Rusting on paper
Three baths are required. Use them in any sequence. Best results if dried between but very interesting ones can be obtained by contaminated ones.
Tannin Bath
25 tea bags in 2 Litres of boiling water. Allow to steep well.
Caustic Bath
To 1 litre of cold water add 2-3 tablesp. caustic soda. Add additional 1 litre water.
Iron Bath
Add 2-3 tablesp ferros sulphate to 2 litres cold water.
Indigo Recipes used for The Great Indigo Experiment
Recipes 1-4 are the same but with 4 variations to explore if there are any differences and what they are, between using natural or synthetic indigo and sodium hydrosulphite (hydros) and thiourea dioxide (thiox or TUD). Vat prepared the day before use.
Recipe 5 is the same as 1 but completed in one day.
Source of recipe: The basic recipe occurs in many forms including on the Maiwa website (www.maiwa.com),, from Marg Bartlett, J. N. Liles The Art and Craft of Natural Dyeing. Traditional Recipes for Modern Use (ISBN 0-8049-670-0), Dana McGown. All have slight variations but the procedure is similar.
Recipe may be adjusted but keep the proportions the same.
There are 2 components: The stock solution which needs to be prepared at least 60 minutes before use and may be kept for a week.
The vat to which the stock solution is added. After vat is made leave about 1 hour before use.
Each number matches with recipe of same number.
Stock Solution
All: 1 litre hot water + 1 teas. lye (caustic soda) in a wide mouthed jar.
Add indigo: 1:2 teas synthetic ,2:2 teas synthetic, 3: 4 teas natural,4: 4 teas natural, 5: 2 teas synthetic
All: Stir 2 minutes
Add: 1: 1teas TUD, 2: 2 teas hydros, 3:1 teasTUD, 4: 2 teas hydros, 5: teas TUD
All: Stir about 1 minute.
All: Leave to reduce for a minimum of 60 minutes.
The Vat
All: Put 20 litres in a plastic bucket (with lid) conversion
All: Add 1/8 teas caustic to water and stir till dissolved
All: Add 1/2 teas detergent (synthrapol)
Add: 1: 1 teas TUD, 2: 2 teas hydros, 3: 1 teas TUD 4: 2 teas hydros, 5: 1 teas TUD
All: Stir gently and cover allow to reduce for 15 minutes
All: Carefully lower jar of stock solution into vat. Do not include air.
1 – 4: Do overnight. 5: Do same day and leave 30 mins before using
Recipe 6
This recipe pastes the indigo powder in methylated spirits. This may be useful to compare ease of dissolving. In addition it uses gelatine and salt. It specifies that the water needs to be “soft” either by using rainwater or the addition of Calgon. This recipe also does not indicate resting time.
Source of recipe: Grethe Wellegus, Shibori Resist Dyeing Techniques, 1989 and Gosta Sandberg Indigo Textile Techniques and History. 1989 (Eng)
Make soda Lye solution of 35% prior to starting stock solution.
Put 500mls of cold water into a plastic container. To this add 270 g of caustic soda slowly. Stir till dissolved.
A total of 13 ml required
Stock solution
Paste up 5 g synthetic indigo in 25 mls methylated spirits in a small jar with lid.
Add 100mls warm water (about 50o)
Add 10 ml of the soda lye solution
Add 5 g hydros stirring gently
Put lid on jar. Leave 15 – 30 minutes. If a cold day jar may be put in warm water at 50o.
The Vat
Measure 10 litres of lukewarm water into a bucket ( 20 – 25 o)
Add 25 g Calgone or Hexaphosphate (water softener). Rain water may be used instead of adding these. Stir.
Add 2 g gelatine powder. Stir.
Add 3 ml soda lye solution. Stir.
Add 3 g sodium dithionite (Hydros). Stir
Add 200g salt. Stir.
Add 10 ml stock for light shades, 50 ml for intermediate shades or 250 ml for dark shades. Add carefully to vat making sure air is not included.
Ph value of the vat should be about 9 – 10.
Recipe 7 (a) natural, (b) synthetic
This recipe uses zinc and lime.
Source: Shibori. The Inventive Art of Japanese Shaped Resist Dyeing, Yoshiko Wada, Mary Kellogg Rice, Jane Barton, Kodansha International, 1983. Also reprinted. Pg 281. Check for full details. A Handbook of Indigo Dyeing Vivien Prideau , Search Press, 2003. (This recipe same as Wada but 1/5. (these quantities used) Smaller quantities referenced in Dyeing For Fibres and Fabrics, Janet de Boer 1987 (based on original Yoshiko Wada’s recipe).
Made in a 50 litre rubbish bin.
Stock solution
In a glass jar, paste 20g synthetic indigo with 100ml methylated spirits adding slowly. (40 g natural)
Put 2 litres of warm water in a stainless steel or enamel pot. Put the pot on very low heat, just enough to keep warm. 60C Lower paster indigo into warm water add gently, stir.
Put some of this liquid in the jar, add 40g calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) and 12g of zinc metal dust. Mix to a smooth paste. Add mixture to indigo lowering gently into solution.
Stir gently for about 5 minutes. May be kept warm on a stove but temperature must not exceed 60oC. Mixture will change to greenish colour with a metallic film. Rest 3 – 5 hrs.
The Vat
Put 20 litres water in plastic bin. Add 20g lime and 6g zinc. Stir to dissolve the lime. Put lid on. This can be done at same time as stock solution.
After 3 -5 hours, remove 1 litre for rinsing out stock solution jar. Add stock solution slowly. Rinse out container with reserved liquid. Stir gently. Stand at least 6 hours before using.
Recipe 8
Indigo kit
Recipe 10
www.kraftcolour.com.au Uses soda ash. Dyes 500g fabric. Same day.
Dissolve 45 g soda ash in 500mls boiling water.
Paste 10 g synthetic indigo in a little warm water.
Slowly add soda ash to indigo.
Put 6.5 L hot water (45 – 55C) in bin.
Add indigo mix carefully.
Sprinkle 40g Hydros, cover and let stand for 30-60mins. Maintain temperature 45-55C.
Recipe 11
Same day. Uses caustic soda in stock and soda ash in vat.
From www.entwinements.com
Stock: Dissolve 1.5 oz (42g) lye in 1 cup water.
In 1 L jar paste 2 oz (55g) synthetic indigo with water.
Add lye to indigo.
Fill jar with warm water.
Sprinkle ¼ oz (7g) TUD on top and stir till dissolved.
Cap tightly. Stand 1 hr or more.
Vat: Use 13 gal (49L) garbage bin. Fill with warm water.
Stir in ½ cup soda ash. (ph 10 or greater)
Stir in 1 tablesp TUD
Stand 30 mins or more.
When ready to dye, add ¼ cup of indigo stock.
Sugar Bath for finishing for presentation
Recipe from Hand Block Printing & Resist Dyeing by Susan Bosence,Arco Publishing, New York, 1985
After the final soapy washings, immerse it for 10 minutes or so in a brown sugar or molasses solution: 1 tablesp to 1 gal (4.5 litres) of water. Allow to dry and just before it is bone dry, iron carefully on the reverse side. this is important, as ironing sometimes leaves shiny marks or picks up slight impurities ans spreads them on the cloth. Take no chances. Also ironing on the back tends to reveal the weave on the front side, giving the cloth its best appearance. the sugar bath leaves the cloth soft and slightly silky.
Indigo Vat (Synthetic or natural)
Recipe from Dana McCown.
More natural indigo required than synthetic. Work natural indigo with mortar and pestle.
Prepare stock solution (2 required). Use a dust mask. ½ litre hot tap water in a wide mouth jar. Add 2 teas caustic soda.
Paste 5 teaspoons (5ml each) indigo powder in about 1/3 cup boiling water (or use metho)
Add paste to caustic/water. Stir well.
Add 1 teaspoon TUD or 2 teaspoons Sodium hydrosulphite. Stir one minute.
Put lid on. Reduction will start giving a copper sheen to the surface. Process involves liquid changing from muddy blue-green to yellow or yellow-brown.
Time required 15 – 60 mins. This keeps several weeks.
Prepare vat.
Fill container with 40 litres hot tap water 40-50 degrees C.
Add ¼ teaspoons caustic soda and stir till dissolved.
Add 1 teaspoons detergent to help dye penetration. Detergent must not contain whitening or brightening agents.
Add 1 level teaspoon TUD
Put lid on 15 minutes.
Add 2 jars stock solution without dripping. Stir gently. Let sit 15 minutes – 1 hour. Wait till vat is yellowish - green.
It is now ready to use.
Sizing Recipe
I got this from Kati Meek. It works for all those troublesome warps that a weaver needs to control.
1 tablespoon whole flax seed
1 cup water
Put in saucepan and cook till it is thick. It will appear the consistence of egg white. Make sure you watch it as the saucepan will boil over easily.
Strain and add 2 drops shampoo and 1 teaspoon white vinegar.
Apply with a sponge behind the heddles in one dirrection and dry.
The excess may be frozen.
Flame retardant
The ratio of borax : boric acid is 7:3. I used teaspoons tpo measure. Dissolve in a little warm water. Cool before using.
Cotton Mordant
Recipe 1
Fill a large pot with clean water and heat.
Use 20% alum to the weight of the fabric/fibre. Mix into the hot water.
Add 5 % myrobalan to pot.
Wet out fabric. Place into hot mordant water. Add more water if necessary to cover. Simmer for approximately 1 hour.
Remove. Fabric can be used immediately or dried
Recipe 2.
From Dye Plants and Dyeing from Brooklyn Botanic Gardens Record, Vol 20 No 3 1964. It’s even got the price of $2.25!
alum-tannic acid-alum method
For each pound of dry material, use 8oz alum, 2 oz washing soda, 1 oz tannic acid
Dissolve 1/2 the alum and 1/2 the washing soda in 4-4 1/2 gallons of cold water. Wet the material, immerse in the bath and heat gradually. Boil 1 hr. Leave overnight.
Next day: Squeeze the moisture out, rinse well, then put in a prepared bath of 4 – 4 1/2 gallons water with the tannic acid. Heat this bath gradually to 140 – 160 deg and hold at this temperature for 1 hr. Cool, stand overnight.
Next day: Rinse lightly. Prepare a third bath of 4 – 4 1/2 gallons water + remaining alum and soda. Repeat the first process and leave overnight.
Next day: Squeeze out the water, rinse before dyeing.
This was a lot of effort for a result that differs little to the easier one. Mind you I haven’t tested for longevity of color. Perhaps there will be a difference long term.
