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Black Oak Bark, Ground
$24.75 – $44.55
Ground inner bark of Quercus velutina, sometimes known as Quercitron.
Use on protein or cellulose fibres. A well-respected source of strong yellows. Pre-mordanting recommended. Alum/c.o.t. mordant gives excellent results. Use at 10-20% WOF for medium shades.
TO USE: simmer in water at 160-175°F for 1 hour. Cool overnight and strain. Add more water if necessary and enter pre-mordanted fibre. Hold at a 160-175°F for one hour. The brightest yellows develop at these cool temperatures.
Light and washfastness: excellent with a mordant.
Related products
Logwood, Extract
Dried and cured chips from a tropical tree, Haematoxylum campechianum.
Use on protein or cellulose fibres. Pre-mordanting essential. Produces dramatic pink, blue, maroon and purple to black shades. Use at 20-50% WOF for medium shades.
TO USE: place chips in a stocking and soak overnight in cold water. Bring to a simmer for 1 hour, cool and remove stocking. Enter premordanted fibre and simmer for 1 hour. Bath may be used for successive dips, and by the 3rd or 4th dip the colours being yielded change to golds, greens or browns.
Light and washfastness: average. Keep dyed fibres away from bright light.
NEW: Logwood Extract: this has already been soaked out then reduced down to a powder. It's expensive but very strong and super convenient. Simply weigh out the extract at around 10% weight of fibre for medium shades, or adjust for darker or lighter. Dissolve in a measuring cup with hot (but not boiling) water, add to your dyepot with water, mix well, add your fibre and simmer for an hour.
Fustic, Shavings
Shavings from Chlorophora tinctoria often called Old Fustic.
Use on protein or cellulose fibres. Requires a premordant. A classic dye that gives bright yellows through to gold or green, depending on the mordant. Use at 30-50% WOF for medium to strong shades.
TO USE: soak in water overnight to several days. Simmer 1 hour in soaking liquid. Cool, strain then simmer premordanted fibre for 30-60 minutes. Temperatures of 155-160°F will give the best yellows.
Light and washfastness: good to excellent with a mordant.
Brazilwood, Extract
Sawdust or extract from a tropical tree, Caesalpinia punctata. This species is from southeast Asia and is not the endangered species native to Brazil but still produces good, rich colours. It is also called Sappanwood or Eastern Brazilwood.
Use on protein or cellulose fibres. Best with a premordant. A classic dye that gives rich crimson, purple or pink, depending on the mordant. Brazilwood is very generous and, although expensive, a dyebath can yield up to 7 or 8 successive dips. Have plenty of fibre prepared, soaked and ready! Light and washfastness is rated as average.
SAWDUST: Use at 20-100% WOF for medium to strong shades. Soak in water and/or rubbing alcohol for a few hours. Spread on a tray to air overnight. Add to water and simmer 1 hour. Cool and strain. Observe dyebath colour. If it leans towards scarlet-orange, stir in a teaspoon of Soda Ash to push the pH higher and change the dyebath to more of a purple-red. Add small amounts of Soda Ash until this happens. Enter premordanted fibre to dye liquor and simmer 1 hour.
EXTRACT: Approximately 6 times stronger than sawdust or chips. Use at 20-50% WOF for medium to strong shades. Dissolve in hot tap water and add to dyepot. Adjust pH with Soda Ash as outlined above. Enter premordanted fibre to dye liquor and simmer 1 hour.
Indigo, Natural Ground
PLEASE NOTE: Indigo dyeing is an art and science that you need to research ahead of time. It is NOT handled like any of the other natural dyes, by simmering on the stove!!
Finely ground powder from Indigofera tinctoria.
Use on protein or cellulose fibres. A vat dye, Indigo must be handled in a special way in order for the complex chemical process to occur. It produces a gorgeous range of true blue shades, depending on how many dips are done and how much indigo is used in the vat. The indigo magic will not work with the standard methods used for other natural dyes.
TO USE: follow one of the many recipes for setting up an Indigo vat. The internet is a good search source. We stock some of the supplies needed, depending on the method. Thiourea dioxide and Soda Ash are the two most commonly used ingredients, which we stock. Lye is also used sometimes, and due to its caustic nature we will not stock it: any good hardware store sells lye in with the cleaning products. We highly recommend looking at the pdf tutorials on Indigo at www.maiwa.com
Light and washfastness: excellent.
