# Any tips on dying faux fur?



## grunesdragon (Aug 18, 2018)

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this!
I had a bunch of leftover white faux fur and tried dying some with RIT Synthetic. The color took really well and stayed in, but now the fur is pretty rough (it was silky smooth before the dye bath)... Anyone know how to prevent this? Alternately, anyone have a specific method for dying fur? <3


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## Fursuitsandmore1022 (Aug 18, 2018)

I dont reccomend dying fur, But if you had to make sure that you can wash it without the dye coming out. If you can, I maybe reccomend using fabric softener? Ive never dyed fur before but try that I guess.


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## grunesdragon (Aug 19, 2018)

Fursuitsandmore1022 said:


> I dont reccomend dying fur, But if you had to make sure that you can wash it without the dye coming out. If you can, I maybe reccomend using fabric softener? Ive never dyed fur before but try that I guess.



It's Rit DyeMore Synthetic, not Rit normal, so it's made to dye synthetic materials/plastic. It stays in after the cold water rinse just fine  
I'll try fabric softener!


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## Kebechet (Aug 19, 2018)

I use Createx Wicked Colors thinned with denatured alcohol, in an airbrush. Brush the fur, and then carefully heat-set with a hair dryer.
Dying or painting fur will pretty much always make it a bit rougher... because fake fur is made from acrylic fibers, and not real fabric, so it just sits on the outside of the material without soaking in.

You can keep your fur somewhat soft still, if you brush your fur immediately after applying the dye with an airbrush. Keep combing until it looks right. Heat set it once you think it looks good.

If you haven't had enough coverage of the color, don't be afraid to brush your fur and part it, in ways that allow you to get more color into the bottom of the fur pile. Only heat set it once you're satisfied with the color.

To heat set the colors, you can use your hair dryer. Hold the fur in one hand,  fur-side-up. Use the dryer with your other hand.
The reason to do it this way, is it allows you to feel how hot your fur is getting because your hand is under it. If your hand feels "hot" then you need to stop.
The fur should not be "hot" but it should get warm to the point that it might start to make your hand feel a little uncomfortable.
Overheating your fur can cause it to melt, since the fibers are basically plastic, so you'll want to use test pieces to perfect your technique.

You can test that it heat set properly by running some water over it in the sink afterwards. It may leak some color for a moment, but will stop. Brush it gently to make sure the fur is at least close to where it belongs, and then let it dry.

You now have a waterproof paintjob on your fake fur. If it still feels rough, you probably used either too much heat, or didn't brush enough. Try again on another piece of fur until you perfect it 

I hope that helps!


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