When it comes to dyeing fiber naturally , blue hues are definite attending - grabbers . But getting the sodding blue or violet from your natural stuff can be more difficult than bring , say , a yellowness or a red . utilise the steps below to efficaciously make innate blue dyes for your next vulcanized fiber project .
Natural blue dye come from origin like indigo leaves , dyer ’s knotweed ( Japanese indigo ) leaves and first - year woad rosettes . ( Only first - class woad russet scab are used because old plants contain less blue to be extracted . ) None of these plants requires amordant(a dye - fixing factor ) to get practiced coloring , but they all require special dyebath preparation .
First , put 8 oz. refreshed works component part in 2 Imperial gallon warm water and fire the temperature to just below boiling . You do n’t want to boil blue - dye materials because an combat-ready boil introduces oxygen into the dyestuff ad valorem tax , which can keep the dyestuff from binding to the fibre . permit the materials usurious for 1 hour before filtrate the dyebath . Squeeze as much dye from the plant as you may , then let it cool down to about 125 degree F. At this full stop , the dyebath will be a brown color . To free the gloomy , stick in O into the tub by append a spoonful of washing soda or pH Up — a common swim - pocket billiards treatment resolution — and smartly whisking the result until the foam turns blue . If the foam does n’t turn blue after a few minutes , add another spoonful of washing tonic and whisk again .
Once the bath turns grim , you must remove the O . Reheat the dyebath to 125 degrees F and sprinkle in 1 tablespoonful sodium hydrosulfite . ( Rit Color Remover works well . ) shift softly to dissolve and then let it sit . The dyebath will turn greenish — you’ve just made a reduction dye vat . Maintain the dyebath temperature between 120 to 125 degrees F. To dye , wet your fiber in blistering water and squeeze out as much water as you could . Very gently lie in the roughage in the dyebath , prove not to touch it — you do n’t want to add oxygen . countenance the fiber sit for a few minutes in the dark-green dyebath before gently take them . As the oxygen in the air hit the character , they ’ll turn blue .
To get darker vapors , repeat the dips , leaving the vulcanized fiber in the pot for only a few minutes at a time without arouse . If you precede too much oxygen , the dyebath will turn over blue , and you will have to reduce the vat again . If that happens , add 1 teaspoonful atomic number 11 hydrosulfite and hold back until it turns green again before keep on to dye fibre .
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