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Eniyan
Chatty Knitter
114 Posts |
 Posted - 03/10/2005 : 12:19:41 PM
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Are Lanaset dyes toxic or not? Or is it only some colors are toxic? I got a set recently. I also now have the vinegar I needed. I would love to do hot pour, but I don't have a dedicated pot for this. I wanted to avoid investing in a crockpot but not at risk to my health.
Any input? |
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megknits
Sustaining Member
USA
728 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2005 : 1:29:55 PM
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I could be wrong, but everything I've read urges caution in regard to toxicity. What I did is to go to Target and buy a large turkey roasting pan with a cover. It cost me less than $10, and is dedicated only to dyeing. You could also check out garage sales for inexpensive crock pots. It just seems to me that it's a relatively small amount of money to spend to be sure that you aren't ingesting the dyes.
One thing I do that is against the recommendations I've read is that I use my regular kitchen for dyeing. But I cover all the food prep surfaces with plastic garbage bags, and I wipe up all spills immediately, so I think (hope) that's o.k.
I think the one area everyone agrees that you should be careful is when you are mixing the powders to form solutions. Apparently, inhaling them can be quite dangerous as the particles will lodge in your lung tissue. You can get inexpensive dust masks from the hardware store to guard against that.
Meg
There's two sides to everything. One knitter's knit stitch is another knitter's purl. |
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Lissa
Permanent Resident
USA
4942 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2005 : 3:27:30 PM
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Once you've used a pot or utensil for dyeing, never use it again for food. The exceptions are food-based dyes: KoolAide, cake decorating colors, easter-egg dye.
Lissa
"Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian." --Dennis Wholey
Oh, and I now have a blog:http://knittnlissa.typepad.com/knittnlissa/ |
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Knitting Fever
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
548 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2005 : 4:04:19 PM
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Deb Menz says in her video that Lanaset (Sabraset) Dyes are no more toxic than other common household chemicals, but you should still wear a mask when until you have the powder mixed in liquid form, if that helps any.
Carolyn
http://carolynh.tblog.com/ |
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Lissa
Permanent Resident
USA
4942 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2005 : 9:20:56 PM
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Carolyn's absolutely right - these (and any commercial acid dyes) are non-toxic in their liquid form, but you don't want to inhale the powder.
Lissa
"Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian." --Dennis Wholey
Oh, and I now have a blog:http://knittnlissa.typepad.com/knittnlissa/ |
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Eniyan
Chatty Knitter
114 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2005 : 12:00:24 PM
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As luck would have it I recieved a $10 coupon from macy's.com for participating in a survey. I just ordered an oval 6qt crockpot for dyeing. Including shipping it was under $30. I figure I'd rather be safe than sorry. So I will stick to cold pour dyeing till next week. However I refuse to get a second microwave. Thats where I draw the line.
Check out my WIPs on my newbie blog--Go Jersey! http://eniyan.blogspot.com/ |
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knottyknitter
Permanent Resident
USA
3702 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2005 : 1:04:41 PM
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| These days you can pick up a microwave for about $40 though... |
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Eniyan
Chatty Knitter
114 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2005 : 8:22:34 PM
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I just don't have the space for a microwave(small attic living in a suburb of NYC). Plus it would confuse the hell out of my boyfriend.
Check out my WIPs on my newbie blog--Go Jersey! http://eniyan.blogspot.com/ |
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blwinteler
Permanent Resident
USA
3145 Posts |
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Kellann
Chatty Knitter
USA
143 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2005 : 9:11:05 PM
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"No honey...don't use that microwave! That one is for YARN only"
I can see where that would confuse my man!!!
Kellann
"Get those needles movin' ladies and gents!"
www.kellannknits.blogspot.com |
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Renee77
Chatty Knitter
261 Posts |
Posted - 03/12/2005 : 07:36:29 AM
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I went and took a look at Deb Menz's book, on p. 58 where she talks about safety. She does say that Lanasets are no more hazardous than common household chemicals. I think she should have added that they are no more hazardous than things like chlorine bleach, drain cleaner, ammonia and oven cleaner. But, you wouldn't want to ingest these, get them on your hands, get them on your food, inhale their fumes, etc.
Lanaset dyes are industrial dyes; they were developed mainly for use by the commercial textile industry. They are not safe in the same way that food dyes are. Food dyes are certified by the FDA to be safe for ingestion, or getting on your hands. Basically, these are non-toxic.
All the recommendations that people posted above for working safely with Lanasets are good - wearing a dust mask, keeping surfaces clean, cleaning up any spills right away, only using crockpots and such for dyeing, and no longer for preparing food. It's also a good idea to clean up spills with paper towels, which you can throw away. When I've worked with Lanasets (they give wonderful colors), I've done it in a bathroom. I also wear rubber gloves. Those disposable latex gloves that you can buy in a box at the drugstore work nice. In Deb's book, she recommends all of these, too.
Prochem (they sell dyes to crafters) had a good page about working safely with dyes.
http://www.prochemical.com/StudioSafety.htm
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