We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected]
YOU ASKED: Can you store and then reuse symplocos mordant, the way you can alum mordants? If it can be stored, do you need refrigerate it or add cloves to keep it from going off, as you must with plant based dyes?
KATHY ANSWERED: Symplocos baths may be reused several times but it does contain plant matter and will probably start to ferment if left for long periods of time, like over 2 weeks in a warm environment. You might experiment by canning it in a water-based bath with Mason jars (similar to making tomato sauce) to vacuum seal the solution and prevent molding. I don’t know if this will work for symplocos, but it could be suitable for short term storage (30 days) at room temperature.
YOU ASKED: I eco-print using natural dye blankets to transfer color onto my fabric. The dye blankets are washed cotton and non-mordanted. Sometimes the cotton blankets are just as beautiful. Would post-mordanting cotton dye blankets with aluminum acetate make the tannin print from the leaves and natural dye more wash fast and light fast?
KATHY ANSWERED: It sounds like a post-mordant would work on the cotton. I would prepare the mordant, transfer to a spray bottle and then thoroughly spray the fabric that is laid flat (protect surfaces from the mordant spray and drips). Then let it sit overnight for the mordant to really penetrate and carefully hang to dry completely. Then rinse.
YOU ASKED: I just got Aluminum Triformate from you guys and followed the directions on the mordant process. Today I read from a blogger about scouring fabric prior to mordanting and I’m hoping to still do that. Is it ok to scour now after I have put my fabric through the mordant process? Or should I start over?
KATHY ANSWERED: If your fabric is considered PFD or RFD (prepared for dyeing or ready for dyeing), you should not need to scour prior to mordanting. If you have a “raw” fabric such as silk noil, heavy hemp, or loomstate cotton, you should scour. I don’t know how useful scouring after mordanting will be since the purpose of scouring is to remove excess dirt, oils, starch, wax and pectin from from fibers before applying a mordant or dye. Instead of starting over, why don’t you try a test with the existing fabric as you’ve prepared it and see if you like the results? You can cut a small swatch and dye it and then make a decision.