Mordants Define Color In The Natural Dying Of the Wool

What are mordants? They are usually heavy metal ions which permit the natural dyes to remain permanent. Mordants remain in the fiber, permanently holding the dye; each mordant creates different colors in each dye bath. Be aware that some metals, such as chromium & tin are very toxic. Others, such as copper & iron can be unsafe if misused. Alum, being the most popular mordant, is less toxic but can be an irritant & poisonous if ingested. Also, it is important to note, excessive quantities of mordants are damaging to the fibers. Given this information, do be careful when setting out to start the task of mordants.

When naturally dying your wool for weaving or knitting, it is important to note that using different mordants will affect the intended dye color. The resulting colors are different, but will inevitably blend nicely together since they all use the same natural dye color. While some dyes are more successful with three mordant or another, they can inevitably accentuate the colors in combinations.

For every wool bath you prepare, you would usually check the color on the similarly numbered skeins of wool, each mordanted in a different solution. It’s best to divide your dye in three separate pots, & three equal portions in order to properly distinguish the color outcome. In the dye preparation, use three pound of vegetable matter to dye three pound of wool. This is a common rule for all to follow.

The following three mordants used for this exercise are to be used to mix with each pound of wool.

Note: If you are using iron, boil the wool in the dye for a half of an hour, then remove it, stir in the ferrous sulfate & cream of tartar, replace the wool, & boil another half hour. The other mordants are completed in advance of dying.

Tin: ½ ounce stannous chloride and 2 ounces of cream of tartar.
Iron: ½ ounce of ferrous sulfate and 1 ounce of cream of tartar.
Chrome: ½ ounce of dichromate of potash.
Alum: 4 ounces of alum (potassium aluminum sulfate) and 1 ounce of cream of tartar.

Here are some varied examples & results you can accomplish with three different natural dye baths & three different mordants.

Figs: Generate tones of yellow. Use the fresh younger leaves. Tin will give you the brightest color, chrome will generate the dullest.

Rooibos: Creates tones of yellows & browns. Using the freshly cut living bark is best because dried bark gives duller tones. Iron gives a deep rich brown & the other mordants generate a rich brownish yellows.

Logwood: Creates tones of yellow, brown & black. Alum gives a duller yellow, but it blends well with other colors, such as iron creates a black, tin creates a nice grey & chrome creates a deep rich brown.

Hibiscus: Creates tones of browns, grays & yellows. Use only the flowers, dried or fresh. If the stalk or stem is used an olive green color is the result. Tin creates brown, iron creates lots of shades of lavender to dark purple, then to gray. Chrome & alum generate tones of yellow with similar effects.

Walnut: Creates tones of warm browns. Use the dried husks for best results. Tin, iron & chrome used together will generate dark, medium & light browns. Adding logwood chips creates a beautiful rich dark brown.