Lesson Nine: Dye Spot, Die

            Slowly, steadily, carefully, with the precision of a surgeon, Jon E. Mopp moved his Philips screwdriver, the screw magnetized to the tip, into the small cavity inside of the vacuum motor.  Squinting his eyes and balancing the small flashlight in his teeth, Jon moved the screw closer and closer toward the terminal end of the green ground wire.  As if docking the Space Shuttle with the Space Station, Jon carefully inserted the screw through the connector slowly pushing both the screw and the wire toward the threaded metal post.  A tiny “tink” of screw on metal reached Jon’s ears and he smiled, dropping the flashlight out of his mouth and onto the floor.  Without moving a muscle, Jon continued to insert the screw into the post, although it was harder to see now.  Using his sense of touch, Jon felt the screw “catch” the threads.  He slowly turned the screw so as not to drop it or lose the ground wire. 

The phone, just three feet from Jon’s ear, jangled in the cradle announcing an incoming call.  Startled, Jon twitched and the screw slipped off the screwdriver tumbling down inside the motor, past the brushes, past the armature, past the shaft and disappeared into the dark where it landed with, not a rattle, but a solid “tink” as it lodged tightly next to something else.  The phone sounded again irritating Jon even more.  When Jon stood up, the wire slipped from under the screwdriver and snapped him on the hand.  Jon recoiled in pain from the slap of the wire on his hand and the screwdriver flew from his grip lodging in the wall behind him.  The phone rang a third time.  Jon tore it from its cradle.

            “What!” he screamed.

            “Jon?”

            “Yes, what do you want?” he asked irritably.

            “This is Mrs. Snuffle.  I have a problem.  I accidentally spilled some bleach on my carpet and now there’s a small discolored area.   Is there anything you can do to fix it?”

            Rubbing his hand, Jon thought for a moment.  He’d just purchased a spot dyeing kit, but hadn’t tried it out yet.  “Sure, I can take a look at it.  I’ll come over in a bit.”

            “Thanks so much,” Wanda replied.  “I appreciate your helping me out.  I feel so dumb.”

            “Don’t worry.  I’ll take care of it.”

            Hanging up, Jon stood staring at his vacuum.  Maybe I need to take a break from this for a bit.  Jon went to his supply room and snatched the Dye Kit from off the shelf.  Opening the door and stepping into the sunshine, Jon headed for Wanda Snuffle’s room.

            Upon arriving, Jon immediately saw the bleached areas.  There were three spots ranging in size from a dime to just over a quarter in width. 

            “So do you think you can fix them?” Wanda asked.

            Looking up, Jon responded.  “Sure, sure.  It should be no problem.”

            “Great!  Thanks for helping me out.  I feel so klutzy.  I was carrying a cup of bleach to the sink and spilled some along the way.  I didn’t realize it would bleach the rug so quickly.”

            “Well, bleach does that,” Jon said. 

            “I can see that!  Anyway, I have to go to a meeting.  I’ll be back this afternoon sometime.  I’ll leave you to my mess.”

            “Okay.  Have a good day.”  Jon smiled as Wanda grabbed her books and materials and left.

            Jon perused the room and the spots.  The floor covering was an off brown, commercial, glue down carpet.  Jon remembered reading that the only carpets you can successfully dye are nylon or wool and this carpet was nylon.  Jon knew this because it had been purchased two years previously and he had been part of the whole purchasing process.  At least that much was in his favor.

            Jon studied the spots.  The bleach had removed enough color that they now had a yellow look to them.  Jon wondered how he would get yellow back to brown.  Pulling up a chair, Jon sat down at the table and opened his spot dye kit.  He pulled out a card containing the quick reference section for spot dyeing.  Reading through it he learned that spots needed to be recolored by adding primary colors back in first.  Then small adjustments can be made.  Looking at the enclosed chart, Jon learned that a brown carpet that had turned yellow was missing the red and blue primary colors.  Since an uneven mix of red, blue and yellow produced brown, all Jon needed to do was add red and blue dye.  Sounds easy enough Jon thought to himself.

            Feeling confident with himself, Jon set to work.  First he filled some containers with water.  Next, per the instructions, he squirted a bottle of neutralizer on the three spots to stop the bleaching action that was taking place.  Next, he pulled out the powdered dyes and began mixing them with water.  Adding a few tiny scoops to the first container of water, Jon watched as the crystals swirled slowly throughout the water turning it a beautiful blue.  He did the same with the red dye and watched the water slowly become a gorgeous red, like a summertime sunset.  Next, he took an eyedropper out of the kit and carefully sucked up some of the blue dye.  Jon dropped a few drops on the smallest yellow spot.  The spot turned green.  He added a few more drops.  The spot metamorphosed to a darker green.  A few drops of red dye and Jon was exceptionally pleased to see the spot change to a light brown.  He added another drop or two and the spot blended in so well that you couldn’t tell the difference between the dyed spots and the original color.  Taking a clean white rag, Jon blotted the excess dye from the fibers.   The first spot was virtually invisible.  Wow!  That was cool.  The spot was gone and it had only taken a few minutes to repair. 

            Jon began working on the other two spots.  After another 15 minutes, both the spots looked beautiful.  Not bad for his first attempt without practicing on a scrap piece of carpet.  Jon stood up to examine his handiwork.  A smile crossed his face.  For once something had gone right.  Jon gathered up his kit and headed for the door.  As he reached for the knob, something caught his eye.  It was a small yellowish spot on the carpet just to his left.  Stopping, Jon noticed one other spot about 10 feet from the three he’d just dyed.  Hmmm.  I better fix that one while I’m here too.  Jon looked closer at the spot.  It had a yellow appearance like the other three.  Jon scratched his head considering the possibility that Wanda had dripped bleach here too.

            Setting down his kit, Jon removed the neutralizer from the kit and liberally spread it over the discolored area.  After blotting it up, he prepared his containers of dye water.  Using the same procedure as before, Jon first added some blue dye to the area.  Little if anything happened.  He added a little more.  The spot appeared to darken, but not much.  He tried some red.  A purplish tinge seemed to emanate from the area, but it still looked yellow.  Jon scratched his head.  Picking up his quick guide, he spent a few minutes reading over some of the tricks for spot dyeing.  After ascertaining what he thought would work, he turned his attention back to the spot.  That’s strange he thought.  A dark purple spot was now evident on the carpet, but the yellow spot was still there right next to the purple spot.  Jon shook his head.  Removing the pre-mixed brown dye, Jon mixed it with some water and worked it into the fibers.  Still the yellow spot persisted.  Nothing seemed to be removing it.  Jon quickly scanned the quick guide once again.  Turning back to the spot, Jon noticed that the purple spot was now accompanied by a brown spot but the yellow spot remained; next to the brown spot.  What was going on?

            Jon poured more neutralizer on the area believing that maybe the bleach had been more concentrated than he’d expected.  After blotting it again, Jon considered his options.  Maybe the dye isn’t dark enough.  Maybe it needs to be a stronger solution.  Then an idea hit Jon like a freight train.  Excited, Jon spun the lid off of the blue dye.  Taking the small measuring scoop he sprinkled a tiny amount of dye directly on the carpet.  He then did the same with the red dye and finally topped it off with some brown.  He almost felt like he was creating a sundae with all the beautiful colors.  Next, he took an eyedropper full of water and dropped several drops on the area.  Tiny rivulets of color trickled down into the fiber and spread out across the area.  The spot darkened.  Jon’s stomach twisted with excitement.  It darkened a little more as did the entire room.  Jon looked up as a cloud drifted across the face of the sun outside the window.  Jon looked back down.  In the few seconds the sun was covered, Jon could see clearly three dark stains on the carpet.  The yellow spot was gone.  A sinking feeling knotted inside him.  The warm rays of sunshine quickly filled the room again and Jon watched as the yellow spot reappeared.  Slowly raising his eyes to the window, Jon stared dumbfounded at a glass crystal hanging from a string inside the window pane.  Scintillations of light sparkled from it.  A bright yellow spot glowed on the carpet in front of him.  Jon realized he’d been trying to dye a point of light that had slowly been moving in sync with the sun. 

            Heart-broken, frustrated, angry and disgusted with himself, Jon reached to pick up his containers of powdered dye.  He knocked the red one over spilling dye all over the carpet.  Easy.  Easy.  I’ll just vacuum it up. No harm done.  Jon stood up to retrieve his vacuum and kicked over the mixed container of blue dye.  A large purple lake formed as the dye spread across the red powder on the carpet.  Jon grabbed the container, a second too late and picked it up.  He blotted up what he could and stood looking at the disaster.  One big purple spot and three smaller dark areas lay before him.  An inch to the right was a bright yellow spot slowly moving across the room. 

            Jon returned to his office, put his dye kit away and retrieved an iron and a dye removing solution.  He’d used this method before.  The idea was simple.  Transference.  You put the chemical on the dyed area, lay down a damp terry cloth towel and set the iron on top with the setting on steam.  By letting it sit for a few seconds, the dye could slowly be transferred out of the carpet and into the towel.  This was his next option.  Jon returned, plugged in the iron and waited for it to warm up.

            As steam began to drift from the iron vents, Jon liberally covered the areas of dye with the chemical and then laid a wet cloth over them.  Picking up the iron he gently set it down on top of the towel and watched as steam roiled from under the edges like some ancient steam locomotive.  After 15 to 20 seconds, he moved it to another area.  After a couple minutes, Jon checked his towel.  Sure enough some of the dye had transferred into the towel.  There was still more left, so he repeated the process.  This time Jon let it sit longer in hopes of removing more dye.  Steam continued to boil into the air around the edges of the iron.  Patience.  Wait.  Wait.  Just a little longer.  Now!  Jon lifted the iron from the carpet.  Melted plastic carpet fibers clung to the towel and pulled from the carpet backing like cheese off of a pizza.  The perfect indentation of an iron in the carpet fibers met Jon’s eyes as the towel moved from his field of vision.  A filtered curse tumbled from Jon’s lips.  Dang it! 

            Jon set the iron aside and stared at his mess.  What would he do now?  He’d ruined the carpet.  Jon thought for a few minutes.  He then realized there was only one other option.  Jon could cut this section of carpet out and replace it with a new piece.  Jon stood to leave and head back to his office to get some more tools and a piece of carpet.  The bright yellow “light” spot taunted him as it continued its slow journey across the room.  Jon stomped out the door.

            Returning, Jon carried with him a straight edge, a carpet knife, latex and some carpet glue under one arm and a piece of carpet under the other.  Setting his stuff down, Jon prepared to repair his mistake.  Jon lined up the straight edge and cut some nice, straight lines around all the damaged areas.  The sound of something sizzling caught his ear.  Looking up, Jon noticed he had not turned the iron off.  It was sitting on the counter next to his container of blue dye.  Jon jumped up to move the container, but not before the iron melted through the side just as Jon reached it.  The sudden release of air from the melted hole allowed a puff of blue dye to release from the container effectively covering Jon’s sweaty face and neck.  Sputtering like a cat with a hair-ball, Jon ran to the sink and spit out the dye that had gotten in his mouth.  He also cupped his hands and washed the dye off his face.  Blindly reaching, Jon found the paper towels and dried off.  His hands were a lovely crimson blue. 

            Unfazed by this incident, Jon went back to finish sectioning the carpet.  Having finished cutting all the edges, Jon carefully removed the old section of carpet.  Then, using it as a template, he cut himself a new piece.  Taking the bottle of latex, Jon carefully “buttered” the edges of the new piece so that it would not delaminate over a period of time.  He then spread carpet glue on the concrete floor and carefully inserted the new piece of carpet.  Pressing it down into the hole, Jon was able to get it to match almost exactly.  The only noticeable difference was the newer look of the piece he’d just put in compared to the rest of the carpet.    Jon admired his handiwork.  Not bad.  He put his tools away, gathered his equipment up and turned to leave when Wanda opened the door.

            “Wow!  You’re done?”

            “Yup.  They’re all finished.  Take a look.”  Jon positioned himself so that Wanda wouldn’t notice the section he’d just put in.

            “Very nice,” Wanda remarked.  “You can’t even see them.”  Wanda looked Jon in the face for the first time since she’d entered the room.

            “My … What happened to your face?”

            Jon was perplexed.  “What do you mean?”

            “It’s all blue.  It looks like you’re out of breath.”

            “Uh, I got something on it.  I was just going to go wash it off but hadn’t quite made it that far yet.”

            “Does it hurt?”

            “Excuse me?”

            “Does it hurt?  It looks like you might be in pain.”

            “No.  No.  It’s fine.”  Jon’s embarrassed face reddened, but Wanda couldn’t tell.

            “Well I’m glad you’re okay.  Anyway, thanks again.  The spots look great!”

            “Thanks.  They came out very nice.”  Jon wasn’t going to mention the section he’d put in.  Maybe she wouldn’t notice.  “Not a problem.  Glad I could help,” Jon remarked.  “Now I’m off to do some more work.”

            “Okay.  See you around.”  Wanda eyed Jon warily as he turned to leave, wondering about his blue face.  “Oh, by the way.  Did you see my new crystal that one of my students gave me?  On a sunny day like today, it creates a beautiful rainbow effect and shines a bright colorful spot on the carpet.  If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was another bleached area.”  She chuckled as she stood admiring the crystal in the window.

            Jon avoided eye contact and hoped she wouldn’t look at the carpet.  “You sure could mistake it for that, couldn’t you?”

            “You certainly could.”

            “Have a good day Wanda.”

            “You too Jon.”

            Jon opened the door and left.

            Jon put his tools away.  He went to the bathroom and washed his face.  No success.  He looked like a Smurf.  All he could do was let it wear off and who knew how long that would take.  In the meantime, he’d try to avoid contact with people, which, in his line of work, would be difficult.

            Jon got back to his office.  He sat down and looked at the vacuum.  At least he could finish this project and have one thing go right.  He picked up his screwdriver and put the bottom plate back on.  He made sure all the wires were tight and everything was in order.  He plugged it in and turned it on.

            A loud buzzing sound emanated from the motor.  Then, before Jon could flip the switch, there was a loud “bang” and a smoky fireball rolled out of the vacuum engulfing Jon’s head.  Sailing backward from shock and pain, Jon hit the floor and rolled holding his head in his hands.  Jon heard the GFCI breaker on his workbench “pop” and the vacuum died.  Jon sat up, stunned.  The smell of burnt hair and singed skin wafted through the room.  Slowly getting to his feet, he looked at his scorched vacuum.  Unplugging it and turning it over, the tiny “tink” of a screw fell out, blackened and scored.  Jon knew what had caused the motor to seize up and he kicked himself for not remembering to remove it. 

            Jon glanced at the clock and realized it was lunchtime.  He went to the restroom once again, looked in the mirror and saw a blue-faced, black-singed, smoke-covered face staring back at him.  Jon just shook his head.  What a day.  Would any day in his life ever go right?  After washing his hands for lunch, Jon turned around to get some paper towels to wash his face and the dispenser fell off the wall landing on his toe.  Jon cursed under his breath, reached down to grab his foot and slipped headfirst into the garbage can.  The door opened and the principal Vance walked in.

            “Jon?  Is that you?”

            A muffled “yes” emanated from deep within the can.  Jon pulled himself free and stood up.  Vance looked at him in bewilderment for just a moment and then burst into uncontrollable laughter.