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.
Related products
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.
Marigold, Dried Flowers
Ground, dried flower heads from common Marigolds, Tagetes spp.
Used on protein or cellulose fibres, giving yellow, orange or green-yellow depending on mordant. Use at 20-30% WOF for medium shades. Makes a good base for producing greens with an overdip of Indigo.
TO USE: soak in warm water overnight. Simmer in liquid 30-60 minutes at 155-160°F. Cool, strain, add more water if necessary then simmer premordanted fibre for 30-60 minutes at 155-160°F.
Light and washfastness: moderate to good with a mordant.
Aluminum acetate
May 26/22 - back in stock, finally!
Used as a MORDANT in natural dyeing, which allows the plant pigments to bond with the fibres.
NOT THE SAME AS ALUM!! Aluminum acetate is used as a one-step mordant on cellulose (plant) fibres such as cotton, linen and well worth experimenting with on rayon fibres (including Tencel), bamboo, ramie, hemp and others. This is a more expensive but faster means to get natural dyes to stick without the more traditional alum/tannic acid premordanting method.
TO USE: weigh dry fibre and scour if needed (especially cotton). Calculate mordant required for 5% WOF (weight of fibre). Weigh and dissolve in hot water. Fill pot with sufficient water for the fibre to move, add mordant and stir. Enter fibre. Bring to 190-200°F and hold 1 hour. Stir yarns frequently. Cool overnight, then wash well. Dye immediately or dry for later.
Spent mordant solution may be safely disposed of down the drain (except for septic systems). It also may be diluted and poured on the ground, for instance on a gravel driveway or path.
CAUTION: wear a mask when handling powders. Wear gloves when handling powder or solutions, particularly when rinsing or handling wet yarns. Best done outdoors or with very good ventilation.
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.