Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: iowabow on September 01, 2011, 10:14:54 am

Title: sinew dye?
Post by: iowabow on September 01, 2011, 10:14:54 am

I was wondering if anyone has ever tried to dye sinew so that it had color.  I was thinking about using bloodroot.  Any thoughts guys. 

Title: Re: sinew dye?
Post by: MWirwicki on September 01, 2011, 12:07:18 pm

I just tried shoe polish.  It seemed to work ok.

Title: Re: sinew dye?
Post by: iowabow on September 01, 2011, 12:46:11 pm

I think it would be cool if we could get a post here on the different things that can dye sinew different colors. I was hoping that we could identify natural materials. Ok to night I am going to try walnut for black or brown and I think I have some bloodroot left for orange.

Title: Re: sinew dye?
Post by: Pat B on September 01, 2011, 02:30:02 pm

Try polk berrys for red or purple, onion peels or osage dust for yellow.
  You can get lots of colors from Rit dye or even unflavored Kool-Ade.

Title: Re: sinew dye?
Post by: iowabow on September 01, 2011, 03:18:06 pm

good calls pat

Title: Re: sinew dye?
Post by: Rick Wallace on September 01, 2011, 03:35:13 pm

I recently dyed some bone with food coloring,,A few drops of color in a quart jar,water and a teaspoon of vinegar. just like easter egg dye.  Works great,dont see why it wouldnt work on sinew.    Its cheap to!!

Title: Re: sinew dye?
Post by: Christian on September 01, 2011, 04:35:24 pm

I use blood a lot to paint my bows and arrows. Maybe one can mix some blood into the hide glue?

Title: Re: sinew dye?
Post by: JW_Halverson on September 02, 2011, 12:10:10 am

If you add dye to the warm water that you use to re-hydrate the sinew and maybe even some in the hide glue you could affect the color of the sinew, too.  But your fingers are gonna get stained too.

Title: Re: sinew dye?
Post by: bowtarist on September 02, 2011, 04:16:20 am

My boys and I have had some poke berries started for about two weeks.  I'll post once we get somethin' goin' w/ it.  Lots of yellow dye plants out there this time of year.  Walnut will end up brown or yellow.  I like the way real sinew looks to be honest w/ ya. 

Title: Re: sinew dye?
Post by: IsaacW on September 02, 2011, 03:12:34 pm

As a younger man, I was drinking red Kool-Aid and when I started to use my sinew to apply fleshing (I wet it in my mouth)... it all turned red. 

Sorry, that is not what I would use for dye, but it was a real and unintended event.

IW

Title: Re: sinew dye?
Post by: bowtarist on September 02, 2011, 04:05:59 pm

Nice one IW.  Real life experiances.  Look up dye plants on the intranet, seems to me sinew can be dyed w/ little effort.