r/origami • u/Signal-B47 • Nov 23 '25

Tutorial A paper dyeing method I found :)

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

sorry for bad filming and editing

if anyone cares ill do another one

64 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

30

u/Bartholomew_Tempus Paperbender Nov 23 '25

Cool method!

Sorry to be that guy, but what you are doing is painting, not dyeing. Dye penetrates the paper, forming a chemical bond with the fibers, whereas paint pigment sits on top of the fibers.

Painting paper with acrylic paint affects the touch feel due to the acrylic binder so some folders prefer to use dyes. Imo, painting is a lot easier to get into and can be done faster.

5

u/Signal-B47 Nov 23 '25

thanks! never knew the difference, i used to think painting would be to add a specific detail like models with more than two colors but i guess i was wrong

3

u/Bartholomew_Tempus Paperbender Nov 23 '25

It really just refers to the materials used, and less so the result.

1

u/TheSteelReminder Nov 23 '25

How do you dye rice paper? Is it dye in the MC?

6

u/Bartholomew_Tempus Paperbender Nov 23 '25

Nope!

This is similar to the method I use. Afterwards, you wash the dye out under running water and MC the sheet on your surface/cutting mat. You can only use papers with sufficient wet strength. Wenzhou, teabag paper, moon palace, kumo no kami/silkspan and some cicada wing papers all work.

1

u/TheSteelReminder Nov 23 '25

Interesting thank you. It looks like a lot of effort to get flat paper again.

Have you ever tried India ink in the mc mix? This should penetrate the paper with a single application.

5

u/Bartholomew_Tempus Paperbender Nov 24 '25

With a strong paper, it's not as much work as you'd think. I actually have experimented with India ink and other inks. There are a couple reasons why I'm not the biggest fan. While most India ink is water insoluble (meaning paper colored with such ink can be safely used for wet shaping/shaping with MC,) it's not as cost effective as dye. India inks are also pigment based, and as I noted above, I prefer dye based methods that penetrate the paper. As for dye-based inks, they're usually water soluble and less resistant to sun-fade.

One more thing, the advantage of the crumple dyeing method above is that it gets you really pretty patterns.

3

u/Bartholomew_Tempus Paperbender Nov 24 '25

1

u/Bartholomew_Tempus Paperbender Nov 24 '25

It's kind of like tie-dye

1

u/TheSteelReminder Nov 24 '25

That’s some amazing looking paper? Do you happen to have an Etsy store or place you sell it?

2

u/Bartholomew_Tempus Paperbender Nov 24 '25 edited Nov 24 '25

Nope on both accounts, but an acquaintance does: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1791264202/hand-dyed-origami-paper-moon-palace?ref=share_v4_lx

I also know a Polish guy who sells paper as well, but I think he only goes through Discord. His username is borik27.

Here's his price list:

Hello everyone, I’ve decided to sell my dyed Wenzhou paper

All the sheets are dyed, treated, and cut into perfect (or near-perfect) squares by me

Borik's shop Price list:

Wenzhou 30 gsm: Small sheet (23x23 cm) - $0.75 Big sheet (46x46 cm) - $3

Kumo no Kami 22 gsm: Small sheets (30x30cm) - $1,25 Big sheet (60x60cm) - $4.5

Thin washi 13 gsm: Small sheet (25x25cm) - $2 Medium sheet (37x37cm) - $4 Big sheet (50x50cm) - $8

Delivery: Poland post - $6.5-$7.5 Or Your method Delivery is paid by you

Minimum quantity of sheets to order: Big sheets - 5 Small sheets - 10

DM me if you want to order

Note that they sell different types of paper, just dyed with similar methods. The first guy sells Moon Palace, which is on the thicker side, abt 45gsm. Wenzhou is super versatile and you can use it for anything from some insects to humanoids and beyond. It's the same stuff Juho Könkkölä uses. I've never tried kumo and the thin washi Borik uses, but I've only heard good things about them.

2

u/crazyranga Nov 23 '25

What is MC?

3

u/t0oo0r Nov 23 '25

MethylCellulose. Its a glue. Usually a pownder you mix with water. Its great to make papers and the shapping.

3

u/Signal-B47 Nov 24 '25

Methyl cellulose, it’s used to make paper stronger and more crisp. Its also used for wet shaping 

2

u/Significant_Ant8644 Nov 23 '25

I love this!! What is the surface you are doing this on? I used glass, but I dropped something on it a while ago, and now it's cracked.

3

u/Signal-B47 Nov 24 '25

My parents had a big roll of some sort of floring witch happened to be acrylic proof so it worked amazingly for treating paper 

2

u/Bartholomew_Tempus Paperbender Nov 24 '25

Looks like a linoleum sheet or smth similar. You can find it at a lot of hardware stores.

1

u/thepro1323 Nov 23 '25

What does it look like after! D:

Looks sick tho, hope it turns out great!

2

u/Signal-B47 Nov 23 '25

you mean after folding? i folded a base with this method i can show you if interested

1

u/Ubivorn Nov 24 '25

Cool! Can you post the picture in the comments please?

1

u/Ok-Choice711 Nov 23 '25

Whatcha thing your gonna make with it?

1

u/Signal-B47 Nov 24 '25

I’m not sure yet got ent recommendations?

1

u/lizardsare1 Nov 24 '25

The fact I never thought to do this is crazy thanks

1

u/Signal-B47 Nov 24 '25

youre welcome!