Back to Mordants and Additives
Glauber’s salt
$4.00 – $7.20
Sodium sulphate. Used as a LEVELLER in both synthetic and natural dyeing.
Glauber’s salt slows down the colour uptake of the dye, encouraging more even and level strike. This is particularly useful when dyeing soft pastel shades.
TO USE: Calculate amount required for 10 to 50% WOF (weight of fibre), lower amounts for softer shades, higher amounts for deeper colours. Dissolve in hot water and add in stages during dyeing, as the bath temperature rises but before dye strikes.
Dispose of spent dyebath in your usual way. Down the drain is fine.
CAUTION: wear a mask when handling powders.
Related products
Iron sulphate
Used as a MORDANT in natural dyeing, which allows the plant pigments to bond with the fibres.
Iron darkens or "saddens" colours. It takes only a tiny amount to do this, and one must be careful with iron: too much will harshen or damage fibres. If you use iron with any regularity, consider having a dedicated pot for this purpose, as it sticks to pot surfaces and will affect the colour of future dyebaths. A chipped enamal pot is perfect.
Used mainly on protein fibres such as wool, alpaca, silk. Although it can be used as a premordant, most natural dyers use iron to alter the colour at the end of the dyeing process. If you prefer to premordant, follow the usual steps using iron at 6% WOF.
TO USE: Weigh fibre before wetting. Dye in the bath of your choice, with or without an alum premordant. Calculate iron mordant required for 2% WOF (weight of fibre). Dissolve iron in hot water. Remove fibre from warm dyepot, stir in dissolved iron and re-enter fibre. Simmer for 5 minutes, cool then wash and rinse well.
Spent mordant solution may be safely disposed of by pouring in the garden. Iron sulphate is a common soil amendment in agriculture and horticulture.
CAUTION: wear a mask when handling powders. Wear gloves when using iron, as it stains skin easily. BEST DONE OUTDOORS or with very good ventilation. Avoid breathing fumes.
Myrobalan, Ground
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.
Tannin Blend
This is a blend of NATURALLY-SOURCED Tannin, usually from Quebracho and Sumac, possibly others. It will leave your plant fibres or fabrics a soft red-brown base colour before using other dyes.
Used mainly on as a MORDANT on cellulose fibres such as cotton, usually in combination with Alum.
TO USE: weigh dry fibre. Calculate mordant required at 15 to 20%% WOF (weight of fibre) each of Tannic Acid and Alum. Weigh mordants and dissolve in hot water in separate plastic or non-reactive containers. Add wetted fibre to Alum solution and soak for 12 to 24 hours. Rinse and place in Tannic Acid solution for 12 to 24 hours. Rinse again and place back in Alum solution for 12 to 24 hours. Wash and rinse well, then dye or dry for later use.
Spent mordant solution may be safely disposed of down the drain (except for septic systems). It also may be poured around garden plants that prefer acidic soil conditions.
CAUTION: wear a mask when handling powders. Wear gloves when using tannins, particularly when rinsing or handling wet yarns as they can cause skin irritation and staining.
Pomegranate, Ground Rind
Powdered/ground rind from the rinds of pomegranate fruits, Punica granatum. NOTE: this is NOT EXTRACT. This is the kind to use if you want to try it as a natural mordant.
We list this as a natural dye, but it is sometimes used as a mordant.
Use on protein or cellulose fibres. Yields soft yellows to green-yellows or gold. Substantive but pre-mordanting recommended. Use at 15-20% WOF for medium shades.
TO USE: soak 24 hours in hot water, stirring occasionally, then strain. Place liquid and fibre in dyepot and add more water if necessary. Bring to a high simmer for 1 hour. Let fibre cool in dye liquor for at least one more hour or overnight then wash and rinse.
Light and washfastness: moderate to good.