If your feathers to be dyed are very dark colors, such as brown, navy
blue, green, garnet, etc., draw off some of the color by passing
through a solution of boiling water and half an ounce of soda, and
rinse in boiling water twice. Prepare bath by diluting two ounces of
turmeric in about one gallon of water. Enter feathers and let them
remain in about two minutes,--a longer time will not hurt; after which
take them out and rinse in cold water twice. Have a medium strong bath
of logwood boiling meantime, and enter your feathers, letting them
remain in about two minutes; then take them out and rinse in cold
water. Prepare a bath of one gallon of boiling water and half an ounce
of bichromate of potash, and after it is thoroughly dissolved, enter
your feathers and let them remain in about one minute, longer if a very
dark shade be required. Take out and rinse, after which your feathers
will have assumed a dark, dull olive, looking not unlike a faded
out black. Next prepare a bath of two ounces of turmeric with about
one gallon of boiling water, and add thereto a small pinch of green
aniline, just enough to give your bath the appearance of being a couple
of shades more on the green than the sample to be matched. Enter your
feathers and let them remain in about three minutes; first, however,
bringing your bath to a boil, after which take feathers out and rinse,
starch and dry.
If feathers be found darker than sample to be matched, a few drops of
diluted oxalic acid in your starch bath will bring the shade down; and
if found lighter than sample, rinse the starch off thoroughly in cold
water, and dilute a quarter ounce of bichromate of potash in a gallon
of boiling water, and pass your feathers through for a few seconds.
If wanted a very dark shade, they should, after having the starch
rinsed off, be returned to the logwood bath, then rinsed and give the
bichromate of potash bath as above. If found a little too much on the
green for sample, a weak bath of turmeric, similar to the first bath of
the operation will have the desired effect. There are also some shades
of olive where it will not be found necessary to use any green at all;
that is when the shade approaches the brown on the olive.