type=M

hope it helps.

Thank you Sue, I read on the fixative Rit product that is design to reduce color bleeding from garment. That sounds like there are no guarantee it won't bleed.
I am very confused on what to do! What would happen if I try to use a remover?

Thats why I said it whas iffy. The reason I found this out was I had a sleeping bag that the color ran on for years I had it since I was 10. One day I got fed up and I looked it up years ago. I got a fixative and it worked but on the other hand I have also bought cheap T shirts, and sheets etc that I have tried it on and it didn't work on. but more often than not - it has worked for me.

I think If you can get it cheap its worth a go. as It is somthing you may find a use for. I suggest if possible, getting the same brand as the dye as they would make it to work with there product so it would be the best chance.

If you choose the other option to get something to make it run away and remove the colour. I would use it only on the sponges still running. If you are not having a running issue the dye most likely worked, As dye can work well with previously undyed and un fixed products. It would also work better with older used products as when things say fade in the wash over years it is basically the dye and fixative bond that leaves leaving for lack of a better term fresh fibre to recieve color. Dying is in essence science and without knowing what peviously was used before you got it makes it hard to know what will happen next.

But on the positive fixative is good to have around when you say have an old shirt that you love and is fading it can rejuvinate it. Or bought a product that runs it can stop it.

With those of you having problems who get a fixative, I think posting what brand of dye you used and what fixtive and if it worked. (Give it a wash after then, give it a test.) That should help to narrow it down.

Sorry I can't be of more help here.

I have been using them over and over again constantly since I dyed them and have never noticed any difference in my white paint application... even though I'm sure it's probably bleeding a little each time, it is so insignificant as to not cause me to bat an eyelash at it.

Yay! I have GREEN sponges! Thanks Denise Cold, I followed your instructions. I tried the 'white test' with an undyed and dyed sponge with NO noticeable differences. Have not used them yet at a gig so time will tell how they handle a good wash but here's hoping, fingers crossed.

Old and newly cut sponges ready for their bath.

Green sponge soup with a cup of vinegar, on the simmer for about 40 min. The dotter sponges sticks did come off but are easy to reglue.

Soaked in vinegar water and then rinsed, rinsed, rinsed until clear.

My new GREEN babies having a sunning and drying.

I did type it for people having issues but then I remembered something from printing ( I was a print production manager) that black ink contains more PPD than others we always tried to be more careful.

So I looked it up and black dye is generally the same. Although not all black dyes contain it but they tend to say if they don't.
Think of PPD As in hair dye allergy, black henna . So you might want to think about setting them to stop even a minor amount going onto the skin. The skin absorbs it through pores and it binds with protein in the skin and can cause a reaction hours/days later.
We used to be worried about build up as in constant exposure when we were printing, basically we tried to not get it on us too much so you didn't build up a sensativity as no one with a ppd allergy would ever work there, but industrial exposure can cause it. Most dyes/ink contain ppd - black has the most. I was thinking that if water releases this from the sponge and face painters use water probebly, not too good for you or the client. Just a thought, Ive changed my view to I'd set them anyway, and wash them a fair bit.

Thank u Sue. That was actually my worry not knowing what the concequences on the kids skin would be. I used the fixative on the sponges and thumble dry them then i rewash them and dry them. They lost a lot of dye!
The sponge i used at first is a lot better, though i can slightly see a difference. There are others i never used that i see no difference at all now!

.... glad it worked.

So cool! What a great tip!

I will be dying mine too. They look professional. Thanks for sharing this great idea.

Lol I waited for my new order of sponges to come, when they arrived I got all my old ones together, got the dye , and planned to do them all.....they look so nice, BUT two days later I found That i had forgotten to include the new ones . Guess I'll have to do another batch, I love them black!

Done. I even dyed the car wash ones. I am happy with the results.

Shannon Fennell wrote:Emo sponges.

My sponges don't stain enough for me to bother. I have dark purple ones that I try to remember to use for the colours that are harder to clean out, but I'm still using 10 year old sponges that are not stained at all.

The trick is to put your used sponges in WATER so they don't dry out, and also, probably the fact that I only use a sponge once on a face so the colour isn't pounded into them.

Emo sponges!!! you made me laugh so hard!!! You're so right!
My concern... as when ... a long long time ago I was a teenager and I was "new wave" like we said in Europe.
Basically a clone of Robert Smith... I was dying everything in black!!!
You know what it doesn't stay... and when its grey it doesn't look as cool as black...

But... Emo sponges!!! I love Love that!!!

Hi everyone,

Today i took the plunge and gave my sponges a black bath. Yes, they enjoyed it. Some of them are really dark and black while others just barely took some color. I measured the dye and the water correctly. Could it be due to the materials or me? Any hints?

To properly dye materials, you have to make the dye want to bond with the material. You must change the Ph of the water, depending upon the material. You are trying to make the dye particles leave the water and bond with the material.

Natural fibres need to be dyed in an alkaline base... therefore add salt.

Man-made materials need to be dyed in an acidic base... therefore add vinegar.

We do not always know exactly what goes into making our sponges. Most of my sponges take the black really, really, well. My red Snazaroo sponges just become dark, dark red.

I hope this helps.

Dying all my sponges again and STILL love it. Bought a bunch of new ones since I last did this and they all look sooooo beautiful and black again! Thanks again Denise!!!

I did this last night too--and the "Wicked" sponges came out all sparkly!!

I know what you mean...it's the material. LOVE my new sponges!

Hi everyone! I dyed my sponges black today with liquid RIT fabric dye, but I'm concerned about the bleeding of color when I hand wash them with soap. I have Always Wicked, and Tag.
I soaked them in hot water and vinegar with the stove top method, then set them in a vinegar water bath after removing from the pot, rinsed until water ran clear, washed in the washing machine twice, with vinegar in the bleach disperser, then checked some for color bleed, and there was some bleed, so I washed again and added more vinegar in the bleach dispenser.
I washed by hand with liquid soap to test them, and the water ran out grey. What can I do to stop this? Is there another fixative I missed out on? Thank you for all the great advice out here! First time commenting!

I don't like RIT liquid. I thought I'd said that somewhere...but honestly, I don't even like the RIT powder anymore, they changed the formula (of course.)

Laurel Alford had luck with Rit DyeMore for Synthetics. It didn't seem as hard for her to wash out as the IDye Poly I got from Dharma Trading.

I used IDye Poly this last time and my sponges have stayed black for a long time...HOWEVER...it took forever for me to wash out all of the extra dye....like more than 20 washings by hand and you'll want to strangle me...long time.

Also, be careful not to actually BOIL the sponges. Just use simmering water. Boiling makes the sponges softer.

I wish I didn't like black sponges so much. I tried keeping some pink ones in my kit and I hate the look of them. I'm hoping this IDye Poly will be permanent.

D.