Can you dye Natural Kangaroo Lace

[cem]

Just wondering if anyone knows if it is possible to dye the natural kangaroo lace you get in the hanks in Australia (not sure how you guys purchase it overseas). I've only used black and so are not sure if the natural will have some sort of clear finish on it to resist dye. The colour I want is available but I don't want to buy a whole hank in that colour as I don't think I will use it again for awhile (only need about 30cm).

Cheers,

Clair

[TomSwede]

Gotta dye some natural roo lace orange tonite or tomorrow. Never thought of this. I get back back with report after done but I'm gonna do the braid first and it's a bit tricky since it's part of an assembly. I'll try and hurry but I'm sure someone with more experience beats me to it.

Tom

[HorsehairBraider]

I just dyed some with no trouble, but it seems to take up the dye real well so I got it soaking wet first to sort of tone things down. I have to say, it does dye a slightly different shade than I am used to (I'm used to calf) but I was able to sort of mix colors actually on the little strip that I dyed. Here's a pic of it, it's a teeny little bridle that I braided:

It was originally too orange, but I added some darker dye after the first color and got the color I was after. I put a finish on it after I was done as I did not want any more changes. It's true I only dyed a very small amount, maybe only a meter total, but it did not seem to have any finish on it that resisted the dye.

[TomSwede]

That's a fine piece of work there Horsehairbraider!

I just noticed that you come from Mora, New Mexico wich was kinda fun.

Mora is a small Swedish town to me!

Tom

[HorsehairBraider]

That's a fine piece of work there Horsehairbraider!

I just noticed that you come from Mora, New Mexico wich was kinda fun.

Mora is a small Swedish town to me!

Tom

Yes, I think I was told it means something like "farm wife" there? And that there is some type of famous knife with that brand name? In Spanish "mora" means "berry" and there are a lot of chokecherries, elderberries and currants in the area.

Oh, and glad you like the little bridle.

[Beaverslayer]

cem, yes you can dye the natural roo lace. It will dye up real nicely. What I usually do is to make my laces about an arms length long, then lay down some newspaper, soak a wool dauber in dye and pull the lace under the dauber while slightly pushing on the dauber. Once it has dried you can do it again to darken, or you can then pull it through a soft cloth to give it a nice shiny finish. I've used the Fiebings "Leather Dye" "Pro Dye" and even "Leather Glow". all have worked well.

Ken

[TomSwede]

Yes, I think I was told it means something like "farm wife" there? And that there is some type of famous knife with that brand name? In Spanish "mora" means "berry" and there are a lot of chokecherries, elderberries and currants in the area.

Oh, and glad you like the little bridle.

That's about right but it's an old word not sommonly used anymore. Not sure if it even exists in the dictionary.

I'm surprised you knew this but I guess you ran in to some swedish person somewhere.

Tom

[cem]

That is great to hear thankyou for the replies everyone, this will definately save me some money over the long run.

Cheers,

Clair