An old Flying Models article detailed covering with silkspan. One detail was glossed over, specifically how to dye silkspan. How do you do this with out pre shrinking it?

Can't say much for Rit dye and silkspan.  About 40 years ago I dyed some silkspan deep red (or maroon) and applied it to a Jetco 'Topkick' A/1 (F1H today) towline glider.

A few hours in the sun at Gardner Field, the old Taft (CA) site, and it quickly began to fade to an almost gray color.  Never did see the final result, since the model was lost out-of-sight, overhead, on an official flight.  Either the D/T failed, or the thermal was outrageous.  At any rate, I never saw it again.

With Rit, some have advised adding salt or vinegar to the hot water dye solution.  Don't know if that works, as I never tried dyeing silkspan again.....at least not with Rit.

I vaguely remember the gentleman that sold me my first package of Poly-Span.  He also sold me a small bottle of dye to mix in the clear dope to give it some color.   Once mixed, you sprayed the covering after it had been applied until you got the depth of color you wanted.   I learned real fast that once the color was right do not brush clear over it.  In fact don't brush anything over it,  Spray the rest of the finish and graphics unless the graphics are stick on.   

In my stash somewhere in the shop I have a bundle of pre-dyed heavy weight silkspan.   Used the black on a Nobler and the gold on another plane.  If I can locate where it is hid I will see what colors I have left.

All interesting answers, but none of them addressed the original question.  Try again?

Sorry, nope!

Dry applied silkspan has serious shrink the first time it is wet. Dope it on dry, wet it and it shrinks way smaller than the original size; kind of like a wool sweater or cotton shirt the first time you wash them.Yes, if you re wet it, it will expand and re shrink, but it does NOT retain that original dry shrink.

I want to know how to retain the original shrink factor that raw, dry silkspan has while dyeing it.

Come on guys, if you dye it in water, it loses the initial dry shrink property. Since you used to be able to buy colored silkspan that did DRY shrink, how was that done?

I keep reading the same wrong answers here. Yes, you can dye silkspan and silk in water, but tht doesn't solve the preshrink problem.  How about Alcohol? Acetone? Nuclear waste? Anyone out there with a real solution?

On my Jamison special, I used red silk with dyed dope. It was intense! Having the covering already colored does make a difference. On my Baby Magician, i used stain on the wood parts and dye in the dope. Again it made a difference.

Well, I had hopes that I woudn't have to do the experimentation myself, considering the thousnds (?) of hours experience here on Stunthangar. One can dream.... 

What is so hard about answering my original question and stop giving me the same wrong answer.

I want to dye silkspan without losing the original dry shrink. I DO NOT WANT TO APPLY IT WET.

I already knew that works, but is a whole different solution that everyone is trying to stuff down my throat because they don't have the answer to what I am asking.

It is good to have alternatives offered (once, or maybe even twice, but not again and again and again (part of a raunchy limerick)), but how many times do I have to say that is not what I am looking for? If you go back through this thread, the same alternate answer is offered and rejected multiple times.

If you know how to dry dye silkspan I would LOVE to hear how. If you again want to tell me how to wet dye it and wet cover, your'e way too late to the party.

I see comments about using chalk to color tissue. Maybe that would work on silkspan. 

Larry, what colors do you want.  I have a number of different colors of this and that, and might have what you want.

Incidentally, the dyes I got from Aerodyne were called 'tissue dyes".  You might contact them.  They seem to be very helpful.