mordant Archives - Page 2 of 9

MORDANT MONDAY: How To Recharge Mordants & Assists

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I have mind-bending questions about the mordants that can be refreshed like aluminum acetate, aluminum sulfate and aluminum triformate. Is it different with different mordants? And what happens with the assists like soda ash or cream of tartar, if I put them together with the mordant, do I also need to recharge it as well with 25/50%? KATHY ANSWERED: Typically aluminum sulfate, aluminum potassium sulfate and aluminum acetate are refreshed at 50% and aluminum triformate is refreshed at 10%. … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Indigo & Discharging Mordants

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 … Read more

Easy Print Paste Thickener Tutorial

Designs and prints come to life with mordant printing using Botanical Colors Print Paste Thickener and this tutorial! If you don’t follow Arielle Toelke, Designer + Creator of Four Rabbit, you’re missing out! With a background in art, Arielle creates a line of goods that are both graphic and fun. We’ve been friends with her for years and also gotten to know her as one of our customers using our dyes and assists to make some pretty exciting, graphically pleasing surface designs. We asked Arielle to write an easy-to-use print paste thickener tutorial, sent her some of our print paste … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: How Is Gall Nut Extract Different Than Ground?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: If I am using whole oak galls as a mordant, how is the gall nut extract used differently than the ground oak galls? Does the ground have to be heated for a certain amount of time or can it be added directly to hot water? KATHY ANSWERED: Gall nut extract, which we call gallo-tannin, is dissolved in near boiling hot water and then added to the dye pot or the mordant tub (it is a low -temperature mordant, … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Is Aluminum Acetate A Better Mordant Than Aluminum Sulfate?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: For plant fibers I was taught to use aluminum acetate for the mordant and then rinse in calcium carbonate to neutralize the acetate. That extra step is minor, but I’m wondering whether aluminum acetate is a better mordant than aluminum sulfate. It sure is more expensive! KATHY ANSWERED: Yes, that is the mordant process that we use as well. I don’t think that aluminum acetate is necessarily a better mordant, but it does have some strengths over … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Color Bleeding + Pickling Vegetables With Aluminum Acetate?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I am new to dyeing and am hoping you can provide some knowledge. I have mordanted and dyed a cotton sheet with oak gall, cutch and ferrous sulfate. I sprinkled citric acid to remove some color while the fabric was drying. If I now bathe the fabric in calcium carbonate will the color change? If so in what way? Currently the dye is coming off on my hands when I handle the fabric. Should I iron? Should … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Aluminum Acetate + Calcium Carbonate Before Dyeing?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I’m confused. Your directions for mordanting with aluminum acetate say to mordant, place fibers in dye pot, then . . . do the calcium carbonate bath then dye – what is the correct order? “Remove, rinse lightly and proceed to dyeing. Calcium carbonate can shift dye colors due to its higher pH, so we like to rinse it prior to use.” KATHY ANSWERED: You mordant with aluminum acetate, and when it is done, remove from the aluminum … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Aluminum Sulfate For Cellulose?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I realized I purchased aluminum sulfate instead of potassium aluminum sulfate. I am mostly looking to dye cellulose fabric yardage. Will aluminum sulfate work as a mordant for cellulose fibers? KATHY ANSWERED: Yes, it will work: aluminum sulfate and aluminum potassium sulfate are largely interchangeable. It used to be that aluminum sulfate could contain traces of iron, which would shift colors, but most modern day aluminum sulfate is pretty “clean” – at least I haven’t had an … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Mordanted Pieces Resist Wetting Out

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I love the fact that aluminum triformate works with cold water. When I let mordanted pieces dry until I’m ready to use them, I have a hard time wetting them out before submerging them in a natural dye bath. Do you have an explanation or any tips? KATHY ANSWERED: I’ve noticed that alum mordanted fibers and fabrics can sometimes resist rewetting, especially in cold water. I’ve had skeins that I put in a water bath to rehydrate … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Can A Cold Water Mordant Deepen Colors?

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: I recently purchased some aluminum triformate from you all. I tried the aluminum triformate using it at 10% WOF hoping to get the strongest results possible. So far I have only the aluminum sulfate to compare it to. It seems the aluminum sulfate samples are much darker, especially the reds, although I am not finished with all the colors. I am wondering if this is typically the case? Is there anything you would suggest to coax … Read more