Back to Mordants and Additives
Myrobalan, Ground
$3.30 – $25.50
Ground nuts of a tropical tree, Terminalia chebula.
Use on protein or cellulose fibres. Considered both a mordant and a dye, because of the high tannin content. Yields a light butter-yellow to beige or mushroom. Substantive, no mordant needed. Use at 15-20% WOF as a mordant on cellulose fibres. As a dye, use at 20-30% WOF for medium shades.
TO USE:soak 24 hrs in water to dissolve. Add more water if necessary and enter fibre. Bring to a high simmer for 1 hour. Let fibre cool overnight.
Light and washfastness: good.
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Kamala Powder
Ground dried fruits of Mallotus philippinensis, sometimes called Lotus Tree.
Use on protein fibres. Produces brilliant yellow and orange tones similar to Saffron. Pre-mordanting recommended. Use at 20-30% WOF for medium shades.
TO USE: needs alkaline conditions: dissolve in warm water with Soda Ash at 3% WOG. Add wetted, premordanted fibre and simmer at 160-175°F for 1 hour. Cool, then rinse fibre in water with 1 cup of vinegar to neutralize the pH.
Light & washfastness: very good.
Munjeet, Ground
Ground dried roots of Rubia cordifolia, also called Indian Madder. A very close cousin to regular Madder.
Use on protein or cellulose fibres. Pre-mordanting recommended. Produces dramatic reds, crimson and coral/salmon. Basically follow a recipe for regular Madder. Use at 50-100% WOF for medium shades.
TO USE: simmer in water below 185°F for 30 minutes. Cool overnight, then repeat simmer and strain. Add more water and enter pre-mordanted fibre. Hold below 158°F for one hour. Higher temperatures produce browns.
Light and washfastness: excellent
Copper sulphate
Used as a MORDANT in natural dyeing, which allows the plant pigments to bond with the fibres.
Copper tends to take the dyed yarn colours towards the brown and green ends of the spectrum. A natural dye that comes out bright yellow with an Alum mordant will look very different with copper.
Used mainly on protein fibres such as wool, alpaca, silk. Although we love to use copper as a premordant, many dyers simply use it after dyeing to push the colours a different direction. To do this, add only 25% by weight of the usual premordanting amounts. Dissolve in hot water. Remove fibre from the dyebath, stir in the copper solution, re-enter the fibre and heat for another 15 minutes. Cool and rinse as usual.
TO USE: weigh the dry fibre. Calculate mordant required for 2% WOF (weight of fibre) and white vinegar at 40ml per 100g fibre. Weigh copper and dissolve in hot water. Fill pot with sufficient water for the fibre to move, add copper, vinegar and stir. Enter fibre. Bring to 180-200 deg F and hold 1 hour. Stir yarns frequently. Cool overnight, then wash well. Dye fibre immediately or dry for later use. These directions that include vinegar are recommended by Jenny Dean in her various natural dye books. Older recipes tend to use 8% copper sulphate all by itself, as a premordant.
Spent mordant solution is best disposed of on the ground, such as a gravel driveway. Keep well away from tree roots and anywhere that may drain to a pond or water feature, since copper sulphate is toxic to plants, fish and other aquatic life.
CAUTION: wear a mask when handling powders. Wear gloves when using copper, particularly when rinsing or handling wet yarns as can be absorbed by the skin. BEST DONE OUTDOORS or with very good ventilation. Avoid breathing fumes.
Tin Mordant
Used as a MORDANT in natural dyeing, which allows the plant pigments to bond with the fibres.
Tin (Stannous chloride) brightens colours and really makes them "pop". However, it is one of the trickier mordants to use, and rather expensive. Some dyers prefer to premordant with tin, while many simply add "a pinch" at the end of the dye process, and heat the fibre for another fifteen minutes or so, cool and then rinse as usual. The amount recommended for this is only 25% of the usual premordanting amounts, below.
Used mainly on protein fibres such as wool, alpaca, silk. Tin can make fibre feel harsh and brittle, so do not exceed the recommended amounts. Yarns can also easily scorch during tin premordanting. Do not pack the pot too full of fibre! An upturned rack, marbles or stones can help keep yarns off the bottom of your pot.
TO USE: Weigh fibre. Calculate mordant required for .5 to 2% WOF (weight of fibre). Weigh tin and dissolve in hot water. Fill pot with sufficient water for the fibre to move, add tin and stir. Enter fibre. Bring to 180-200°F and hold 1 hour. Stir yarns frequently. Cool, remove fibre and wash well. Dye immediately or dry for later. Some dyers add cream of tartar at 5-10% WOF with tin.
Spent mordant solution may be safely disposed of by pouring in a gravel driveway or path.
CAUTION: wear a mask when handling powders. Wear gloves when using tin, as it can be absorbed by the skin. BEST DONE OUTDOORS or with very good ventilation. Avoid breathing fumes.