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Madder
(Rubia Tinctorum)
Fuchsin
- William Perkin accidently discovered Fuchsin the
first synthetic dye in 1856 Perkin was
experimenting with oxidation reactions with coal
tar products. "The cost of this material
from 1856 through its relatively brief commercial
lifetime for yarn dyeing (late 1860s) would have
been too prohibitive to have been used on wool
yarn for oriental rug dyes. It was principally a
dye for expensive silk fabrics. What's more, its
commercial lifetime predated production of the
huge bulk of oriental rugs of current
collector/market interest, i.e., 1880-1920. This
"mauve" was a photoactive,
cationic/basic dye that faded with time and light
to a gray-lavender." Use of
Certain Rug Dyes as Markers of Age, by Paul
Mushak, (ORR Vol. 15, No. 5, June/July, 1995)
- There were several Fuchsines some of which were
in use well into the 20th century
Purple (Tyrinian Purple, Phonecian
Purple etc...)
- The main source of purple in the Mediterranean in
Biblical times was from Murex a shellfish. There
are two types that were used. Murex trunculus was
found and used at Sidon and Sarepta and murex
brandaris around Tyre. Murex was rare and very
expensive.
- Harvesting and processing Murex caused the
Phoenicians to set up colonies all over the
Mediterranean. In many areas old shell mounds can
still be found from where the dye was processed.
Lac
- Insect based red dye.
- The insect dye lac was the principal red dye used
in classical Persian carpets. Whiting, Mark.
HALI, Vol 1. 1978
- Use of lac yields a "cool" rather than
a vivid or "bright" insect red in the
blue tones that we associate with
cochineal.
- Lac is a resin secreted by the lac insect
(Laccifer lacca) upon the smaller branches of
trees, primarily the fig tree.
- Lac traditionally was raised in Northern India.
- Lac takes it's name from the word for 100,000 -
lahk which refers to the huge number of insects
who are needed to make marketable quantities of
Lac.
- Stick lac is when the lac is still on the branch
and grain lac is when it has been crushed and
washed.
- The dye is derived from the secretions of the lac
insect (Laccifer lacca). The insect leaves a
resinous coating on the branches of several trees
including the soapberry, acacia and the fig tree.
Indigo
- Indigoten occurs naturally in a wide range of
plants but a legume Indigofera tinctoria was the
source of almost all Indigo used in Oriental rug
weaving.
- Indigo was believed to originate in the Indian
sub-continent and was an important export until
synthetic Indigo took the market.
- Woad Isatis tinctoria is also a source of blue
dye but I suspect it's use was European in focus
because I do not remember any indications that it
was used with Oriental Carpets. The handful of
situations were all assumed woad use and were
confined to Europe. One problem area is that the
source can not be determined in laboratory tests
from dyed cloth samples.
- The blue dyestuff is produced during fermentation
of the leaves, commonly with caustic soda or
sodium hydrosulfite. A paste that exudes from
fermenting plant material is processed into cakes
and finely ground. The blue color develops as the
material is exposed to air (13.1-76). The indigo
dye is a derivative of indican, a natural
constituent of several of the Indigofera species
(14.1-19). Indican is enzymatically converted to
blue indigotin (14.1-35). The colorfast dye is
mixed with different mordants and other plant
materials to produce a wide range of colorants.
The species name tinctoria refers to tinctorius,
meaning "of dyes" or "belonging to
dyes" (14.1-3). Today almost all indigo for
dyeing cotton and wool is synthesized
commercially." Aromatic
and Medicinal Plants Index Perdue University
- "Indigo Dying Experiment Details
- Put water into a jam-jar.
Cut the leaves off the plant.
Cut the leaves into pieces one centimeter
wide.
Put them into the water, make sure they
are all under the surface of the water.
Fill the jam-jar to the top and screw
down the lid tightly.
Leave this overnight to
‘steep’.
With the leaves that have been left
overnight :
Strain the water from the leaves into a
beaker.
Add some alkali (ammonia can be used) to
make the pH about 9.
Bubble air through the mixture for 5
minutes.
Add some sodium hydrosulphite (1 spatula
full).
Warm the mixture up to 60oC.
Wet the material you want to dye with
cold water.
Put it into the dye bath and leave it for
5 minutes.
Take the material out and wash it well
with tap water, then allow it to
dry." IACR
- Long Ashton
Safflower
- Safflower or Carthamus tinctorius. This plant has
two dyes, yellow and red but the red is more
sought after. Dr. Barber mentions in Prehistoric
Textiles that the yellow was fugitive and the red
is permanent Barber 232.
- The other reds are insect-based dyes. The primary
dye agent would have Caraminic acid from either
grain Cochineal or Armenian Cochineal.
- There are of course reds such as madder but I
find no indication that madder was used for
scarlet although it can match that shade with the
right mordants and conditions. I have to suspect
that the scarlet dye would have been Safflower or
Kermes.
Techelet
- A blue dye was prepared from a sea creature
referred to as the Chilazon, from which a blue
dye Techelet was produced to dye the blue cord
used in the Mitzvah of Tzitzith. It is only
really important in Jewish ritual if I understand
this correctly that when the great temple in
Jerusalem is rebuilt the belt of the High Priest
must make use of Techelet. The bone of contention
as I understand it is that many hold that without
the blue strand dyed in the blood of Chilazon
then Tzitzith is incomplete. The problem is
further complicated by the reports that the
Chilazon only leaves the sea every 70 years and
has not been used conclusively since before the
Jewish Diaspora. One Rabbi identified cuttlefish
as the Chilazon and produced a variation of
Prussian Blue with the fish. But for everyone who
believes it seems that one or more
disagree.
Mordants
Alum Mordant Recipe
Weigh out the fiber. Place the fiber in a pot of
warm water with detergent. Simmer for one hour,
drain and rinse. Weigh out 10% alum and 5%
tartaric acid (of the dry fiber weight). Combine
in a glass jar with warm water to dissolve.
Simmer enough water to cover fiber in a dyepot,
add alum mixture. Add warm, wetted fiber to the
mordant bath and simmer for one hour at 190 and
then let cool in the bath for one hour. Wash and
rinse. |
Copper Mordant Recipe
Weigh out the fiber. Place the fiber in a pot of
warm water with detergent. Simmer for one hour,
drain and rinse. Weigh out 10% copper and 5%
tartaric acid (of the dry fiber weight). Combine
in a glass jar with warm water to dissolve.
Simmer enough water to cover the fiber in a
dyepot, add copper mixture. Add warm, wetted
fiber to the dyebath and simmer for one hour at
190 and then let cool in the bath for one hour.
Wash and rinse. Period
Trade Dyes from the 16th Century- Historical
Reenactment - 09/17/98Egyptian Use of
Copper Mordants
To trace the history of copper compounds it would
be necessary to go back much further than the
fourth millennium BC. Records found in the tombs
of the early Egyptians suggest that, at least,
this ancient civilisation employed copper
sulphate as a mordant in their dyeing process.
Today, more than 5,000 years later, copper
sulphate is still employed by the world's dyeing
industry in the after treatment of certain dyes
to improve their fastness to light and washing. Uses
of Copper Compounds
For example, cochineal with allum will appear
crimson on natural dibers. Yet a copper mordant
will turn those same fibers burgundy. http://www.knittersreview.com/article.asp?article=/review/profile/010607_a.asp
BLUE VITRIOL (copper sulfate) saddens colors
and brings out greens. It is a good additive.
Used alone, one ounce will mordant a pound of
wool. Rinse fiber well, store wet or dry. Blue
vitriol is poisonous. Earth
Guild Instruction Sheets
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Iron Mordant Recipe
Weigh out the fiber. Place the fiber in a pot of
warm water with detergent. Simmer for one hour,
drain and rinse. Weigh out 2% iron (of the dry
fiber weight). Combine in a glass jar with warm
water to dissolve. Simmer enough water to cover
the fiber in a dyepot, add iron mixture. Add
warm, wetted fiber to the dyebath and slow boil
at about 210 for one hour and then let cool in
the bath for one hour. Wash and rinse. Period
Trade Dyes from the 16th Century- Historical
Reenactment - 09/17/98 |
Saia
- Saia sha or cutch (Acacia catechu) is a brownish
red dye used extensively in India in the Mughal
and pre-Mughal period.
- Etherington
& Roberts. Dictionary--cutch
- Cutch Dye Recipe
- Warm golden browns Weigh out the chips at
400% (of the dry fiber weight). Place in
a glass of hot water and let sit
overnight until dissolved. Next day, heat
enough water to cover the fiber in a
dyepot to 120. Add the dye solution to
the heated water. Mix well and bring to a
boiling for 1 hour and then add warm
wetted fiber to the dyebath. Bring to a
boil for one hour. Remove from heat and
let sit in the bath to cool. Remove the
fiber, wash and let dry. Do not let sit
overnight in the bath or the colors will
dull considerably. Period
Trade Dyes from the 16th Century-
Historical Reenactment - 09/17/98
Synthetic Dyes
Amaranth Dye
For Further Reading:
Thanks and best wishes,
J. Barry O'Connell Jr.
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