This post is a great question we resurfaced to answer some much needed clarification on iron!
YOU ASKED: I bought iron from you guys to use to dye some wool fabric. I used it in a dye bath with coffee. I used your alum to mordant prior to dyeing in advance. I’m concerned I let the fabric sit too long in the coffee + iron bath because it now has a sort of weird feeling to it, almost a coating on it. Curious if there is a way to remedy this?
KATHY ANSWERED: Sometimes too much alum can change the feel of wool and cause it to feel sticky or tacky, and iron can leave a harsh texture. Harshness can also be a result from over handling wool during the dye process. It’s possible that the combination of these factors is causing this problem. The next time, try dyeing with the lowest amount of iron that you can with the coffee and skip the alum unless it’s crucial to the color you are trying to achieve. Since iron is also a mordant, you can try to reduce the number of ingredients and see if the texture improves. If the fabric feels like it has a coating, it might that the alum mordant is causing the fibers to feel sticky.
You might also like to read:
You Asked, Kathy Answered: Adding More Iron To A Ferrous Indigo Vat
The Many Faces of Sappanwood Extract: Just Add More (Or Less) Dye + Iron
How To Make Your Own Signature Black Natural Dye
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