We get lots of emails from customers about challenges with dyeing and needing Botanical Colors’ President Kathy Hattori’s help. Why not share the learning so we can all benefit? From our inboxes to you, it’s simple: You Asked, Kathy Answered. Email questions@botanicalcolors.com with your plea for help!
YOU ASKED: I am dyeing with dried weld and would like to obtain the most bright yellow, so was wondering if I can use soda ash at 1% weight of fiber (wof) instead of calcium carbonate? Or will this give a big difference as both are elevating the pH level of the water?
KATHY ANSWERED: It could very well be possible, as weld likes a slightly higher pH to dye its strongest shades and a tiny amount of soda ash might do the trick. I’ve almost always used calcium carbonate because I believe that the calcium helps the color develop. Although soda ash and calcium carbonate will both raise the pH of the dye bath, they each have a slightly different effect on weld, either in the raw or extract form. Soda ash at a very low percentage (0.5-1% wof) helps dissolve some dye components in weld extract that are slower to dissolve in water. Calcium, also used at a low percentage (we typically use about 1% wof) seems to help bloom the yellow color.
If you already have highly mineralized water with lots of calcium and magnesium, the bright yellow color may already develop with your water source and you are lucky! If you have demineralized water like we do in Seattle, then we are always dosing our weld baths with a touch of calcium.
You might also like to read:
Making Green with Logwood and Weld
FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Mordanting Fabric Before or After Indigo Dyeing (In Combination with Weld)
Video From Live FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Making Green With Natural Dyes (Using Weld)
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