I was playing around with my new dye tube and silks tonight— it's a straight-edge version. When I finished, I noticed that my silks had loads of little marks on them. The silk hasn't snagged or anything, but it looks like the weaving or the threads have all got mussed up. I had no idea they were that delicate.

I tried soaking them in cold water and allowing them to dry naturally. The creases came out but the marks are still there. Is this normal? Am I worrying unnecessarily? Can I remove these marks?

TIA

Mike

Hi Mike:

How big is your dye tube and how big are the silks? Are the silks 100% or are they a blend?

Some wear and tear is normal—dye tubes can be pretty hard on silks ... or you may be using silks that are too big for the dye tube.

Let us know the sizes and that should clear everything up.

Ron Reid

I do that to mine when I rinse them, then forget and wring them out. I'm sorry I can't offer a fix for you, but perhaps there is some similar action performed in the loading process you must use for your dye tube.

I hope someone can recommend a way to straighten these out.

Good luck
Dean

Thanks for the help guys.

Ron, the Dye Tube is 1 inch in diameter and about 2 and a quarter inches long. I was using 12 inch silks. They *do* seem delicate though, I can muss the threads just by being rubbing my fingers across them . They're 100% silk and cost me about £4 (GBP)— I guess about $6 each. Is that cheap? I thought perhaps it was because I used a straight-edged tube instead of a rolled-edge one. Would that be correct?

Or am I just being a ham-fisted idiot?

Hi Mike:

Your dye tube seems plenty big for the silks, so you must have some very sheer silks. $6.00 (USD) seems about right for a mid-range 12 inch silk.

You may already know this, but 100% silks come in different thicknesses, called momme. I believe it's pronounced "mommy".

Most silks are 4 momme, and they wear out pretty fast. There are companies here in the States that sell 8 momme silks, and they are much more durable. They're also more expensive. P and A Silks makes beautiful silks, but a 12 inch costs about double what you paid for yours. I really think it's worth the extra cost— they look nicer.

Here's their website
http://www.pasilks.com

Hope this helps you.

Ron Reid

Thanks Ron, I'll look 'em up.

Mike

Hi Mike,

That happened to me many many years ago. I found the process was irreversible and I am not sure what caused it.

Generally silks are very strong and I've used some for many years. They do require the proper care. It is important not to leave silks compressed for too long. I also wonder if the warp and weft of the weave are not the same material. Sometimes a synthetic is introduced that alters the cloth properties.

Silk King Studios also sells silks as does Duane Laflin at http://www.laflinmagic.com.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,

Stephen

I make 6 mm silks that hold their weave well. Sounds like you got some 4 or 5 momme that just do not hold up well. Especially in a Duke's dye version which has plenty of space.

Contact me if you need more information.

These stress marks cannot be helped. It is the condition of your hand pushing on the silk and creating stress. Make sure you tube is perfectly smooth. If not use 600 wet & dry sandpaper and sand the edge of the gimmick. This should reduce this put it will not make it go away. Make sure you put hand cream on your hands before handling so your if you have rough hands they do not catch on the silk. Avoid rubbing the silk against the side of the tube. Meaning having the silk between your fingers and edge of the tube, and scrapping the edge of the tube.

I have Rice silks that have stress marks after use. This in no way affects the effect you are trying to present. Most routines you do not open the silks out fully anyway.

This is one reason why I began to use the new diamond silks. They cost less and pack smaller. So if they get spoiled, I won't get upset.

Thanks for all the help guys. Guess the key as always, is practice.