ALUM MORDANT (Potassium Aluminum Sulphate Dodecahydrate)
~ Necessary for most plant dyes to ensure colour fastness ~

Alum is considered the safest and least harmful mordant used in natural dyeing. It helps fix dyes to fibres and enhances colour retention. What many don't realise is that Alum occurs naturally in nature, and some plants, such as Lycopodium, contain natural Alum.

Mordanting Cellulose Fibres

For mordanting cellulose fibres, please refer to our blog for detailed recipes:

• How to Mordant Linen and Cotton Fabrics Successfully – AppleOak FibreWorks

• How to Mordant Linen and Cotton Successfully Without Tannins – AppleOak FibreWorks

Basic Recipe for Wool

Ingredients:

• 10%-20% Alum (based on the Dry Weight of Fibre - D.W.F.)

• Wool (or other protein fibres)

• Water

• Optional: 5% Cream of Tartar (for hot mordanting)

Instructions:

Cold Mordanting:

1. Weigh your dry textile material.

2. Soak the dry material in water.

3. Dissolve Alum in hot water and add to a mordanting pot filled with water.

4. Add pre-soaked wool and let sit for 24-72 hours.

Hot Mordanting:

1. Dissolve Alum in hot water and add to a mordanting pot filled with water.

2. Add 5% Cream of Tartar to slow down the mordant uptake.

3. Add wool and bring to 80°C for 1 hour.

4. Let cool, then rinse and dye or dry for later use.

Alum is ideal for protein fibres like wool and silk, ensuring vibrant and lasting colour results.

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SODA ASH ~ To change colour (PH indicator) and scouring cellulose fibres

No natural Dye Studio can do without Soda Ash. It may be used in small amounts to alter PH or used for scouring cellulose fibres. Soda Ash is alkaline and used to increase the PH in a dye bath as well as in an Indigo Vat. It also brightens yellows, especially Reseda and Sage.

Instructions:

In general Soda Ash can be dissolved in the  hot dye bath at 3-10%. It helps to increase the PH of the bath.

IRON MORDANT ~ Mordant, Colour Changer, increased light fastness

Iron (Ferrous Sulfate) is used alone as a mordant, influencing Colours and to increase light fastness when used in combination with other natural dyes.

Iron is best known for shifting yellows into greens, keep in mind that this is not given and doesn't work with every yellow plant dye, in which case it will be more of a brown. it is used to increase light fastness for weaker plant dyes, bu it will always sadden and/or darken the colours. 

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Basic recipe:

When adding Iron to your dye bath start of with 3% and use it at the end of your dye bath or as an after bath. Allow to oxidize for 10 min for full colour development.

*If you like your colours darker, increase the Iron amount by 1-2% at a time. 

**Leave for 10min than remove from dye bath - Iron will make wool brittle.

HYDROS ~ is the colour or oxygen remover used for indigo or woad vats.

Dithionite can replace Spectralite ( basically the same, but you would need less and it is more expensive).

Instructions:

A 10L Indigo Vat requests up to 50g of Hydros.

* Sprinkle over the Dye Vat to remove Oxygen - the Vat should turn a yellow green.

**Please be aware, that this is a chemical and to avoid a chemical reaction allways add Hydros to water and not Water to Hydros.

***Other words for Hydros: Sodium Dithionite, Thiourea dioxide, Thiox, Hydrosulfite Sodium.

Our local Limestone in Co. Clare, Ireland, is rich in Calcium carbonate and works perfectly for dunging printed, dyed or mordanted fibres. 

Please note, that it is not fit for consumption.

The Burren, an iconic Irish landscape, is comprised of Limestone, which can be found just a short drive from our location. As we gather the ground stone from our local quarry, you may encounter small stones and impurities. If this is a concern, simply sieve the chalk and any minute debris will be eliminated.

Calcium carbonate is often used to treat fabrics after specific dyeing or printing processes. It contains enzymes that help to "fix" the dye in the fabric. Traditionally, cow dung was used for this purpose - but luckily, calcium carbonate serves as an excellent substitute!

Typically, only 1-2 tsp, or 1% of the dried fabric weight, is added to water to create a Dunging Solution.

GUAR GUM ORGANIC
Use: Printing with Natural Dyes | Botanical Name: Cyamopsis tetragonoloba | Alternative to: Gum Arabic | Alternative Name: Guaran

Guar Gum is derived from organic guar beans and is an essential ingredient in natural dye printmaking. It is used to create a paste that works effectively with mordant dyes , allowing for precise application. Guar Gum thickens as it absorbs liquid, making it ideal for printmaking on textiles. Use a handheld blender or mixer to ensure even dissolution, and adjust the amount as needed for the desired consistency.

Key Features:

• 100% Organic Guar Gum
• Alternative to Gum Arabic
• Used for printing with mordant dyes & Indigo
• Thickens naturally for better application
• Helps create a mordant carrier for cellulose fabrics
• Best mixed with a handheld blender for smooth consistency

Function:
Guar Gum acts as a mordant carrier in natural dyeing. When combined with mordant-based dyes, it forms a rubber-like substance that can be drawn or printed onto fabric. Once dried, the gum must be removed with a Chalk and Wheat Bran solution, followed by a rinse. The fabric is then ready for dyeing. After dyeing, rinse thoroughly and boil with a small amount of organic washing-up liquid.

Basic Recipe for Guar Gum Mordant Carrier (for Cellulose Fabrics):

Ingredients for 100g:

• 10g Alum
• 5g Soda Ash
• 84g Vinegar (5% Acetic Acid)
• 1g Guar Gum

Storage & Usage:

• Once mixed, the solution will only last a couple of days.
• Store in the fridge and use fresh for best results.

Enhance your textile printing with this essential natural thickener, perfect for artists and dyeing enthusiasts.

Sodium Acetate ~ Used to turn Ferrous Sulfate into Ferrous Acetate; used in the Mordanting Recipe for Cotton and Linen without Tannin (see below)

Sodium acetate, NaCH₃COO, also abbreviated NaOAc, is the sodium salt of acetic acid. We use Sodium Acetate to turn Iron into an easier digestible version of itself, Iron acetate. Similar to 'Iron Water' but you can control the amounts. Iron acetate is not as harsh on the fibres and can be easier digested by nature or your septic tank when turned into rust. Once made, it has no shelf life and needs to be used immediately. 

For mordanting Cellulose fibres, please choose one of the following recipes on our blog:

How to mordant linen and cotton fabrics successfully – AppleOak FibreWorks

How to mordant Linen and Cotton successfully without Tannins – AppleOak FibreWorks

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Basic recipe: 

1part Ferrous Sulfate

1part Sodium Acetate

Mix and dissolve in Water. I find that it makes the iron stronger and we only use 1% of Iron acetate on most recipes. Warm water will also intensify the reaction.

CREAM OF TARTAR ~ To change colour (PH indicator) and soften fibre

Cream of Tartar, also known as potassium bitartrate, is produced by fermenting grape juice. It is used to acidify the dye bath to effect a colour change, and in mordanting to soften wool fibers as well as slowing down the mordant uptake in a hot mordant bath.

Instructions:

In general Cream of tartar can be dissolved in the dye bath. It helps to lower the PH of the bath.
PH of Cream of tartar is 5.