Dye for Bucktails?

[Rich]

I've recently acquired some buck tail fur and am going to experiment with making ice fishing jigs and hopefully some musky bucktails. I'm new at this and was wondering if anyone had info one what to use/where to get it to dye bucktail fur.

 

Thanks!

 

Rich

[Fang]

I used to buy the tintex fabric dye ( grocery fabric store) and make up a super saturated solution. I think 1 box in 1 liter of water (don't quote me though its been too long). Boil the water and put the tails/skin in while hot. Let sit for a couple days but check it a few times to see colour intensity.

 

I had pretty good luck on mid tones like greens and browns. You had to let the dye sit a while longer to get good black and reds. Never had too much luck on the lighter colours or flourescents.

 

When I sold all my fly stuff last summer, the deer hide and bucktails I did 5-6 years ago still had good colour.

[Roy]

For what they cost, it's not worth dyeing natural bucktail. Use the natural ones for some baits...if you want colours, buy them. If you Google "dyeing bucktail" you'll get a ton of info on it. The key is the acid dye. (vinegar)

Good luck.