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, and heating is not necessary). There should be little to no sediment left behind. Finely ground oak galls, or gall nuts can be steeped in hot water to extract the tannins and then strained and used in the dye pot or the mordant tub. I will steep the oak galls a couple of times to get more of the tannin goodness out of them. The oak gall sediment can be composted or dried and reused. If you see that the tannin liquid is not turning light brown then the sediment is probably exhausted. Whole oak galls need to be crushed, then steeped and strained.
When using gallo-tannin for a mordant, I will use about 5% wof, and I re-use the bath. When using ground oak galls, I will use about 10% wof and will also re-use the bath.
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Gallo Tannin Extract (you get great winter whites with this!)
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