Abstract: A tube for use on a perforated dyeing spindle, for supporting for dyeing a package of yarn wound therearound, the tube having a longitudinal axis and comprising a plurality of flexible uprights spaced circumferentially around the axis, top and bottom base portions of the tube, each upright being joined at opposite ends to the base portions, respectively, and a plurality of rings joining the uprights in spaced planes perpendicular to the axis, at least two of the rings being incomplete and having, respectively, gaps at circumferentially staggered positions so as to leave one pair of adjacent uprights free to approach each other in one of the planes and a second pair of adjacent uprights free to approach each other in a second of the planes, thereby providing the tube with balanced and limited radial flexibility to accommodate yarn shrinkage, the spaced uprights, base portions, and rings cooperatively defining a plurality of dye openings through the tube.

Abstract: Dye tube, for use with yarn wound therearound in stacked, end-to-end relationship with other such tubes on a perforated dyeing spindle, comprising a multiplicity of yarn-supporting rings spaced along an axis and a multiplicity of connectors spaced circumferentially about the tube and extending between adjacent rings, each said connector having its opposite ends respectively joined to adjacent rings and having a preferentially radially inwardly movable buckling portion between its ends, whereby, upon the application of axial force to the tube, its adjacent rings will approach each other while its connectors buckle toward the axis.