We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected]
YOU ASKED: My question involves the processes of indigo dyeing when combined with other plant dyes that have been mordanted with aluminum acetate. My understanding is that citric acid discharges the mordant and also neutralizes the alkalinity of indigo as a last step in finishing indigo dyed cloth. How would you go about neutralizing indigo without discharging mordant? For some processes, I am wanting to use indigo on top of other colors rather than underneath. Can vinegar be used without weakening the mordant bond?
KATHY ANSWERED: Our tap water is mildly acidic so I don’t normally do an acid soak for animal or plant fibers after indigo dyeing, I wash the textile and if I am concerned about alkalinity, I’ll take a pH measurement at the final rinse. If it’s 7 or lower, then it’s neutralized. However, when I need to use a little acid, I have been using vinegar (acetic acid) to soak my indigo dyed pieces only when I want to remove excess calcium hydroxide in the fiber. I don’t use citric acid much except as a discharge agent because I’ve found it really strips color from mordanted fibers and as you mentioned, it can damage the mordant bond. My experience is that vinegar does not seem to impact the mordant- at least it’s nothing I’ve noticed, and I only use a very small amount. By the time you are on the final rinse, much of the alkalinity is already rinsed out of the fiber so you don’t need much acid.
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Video From LIVE FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Rowland Ricketts
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