MORDANT MONDAY: Using Alum Sulfate For Plant & Protein Fibers?

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 about the different types of aluminum mordants. I want to do some dyeing of fabric (silk, cotton) and also some wool. Do I need to use different aluminum mordants for these different fibers? I was told that I needed aluminum acetate for plant fibers and aluminum sulfate for protein fibers. Is that true? I have alum sulfate and would love to use it for both if that is workable. KATHY ANSWERED: Mordanting provides lots of … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Exhausted Mordant Baths + Sumac Tannin

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: After watching your video about aluminum triformate I decided to order it and started using it. I work with large quantities and large pieces, so I prepared a bucket with 50 liters of water and 500 grams of aluminum triformate. I used it to mordant approximately 5 kg of yarn/pieces. The water was white at the beginning, I suppose because I just mixed the powder, but after the first load, it was just like regular water. I … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: If It’s Tannin Rich Do You Need Mordant?

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’ve read that natural dye materials with a high tannin level don’t need a mordant to dye wool. I have a rain barrel that collects run-off from the roof. The roof is under a huge maple tree, which over the course of the seasons, drops flower clusters, seeds, leaves and sticks onto the roof. This turns the runoff water in the rain barrel a brownish color. I believe this is due to the tannin in these items? … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Cloudy Mordant & Eco Printing Fabric

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 think I purchased the wrong mordant, according to the chart on your website.  I have a cotton tea towel and I purchased aluminum potassium sulfate. I plan on eco printing some flowers on it, do I need to purchase a different mordant? Also, this is my first time! KATHY ANSWERED: You can also use aluminum potassium sulfate on cellulose fibers for eco printing.  The best technique is to try to traditional tannin-alum mordant which uses aluminum … Read more

wheat bran mordant assist

MORDANT MONDAY: Fixatives & Funky Water

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 used your cold water Aluminum Triformate mordant. I dissolved it in cold water and poured it into the cold water tub. It was really cloudy when I added the fabric. Now the mordant has settled on the bottom of the pot. Is that right? If not, is there a way to rectify it. KATHY ANSWERED: If there are a few grains of mordant at the bottom, it’s not a problem.  If there’s a layer of mordant, … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Post-Mordant Scouring?

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 … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Tips On Temps For Mordanting Fibers

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] YOU ASKED: Does your wool gauze need to be scoured before I mordant it? KATHY ANSWERED: I do not scour the wool gauze as it’s so sheer and fine and it seems pretty clean. It takes the dyes exceptionally well with a mordant only. YOU ASKED: Which type of mordanting do you think ensures color fastness? KATHY ANSWERED: Color fastness is a function of the dyestuff and the mordant, not the mordant alone. If you dye a mordanted fabric … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Does Alum Triformate Shift Color?

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 just recently tried Alum triformate, first time using it. Have you had reports that it shifts the colors? We used Sequoia extract that was purchased from Maiwa, and it should have a dusty brownish purple, and it did on the regular alum mordanted bits I had in there- but it made a greenish grey on the triformate. Just wondering if you had info on this? I’m going to do a test with 2 skeins in … Read more

Symplocos

MORDANT MONDAY: Symplocos Mordant + Prepping Paper

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 looked over the symplocos mordanting instructions that you have on the Botanical Colors website and I see that there is an “Oiling the Fabric” step for cellulose fabrics that we did not use in the workshop. I am wondering how important that step is in creating a fairly lightfast and colorfast final fabric? I really love some of the colors we got in class on cotton using symplocos mordant and sappanwood and would like to use … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Will Mordant Wash Out Without Tannin?

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 been contacting a well-published natural dyer and they say that the aluminum mordants will be washed out of the fiber without pre-treatment with tannin. Do you have any theory why the triformate is able to mordant without a tannin ? Have you got any data on the wash and light fastness of the triformate on cotton? KATHY ANSWERED: Alum on cellulose performs better with a tannin pre-treatment. However, we have not noticed that the mordant … Read more