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+--- Thread: Horse hair coloring (/showthread.php?tid=10107)
Horse hair coloring - Tiberius - 08-04-2007
I have a question for the masses. I'm currently working on a crest for my Gallic H. Here's the deal. I want to dye the horse hair red, as per our legion's code. The natural color of the hair is cream, or a light beige, if you will. Has anyone out there successfully dyed this color of hair red?
What are your experiences? Thanks.
Re: Horse hair coloring - Marcus Mummius - 08-04-2007
I would think this isn't a problem at all...
But the important question is: what kind of dye are you using? Chemical? Madder root?
I'm going to try and dye the horsehair for a crest with madder in a few weeks myself.
Vale,
Horse hair coloring - Tiberius - 08-04-2007
Jef,
We have a product, perhaps you are familiar with it where you live, called Rit. It is a chemical fabric dye. It is probably used a lot here among re-enactors for coloring their tunics. (We of the XXth use white tunics) It is a very good, very permanent dye. And they produce a wonderful scarlet color.
Re: Horse hair coloring - Marcus Mummius - 08-04-2007
Hi Jeff,
I've never seen such a product sold here. But I really want to try dyeing the hair with madder
Not everyone in our group has natural dyed clothes but I'm one of those fanatics who likes using the same products as the Romans did for dyeing. Until I had dyed a tunic with madder I thought you wouldn't be able to spot the difference with an apropriate coloured chemicaly dyed one. But now I and other people in my group wear a madder dyed tunic. And I can tell you, you can really spot the difference. You can even smell it a little bit
D My woolen leg wraps and udones are dyed with nutshells and I'm soon going to wear a fascia ventralis and focale dyed a light blue with indigo...
if I was you I'd just try dyeing a small ammount of the hair to see if the colour is what you want. But I guess it would be no problem. With madder for example you can easily dye dark grey wool to a nice red colour.
Vale,
Re: Horse hair coloring - Peroni - 08-04-2007
We have RIT dyes here too. (fabric dyes anyway)
I would advise washing the hair with a mild detergent before dyeing to get rid of any greasiness.
I would also add about 500g of table salt. It will help keep most of the dye on the hair!
Horse hair coloring - Tiberius - 08-05-2007
Thanks for the advice, Jef and Peroni. I'll probably be experimenting the next few weeks before school starts. I'll take pics and post them, before and after.
Re: Horse hair coloring - Matthew Amt - 08-05-2007
Yup, I always used RIT, or "Ritberries" as we like to call it... Are there dyeing instructions on the Legio XX Crests page? Can't remember. Basically cut your hair to about 12" long, separate it into 4 or 6 clumps tied in the middle, and follow the directions on the dye package (or bottle) for stovetop dyeing. Pretty sure I used "Scarlet" and not "Crimson". Don't count on cooking anything in that pot again!
Let the hair dry while laid out flat and straight on old towels. You can leave the clumps tied, though. The centers where the hair is tied may still be white, but that part will be stuck in the hole in the block anyway.
Never had any problem with the color fading or running.
Vale,
Matthew
Re: Horse hair coloring - Hibernicus - 08-05-2007
If you MUST use modern dyes I suggest hair dye. Ask a friend who works at a salon to acquire the best product, often not available to any Joe walking in off the street at a salon supply shop. Fro our Spartan crests we use a two part product and do it as if one was coloring hair.
But, madder will do.... and as others have stated us every clean hair! Certainly use a sample if you are unsure of your methods!
Re: Horse hair coloring - irwimar - 08-05-2007
Does it matter whether one uses mane or tail hair? Can anyone recommend an rough amount for a typical Gallic crest. Thanks.
Re: Horse hair coloring - Magnus - 08-05-2007
My crest was black and white, so I bought a bundle of each, and had a bit left over of both colours. I'd say 2 bundles will be fine.
And who cares what kind of dye you use? Someone going to CSI my gear? Besides, the biggest inaccuracy is usually the person in the gear, not the gear itself. Something to consider before a person goes fanatical on authenticity lol.
Re: Horse hair coloring - Peroni - 08-05-2007
The crests you can see here on my shop page take just under 1 lb of hair. (500g)
http://www.armamentaria.com/store/index ... ucts_id=88
Re: Horse hair coloring - Marcus Mummius - 08-05-2007
Quote:And who cares what kind of dye you use? Someone going to CSI my gear?
You can tell the difference with the naked eye... But off course it all depends on to what level you want to take it. If there was no perceivable difference between chemicaly dyed fabric (from a factory) and fabric dyed with natural dyes I'd not bother.
The public won't be able to spot the difference, and if you don't worry about it, they never will be able to tell the difference...
Re: Horse hair coloring - Hibernicus - 08-05-2007
We use long horse hair for crestas and that usually means tail hair.
Once the desired finished length is decided upon we cut the hair an inch longer, seperate the hair into small bundles, (1/8" / 3mm) tie them at the halfway point, fold them and then tie them folded, forming a tassel.
We make the crest body from layers of thick leather, built up like plywood into the desired curve. Pre-punch holes or if you must drill then do so after the glue sets.
A string tied to the tassel is used to pull the tassel into the leather crest body. Cut off the string so that 1" protrudes, add a dollop of hide glue into the bottom of each hole after you finish pulling all the tassels. Make sure the string end protrudes. Bend the string ends over, glue them down and then glue a final layer of leather along the bottom of the crest body. This traps the string ends making it less likely that the tassels can be pulled out. Allow the hide glue to cure before each step.
Don't know of this was done, but it employs historic techniques and materials. The public may not be able to tell the difference between using hot glue or barge cement or between modern hair dye and natural dye but you can.
Re: Horse hair coloring - Gaius Julius Caesar - 08-05-2007
So hair by Clairol is out! :lol:
Do you finish the crest box with metal then Hib?
Re: Horse hair coloring - Magnus - 08-05-2007
Sorry guys, but the public isn't going to know their elbows from their foreheads when it comes to this stuff. They won't know things like colour, texture, etc. etc. like we will. I wouldn't worry about it.