Dyeing My Naturals With Kakishibu (Persimmon)

[wisdom]

Oct 11, 2014 22:39:39 GMT -6 dock said:

Oct 11, 2014 21:29:56 GMT -6 colerussell said:

Thanks for dropping in and dropping some knowledge on us. We're honored by it man!

Not that I think Chris would mind, but she is of the female variety

Yeah.. and just as a heads-up, I described you guys as being "rough around the edges, but perfect gentlemen." No pressure

[Dirty_Denim]

Yea man thanks for stopping in man.

That's awesome

[kakishibuchris]

Thank you for the warm welcome.  Yes, I am of the female variety and gee, guys, no worries.  Feel free to pick my brain (what there is of it).  If I know the answer, I'll tell you.  If I don't, I'll tell you that, too.   I'll try to check in periodically, but if you need an answer and I haven't put in an appearance, feel free to shoot me an email, rattle my chain, and tell me to check the forum.  Happy experimenting!

[Old26]

KASmeister: Sorry I somehow missed this. Great stuff.

[Deleted]

Chris it's great to see you here. I was going to send you a link to this once I had all the pics up but I see Wisdom has already dropped you a note (Thank you Wisodom). Chris, you were a huge help via email before I started this experiment. I'll email you after a bit, I'm going to order more.



OK on to pics.



So first things first, below is a "true color" pic of each jean, taken in direct light and as close to the actual color as I can get. Subsequent pics were taken inside with artificial light and not much work on the cameras white balance so they aren't as true.

[Deleted]

Wisdom and others asked for pics of areas that were varied. As Chris mentioned, where fabric is thicker, doubled or seamed etc you'll see more pigment and tannins collect. I snapped a few pics of these areas below. I really like the effect and think it's beautiful but if you're looking for a super uniform coloration, it's not likely when coloring a finished garment in this way.


   

[ickes]

Very nice Steve. I really like how the Pima Fires turned out.

[Deleted]

Here are some overall shots of the Kakishibu treated naturals. DigDig described it a dried tobacco, I think that's the best I've heard so far. Nice rich brown with variation in it. These were taken inside, so you can see the consistency in the legs and variation elsewhere, just imagine it in the color of the "true" pic posted before. I didn't have much time to fuss with camera white balance.

 

[Deleted]

Stand by, Matt...pics minutes away

[Dirty_Denim]

Ok the naturals turned out great especially the areas where the dye pooled . The pima Fires are commercially ready for resale the way they turned out. Great job on this

[Deleted]

Pima Fires are the surprise hit for me here. I kind of used the last of the Kakishibu as an afterthought on them and I really like the way they came out. I didn't hate them before, but there were days that the streaks just didn't work for me. Now effect of the slub and streaks is much more subtle. I do hope they return to their former softness though, they were like pajamas.

I love these now.

[Deleted]

those naturals look great. can't wait to see how they age over the next few weeks after some wear and sun exposure.

[Deleted]

Last pic is a spot on the naturals I need to "touch up". After a couple good soaks and all that time in the sun the Kaki-Naturals are stiff as cardboard and TIGHT. I put them on last night and the thigh seam opens up a bit and it's like a racing stripe on a vintage motorcycle lol.....



They will stretch back to normal but I think I may need to do a bit of work on the seam color. Note this if you are doing this - if I'd forced Kakishibu into this area I think I'd have avoided this.



There may be enough Kakishibu in this area to darken up with some wear/sun but if not I'm going to touch this up with a bit of Kakishibu from my next order. I'm going to presoak the jeans so the color will blend as well as possible. I doubt a perfect blend is achievable, and applying dabs of Kakishibu to dry fabric yields weird dark borders from what Chris has told me, but a "close enough" but similar tone without a hard border here will look better that the current almost natural white.


Last note - Chris at kakishibui.com is awesome. I can't say enough nice things about her, she's great and was so helpful on this. THANK YOU Chris.

[ickes]

Thanks for all the pics Steve. I really like how the Pimas came out. If you had any dye left I would consider sending you my Pimas for a dye job for a price you fealt was fair.

So did it make the pimas harder? do you think they lost their softness for good?

Nice work.

[Deleted]

Thanks Matt. I'll PM you within the next 24 hours or so.....

No idea on the eventual feel but they are crispy like starchy indigos right now. The Naturals though....those puppies are going to take a couple beers and some kevlar boxers for the first long wear lol.

[Deleted]

Thanks DD...I like them a LOT (both pairs). It's a great look on the Pima streaks for sure..

David, me too. Racing stripe and all. I'm just going to go for it and see if the stripe darkens up. I have some PBJ's coming soon so we'll see how much wear I get on these before the PBJ's show up....

OK guys, new pics in a couple weeks if I get something interesting to post....see you around the boards....

[colerussell]

Oct 11, 2014 22:39:39 GMT -6 dock said:

Oct 11, 2014 21:29:56 GMT -6 colerussell said:

Thanks for dropping in and dropping some knowledge on us. We're honored by it man!

Not that I think Chris would mind, but she is of the female variety

Dope. 

My folly admitted and apologies given!

[wisdom]

Oct 12, 2014 17:04:38 GMT -6 @stevekas said:

Last pic is a spot on the naturals I need to "touch up". After a couple good soaks and all that time in the sun the Kaki-Naturals are stiff as cardboard and TIGHT. I put them on last night and the thigh seam opens up a bit and it's like a racing stripe on a vintage motorcycle lol.....



They will stretch back to normal but I think I may need to do a bit of work on the seam color. Note this if you are doing this - if I'd forced Kakishibu into this area I think I'd have avoided this.



There may be enough Kakishibu in this area to darken up with some wear/sun but if not I'm going to touch this up with a bit of Kakishibu from my next order. I'm going to presoak the jeans so the color will blend as well as possible. I doubt a perfect blend is achievable, and applying dabs of Kakishibu to dry fabric yields weird dark borders from what Chris has told me, but a "close enough" but similar tone without a hard border here will look better that the current almost natural white.


Last note - Chris at kakishibui.com is awesome. I can't say enough nice things about her, she's great and was so helpful on this. THANK YOU Chris.

Did you presoak the naturals before dyeing them? Any idea how that might change the color consistency and dye penetration?

[Deleted]

Oct 13, 2014 9:51:48 GMT -6 wisdom said:

Did you presoak the naturals before dyeing them? Any idea how that might change the color consistency and dye penetration?

wisdom He mentions having washed them in the first post, unless you mean a presoak immediately prior to dyeing.

[Deleted]

To add/help/clarify on the presoaking: I did wash my Naturals a few times due to them getting dirty but they went into the Kakishibu dry and clean.

I thought (and read) about presoaking and dropping them damp into the Kakishibu and decided not to. The tiny amount of info I could find online about treating jeans this way seemed to favor not presoaking (and some actually apply it to jeans with a brush - see Kapital) but I never found concrete reasons why the jeans are usually dry. I will likely experiment with it in the future. No idea on the effect of presoaking.  

I am trying another experiment today to fix the seam being so light. I looked closely at the light fabric in the sun this morning and could see that it did have Kakishibu on/in it, it was light pink/pumpkin colored. I think it just needs some sun time, so I rolled up some towels to the largest diameter I could fit into one thigh and shoved them in there. This opened up the seam and lets light hit the lighter parts. We shall see...

I'm not too worried about it either way as I need to soak these things to get rid of some odor and when I do I'll put them on and sit in the tub wearing them and possibly let them dry that way too. I'l be careful no to do squats to avoid the dreaded "knee bags". The thighs fit better before and I can get them back there again, not to worried about the seam even being exposed.


 

[wisdom]

Oct 13, 2014 13:22:25 GMT -6 @stevekas said:

To add/help/clarify on the presoaking: I did wash my Naturals a few times due to them getting dirty but they went into the Kakishibu dry and clean.

I thought (and read) about presoaking and dropping them damp into the Kakishibu and decided not to. The tiny amount of info I could find online about treating jeans this way seemed to favor not presoaking (and some actually apply it to jeans with a brush - see Kapital) but I never found concrete reasons why the jeans are usually dry. I will likely experiment with it in the future. No idea on the effect of presoaking.  

I am trying another experiment today to fix the seam being so light. I looked closely at the light fabric in the sun this morning and could see that it did have Kakishibu on/in it, it was light pink/pumpkin colored. I think it just needs some sun time, so I rolled up some towels to the largest diameter I could fit into one thigh and shoved them in there. This opened up the seam and lets light hit the lighter parts. We shall see...

I'm not too worried about it either way as I need to soak these things to get rid of some odor and when I do I'll put them on and sit in the tub wearing them and possibly let them dry that way too. I'l be careful no to do squats to avoid the dreaded "knee bags". The thighs fit better before and I can get them back there again, not to worried about the seam even being exposed.


 

I see.. so it's mostly a matter of getting sun exposure.. the towel thing is clever and hopefully addresses the problem.

Regarding the smell and the stiffness, I usually do two or three cool water rinse / air dry cycles to get rid of the smell and most of the stiffness. It's hard to describe the stiffness.. it's a crustier stiffness and not a starchy stiffness and doesn't go entirely away with the number of rinses I do, especially the darker areas, but loosens up with use (at least in my experience).

[Deleted]

i'd imagine starting dry would allow the cotton fibers to soak up more of the dyeing liquid. similar to wringing out a sponge before trying to absorb a spill or pressing tofu prior to marinating it. if the cells are already saturated they won't be able to absorb any additional liquid

[Deleted]

Wisdom - I think the towel thing might be working, I guess I need to take these outside, stretch them in the sun and work in them, as nature intended The seams have darkened a bit. Looking better. I just need to get patient with this because it's going to come out however it wants to come out. Thanks for the soak tips/info.

David - That was about the same conclusion I came to,only based on a hunch though. 

[DigDug]

That is some Wicked Awsome jeans you got there!!!
Definitely going to try this some day that I'm snowed in this winter.
I'll try it on my Broken Weaves. Should give them a little more intrest. That and now I'll have to grab a pair of the LD naturals.
Thanks Again for posting!

[Deleted]

I got a Levi's Type III tan canvas trucker that will absolutely take this treatment. I'm going for absolutely as dark as possible, then I will Otter Wax it. How much kakishibu should I buy to complete this project?