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The Root of the Madder

Kristina Gundersen/Meave Douglass, OL

Caid Arts & Science Pentathlon, 3/14/2015

Fiber Arts, 4.8.0 Dyeing

The Root of the Madder

The Search for Madder Red: a

study of the dye and its

properties.

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Table of Contents:

Background Information:

Overview…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Page 3

Madder’s Dye Chemistry ……………….…………………………………………………………………….…….. Page 3

Evidence for Madder Usage in the SCA Period …………..…………………………….…………..….... Page 3-5

SCA Period Recipes …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Page 5-6

Final Entry Procedure:

Fiber Choice & Preparation ………………………………………..…………………………………………….. Page 6

Mordants & Modifiers ……………..……………………..…………………………………………………….…. Page 7-8

Madder Preparation ………………………………………………………………………………………………..… Page 8

Dye Procedure …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 9

Conclusion:

Overall Conclusions …………………………………………………………………………………………………... Page 9

Next Steps ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………... Page 9

Final Results & Procedure Pictures ………………………………………….………………………………….Page 10-11

Background Research/Experiments:

Madder Sun-Tea Experiment Procedure ………………………………………………………………………Page 12-14

Madder Sun-tea Experiment #1 ……………………….…………….…………………………….……………. Page 14-15

Madder Sun-tea Experiment #2 ……………………………….………………………………………………… Page 16-17

Madder Sun-tea Experiment Conclusions ………………………………………………………………….. Page 17-18

Great Western War Experiment ………………………………………………………………………………... Page 19-22

Great Western War Experiment Conclusions ………………………………………………………..…… Page 23

Appendices ……….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 24-29

Bibliography ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…. Page 30-35

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Background Information:

Overview

or much of the SCA period, three dyes;

weld, woad, and madder held a place of

particular importance. Madder is a

complex dye that can yield a wide variety of

colors. Oranges and browns are readily

achieved, but historically reds are also

referenced. (Greenfield 28, Munro 53,

Edmonds 51-66) In preparing for a class I was

to teach on Viking Age dyes, a number of other

dyers and I got together to experiment with

the dyes I would be using. One of those dyes

was madder. We ended up getting a very

bright yellow orange, and my curiosity was

piqued. How does one get red?

This entry is the end result of 18 months of

studying the dye in an attempt to achieve a

good red. I designed an easily replicated

experiment to test three factors, ground vs.

broken roots, the addition of calcium

carbonate, and time. This experiment was

conducted on 3 occasions –twice by me,

and once by Erin Alderson (Aldgytha of

Ashwood, OL, OP), another dyer. Further

research focused on mordants and root

preparation was conducted during a class I

taught at Great Western War. This research

was then applied to some experiments with

SCA period recipes.

The entry itself consists of a series of

madder dyed wool skeins using a variety of

mordants to demonstrate some of the

colors the dye can produce. Also included

are samples of some of the other colors

achieved while researching the dye.

Madder’s Dye Chemistry

adder is a “herbaceous plant,

light green in colour, with a

perennial root system of long

branching roots in which are concentrated

the numerous red colorants.” (Cardon 108)

The “colorants” or dye chemicals contained

in those roots are the reason behind its

complexity. The primary dye chemicals are

alizarin, purpurin, and pseudo-purpurin.

(Hofenk-De-Graaf 76) Alizarin is a mordant

dye, and as such needs a fixing agent, or

mordant. The mordants are usually metal

compounds, particularly those whose

cations form coordination complexes. A

range of colors can be achieved by using a

variety of mordants. Color can also be

adjusted through the use of pH and

temperature. (Greenfield 28) Soil

composition can also have an impact on the

colors the roots produce, as well as, the

mineral composition in the water used in

the dyeing process. (Cardon 108)

Evidence for Madder Usage in the SCA Period

vidence in the form of both written

primary sources and archeological

evidence for madder being used

throughout the SCA-period and throughout

Europe and Asia is plentiful. Table 1 is a

small sampling of some of that evidence.

Extant examples of madder dye exist on

silk, wool, linen and cotton textiles. The

archeological evidence also extends to

madder dyestuff found in a dye context and

madder stained pottery sherds. (Rogerson

& Dallas 167, Brunello 14) The written

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evidence takes the form of sumptuary laws,

trade regulations and restrictions, dye

recipes, and estate documents such as wills.

(Edmonds Medieval 51-66) Combined

these sources point to a history of not only

home based madder dyeing, but the

development of a thriving trade in madder

dyed textiles at various points of time in

several locations. Examples of this trade

include Roman Pompeii, Anglo Saxon and

Medieval England, Medieval Flanders, and

Renaissance Venice and Florence.

(Edmonds 23-61, Mola 108-109)

Madder was used on its own to obtain reds,

oranges and browns, in combination with

woad to create purples, in combination

with yellows such as weld to create brighter

oranges, as an aid in woad fermentation

vats, and in combination with brazilwood to

create scarlet. (Edmonds 43, Edelstein &

Borghetty 122, Hurry 32)

Table 1: Evidence of Madder Use in the SCA Period Evidence Location/Culture Approximate Date

Quiver Egypt 2000 BC

Tutankhamun’s Belt Egypt 1350 BC

Crescent Shaped Cloak Etruscan (Italy) 725-700 BC

Wool Textiles Hallstatt, Austria 800-400 BC

Unspecified Bog Textile Skaerso, Denmark 210 BC -90 AD

Madder Dyestuff (In a Dyehouse Context) Pompeii (Italy) 79 AD

Pliny the Elder Rome (Italy) 1st Century

Silk Textiles Palmyra/Roman 110-250 AD

Thorsberg Tunic Germany 3rd Century

Stockholm Papyrus, Recipes Greece 300 AD

Unspecified Patterned Textile Coptic (Egyptian) 4th Century

Högom Find Sweden 500 AD

Wool Band Evebø, Norway 5th Century Wool Band Snartemo, Norway 6th Century

Wool Textile Coptic (Egypt) 6th-7th Century

Tablet and Soumak Weaves Anglo-Saxon (England) 6th-7th Century

Child’s Wool Dress Akhmim, Egypt 7th-10th Century

De Capitulare Villis (Charlemagne’s garden orders)

France Early 800’s

Överhogdal Hanging Sweden 800-1100

Oseberg Tapestry Norway 840 AD

Wool Cords, Wool Tabby and Twill, Wool Sock, Silk, Dye Plant

York, England 9th-10th Century

Madder dyed striped textiles London, England 9th-10th Century

Madder Stained Potsherd Thetford, England 9th

-11th

Century

Silk Scarf Dublin, Ireland 10th Century

Mammen Textiles Denmark 10th Century

Pile Woven Trim Hedeby, Denmark 10th Century Silk Dress Gnezdovo, Russia 10th Century

Unspecified Patterned Textile Coptic (Egypt) 10th-11th Century

Wool Tabby & Twill, Silk York, England 10th-11th Century

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Table 1: Evidence of Madder Use in the SCA Period- Continued Evidence Location/Culture Approximate Date

Wool Twill Waterford, Ireland 11th-12th Centuries

Madder Plant Material (in a Dye Context) Beverly, England 12th

-14th

Century

Madder Plant Material (in a Dye Context) Bristol, England 14th

Century

Chinese Twill Damask London, England 14th Century

Wool Textile London, England 1330-40 Chaucer, The Former Age England 1380’s

Wool Textile London, England 14th & 15th Century

Wool Textiles Turku, Finland 14th

& 15th

Century

Reymerswaal Regulations Netherlands 1480

Unicorn Tapestries Netherlands 1495–1505

T Bouck va Wondre, Recipe Dutch 1513

The Plictho, Recipes Italy 1548

Child’s Tunic Udval, Norway 2nd half of the 14th Century

Rafael and Tobias, Wool Tapestry Brussels, Belgium 1550

Elizabeth I’s Proclamation Prohibiting the Use of Logwood

England 1567

Silk Brocade Topkapi, Turkey 16th Century

Wool Textiles Groningen, Netherlands 16th Century

SCA Period Recipes

The two recipes I chose were from two later period dye manuals –one a 1588 English

translation of a Dutch manuscript, and one a contemporary scholarly English translation of an

Italian dye manual. When dyeing my final project I used the background knowledge gained

from my previous dye experiments to help interpret and redact the period recipes.

Recipe 1, from: Mascall, Leonard. A Profitable Booke Declaring Dyuers Approoued Remedies to Take out Spottes and Staines in Silkes, Veluets, Linnen and Woollen Clothes with Diuers Colours How to Die Veluets and Sylkes, Veluets, Linnen and Woollen Clothes. Taken Out of Dutche, and Englished by L.M.. Imprinted at London: By Thomas Purfoote ..., 1588. Print.

“Ye shall put too four pound of woollen yarne, tenne ounces of Allom, and seeth it with branne water so

much as ye shall thinke good, then take your yarne out, and put that water out of that Kettle, and put

therein againe three parts of fresh branne water, and one part of faire cleere water, and warme it a little

on the fire, then put therein two pound of grening weede, and let it so warme a while, then put therin

your wooll, and stirre it wel with a sticke the space of three houres, but let it not seeth in any wise, so

done, then take out your wooll againe, and put it againe into your Kettle, and put thereto halfe a

glassefull of unsleakt lime, with as much of common ashes, and thereto put your wooll againe, and stirre

it with a staffe sixe or seuen Paternoster whiles, than take foorth your wooll, and ye shall haue a faire

colour. But if yee will haue it yet a more sanguine colour, then must you put into your Kettle halfe a little

glasse full of more lime, and a little glasse full of common ashes, and thereto put your wooll againe, and

stirre it well still foure or fiue Paternoster whiles, then take foorth your wooll and wash it, and so ye shall

haue a verie faire colour.” (Mascall Folio 18)

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Recipe 2, from : Edelstein, Sidney M., and Hector C. Borghetty. The Plictho of Gioanventura

Rosetti: Instructions in the Art of the Dyers Which Teaches the Dyeing of Woolen Cloths,

Linens, Cottons, and Silk by the Great Art As Well As by the Common. Cambridge: MIT, 1969.

Print.

“ 77. To make a fine scarlet. Make ready your bath to mordant and when it is tepid take six pails of this

water and put it into a tub. Put in six twin handfuls of bran, or better six fistfuls with both your hands

and then put the said water into the cauldron. Put inside the said cloth. Soak it well to advantage, and

as you have it well soaked, take it out and set it on the crossbar of the soaker to drip. Then weigh 25

pounds of alum and 4 of tartar. Put in the cauldron and skim it well and then put in the cloth and make it

boil one hour and a half. Then take it out and let it cool and when you are about to madder have the

said cloth washed and set up the cauldron for maddering. Pestle 35 pounds of fine lumps of madder and

put them into a tub and take four twin fistfuls of bran, and pour over them two pails of strong water and

two of hot water, and then mix each thing together. Then put into the cauldron six pails of strong water,

and as the cauldron is about to boil skim it off very well. When it is well mixed, make ready your cloth on

the crossbar and see that there is a good fire below and then put in your cloth and have it get six

passings, or better, fast swishings. See that the cauldron boils well and to good advantage. Give up to

ten passings or swishing more slowly and then take it out and make it cool and then have it well washed.

Make ready the cauldron with a new bath and do so that it is about to boil and give, in the bath, four

passings or swishing. Take it out and let it cool a little and then wash it well and you will have made fine

your cloth of half scarlet.” (Edelstein & Borghetty 117)

Final Entry Procedure:

Fiber Choice and Preparation

thought it important that the final

product be able to demonstrate not only

a range of color, but also consistency

over a larger amount of fiber. In order to

maintain some consistency with the earlier

experiments while doing so, fisherman’s

wool was used to create 5 skeins for each

mordant. Silk yarn purchased from Dharma

Trading Company was also used for 3 of the

mordants. (I did not have enough silk to

mordant a skein with iron.) Each skein

weighed 1 ounce.

The fiber was skeined and weighed dry,

then soaked for about an hour in tepid

water. The skeins were then placed in a

large stock pot of tepid water to which a

teaspoon of baking soda was added. This

was then heated to simmer and left there

for about an hour. I chose to use a small

amount of baking soda to remove any finish

instead of the soda ash used during the

background research because of the felting

I experienced with that wool. The skeins

were then washed with Orvus fiberwash

and thoroughly rinsed.

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Alum Mordant

ach set of skeins was mordanted

differently. Five wool skeins and one

silk skein were mordanted with alum.

alum was an important commodity during

most of the middle ages, and its use as a

dye mordant is well documented

throughout the SCA period. (Cardon 23,

Brunello 44) I used the suggested ratio of

8% alum to weight of fiber, or about 3

teaspoons of alum, from Jenny Dean’s book

Wild Color. (Dean 38) Modern alum is much

purer than that in period and far smaller

quantities are required. The alum powder

was dissolved in a cup with hot water and

then added to the mordanting pot. This

allowed for a more even absorption of the

alum. Several sources suggested that

prolonged exposure to the alum water

would allow the color to set better, so these

skeins were allowed to sit in the cooling

alum bath for 5 days. (Liles 105, McKenna

3) Both period recipes mention bran water

being used in conjunction with alum, in

order to approximate this, the skeins were

soaked in bran water when they were

wetted out before dyeing.

Pomegranate Mordant

ive wool skeins and one silk skein

were mordanted using pomegranate.

Pomegranate is mentioned as a

source of a tannin mordant as early as 300

AD in the Stockholm Papyrus (Caley 992,

997). That recipe called for allowing the

pomegranate to ferment, so the mordant

bath was prepared about two weeks before

use. The pomegranates rinds were added

to a pot of water and simmered for several

hours. At one point they began to puff up

over the pot and there were some rather

dramatic sparks! The pot was then

removed from the heat and allowed to sit

for about two weeks. For mordanting, this

solution was strained, diluted slightly with

water and the fiber added while heating.

Copper Mordant

ive wool skeins and one silk skein

were mordanted using copper.

Copper mordants are mentioned in

several period sources as “mordant drugs”.

It is commonly referred to as blue vitriol or

blue copperas. (Cardon 47, Edelstein &

Borghetty 163) I attempted to make my

own copper mordant, however the copper

failed to react –most likely because of a

coating around the wire. Instead I

substituted copper sulfate crystals

purchased from a dye supplier. I used the

2%, or just under a teaspoon, ratio

suggested in Wild Color (Dean 38). The

copper sulfate crystals were dissolved in

warm water before being added to the

mordant pot. The skeins were added to the

pot and allowed to simmer for about an

hour until they turned green.

Iron Mordant

ive wool skeins were mordanted with

iron. Iron, like alum is well

documented as a dye mordant

throughout the SCA period. (Cardon 39,

Edwards Medieval 69) The iron used was

homemade iron liquor. The liquor was

created by placing an iron railway spike in a

jar filled with 1/3 vinegar and 2/3 water.

This solution was then allowed to sit for

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several weeks. This method is mentioned in

the Stockholm Payparus (Caley 997, Cardon

42). The liquor was used by straining the

liquid into the mordant pot. It was diluted

with water and the skeins are added. The

bath was slowly heated to below a simmer,

and the skeins were allowed to sit until they

were a light rust color.

Bran Water Modifier

oth recipes call for the use of bran

water. I followed Mascall’s recipe-

adding a “hatful” of bran to my pot

of water, letting it boil for about a day,

stirring occasionally. This was then

removed from the heat and left to ferment

for about four days. (Mascall Folio 22) The

water is actually slightly acidic, but it acts as

a softener and adds a bit a blue to the red.

This water was used to wet out the skeins

before dyeing, and as part of the dye water

as described in the dye procedure section.

Potash and Unslaked Lime Modifiers

otash and unslaked lime are both

alkaline modifiers. I used a recipe

from Mascall to create own potash

(wood ash) water and purchased unslaked

lime from a dye supplier. (Mascall Folios 4,

18) To create the potash, I gathered ashes

from a friend’s firepit. These were then

sifted using a flour sifter. Historically, larger

dye workshops would have had hoppers,

while home based production would have

just boiled the whole kit and caboodle.

(Dean Heritage 12, 35) I took the white ash

powder I was left with and placed it in a pot

of water. This was then left to ferment until

the water became slippery. The water was

then strained to remove the remaining ash,

and heated. The unslaked lime was added

as described in the dye procedure section,

and the alum mordanted skeins were

dipped in this water after being dyed in the

madder bath.

Madder Preparation

n period, roots were harvested from

plants at least 3 years old and then dried

by heating them over coals. The dried

roots were then beaten with a flail, thus

removing dirt and excess bark. This process

also served to break the madder root into

smaller pieces which were then sent

through a sieve to be further sorted. These

roots were then ground into a fine powder.

(Cardon 110-111)

Great care was taken during the madder

preparation stage of dyeing. All of the

madder was purchased from the same dye

supplier as had been used during the earlier

experiments. Because we have no control

over where the madder is grown, or how it

is prepared before it is sent, I added a

suggested step from a modern dyer. After

carefully breaking the dried pieces into tiny

bits, the madder was soaked overnight to

remove any tannins left in the bark. This

water was strained off. The madder was

then ground in the blender, and strained.

The strained water was added to the dye-

pot and the pulp was placed in nylon knee-

highs and also added to the dye-pot. The

blending was to substitute for the grinding,

and the knee-highs assured there was no

plant material stuck to the fiber.

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Dye Procedure

ecause the period dye instructions

were written for a much larger

scale, I used them as a general

procedural guide. Each set of skeins was

dyed as set. I prepared two identical dye-

baths so that the skeins would be able to

move freely through the dye bath, and set

aside madder pulp to refresh the dye bath

periodically. The skeins were dyed at a 50%

weight of fiber to dye ration, or 10 ounces

of madder. Each pot also contained a ratio

of ¼ bran water to ¾ distilled (or

“rainwater”) in an effort to approximate the

bran water in the period recipes. Each set

of skeins were added to the dye pot after

soaking in warm bran water in an effort to

aid dye absorption and avoid shocking the

fiber. The dyebath was slowly raised to

120°F and kept between 120°F and 170°F.

They were then allowed to sit in a dye-bath

for about four hours before being removed

and rinsed. The recipe from Mascall calls

for a modifier bath in a potash solution and

in unslaked lime. Because these are

designed to brighten reds, I only used the

modifiers on the alum mordanted skeins.

Again, modern dye chemicals are much

more potent, so I used a couple of pinches

of unslaked lime along with the potash

water.

Conclusion:

I was extraordinarily pleased with both the

depth and range of color achieved. Grinding

the madder root- especially after soaking to

remove the tannins combined with a low

temperature range, the bran water and the

alkaline modifiers really did achieve a fairly

nice red. The range of color demonstrated

from one dye-bath simply by using a variety of

mordants really demonstrates how varied the

palette available in period was. I am also

pleased that shifting the scouring agent from

soda ash to baking soda seems to have solved

any felting issues I had experienced.

Next Steps:

I would like to experiment on a larger scale

and with some of the recipes that call for using

a calcium carbonate solution as a modifier.

I’m also curious to see how dyeing yardage,

versus in the wool, versus spun fiber changes

the results.

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Madder Root Preparation

Bran

Water Making

Potash/

Wood Ash

Lye

Pomegranate

Mordant Iron Liquor

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Background Research/Experiments:

Madder Sun-Tea Experiments:

Madder Sun Tea Experiment Directions Objective: The goal of this experiment is to determine

if calcium carbonate can assist the development of a truer red when dying with madder root

if using crushed/ground root or larger pieces of madder root effects the color result

how time effects the development of madder red

Materials:

4 Gallon Sized Sun Tea Containers

4 Gallons Distilled Water

pH Strips

4 oz Madder Root

4 Nylon Knee Socks

4 oz Fisherman’s Wool (chosen for consistency between experiments)

Grinder

1/2 tsp. Calcium Carbonate

Thermometer

Scale

1 tbsp Soda Ash

Procedure: Fiber Prep

1. Divide the fisherman’s wool into 1 ounce sections. Each of these should be divided into 4 ¼ ounce skeins.

2. Soak fiber for 30 minutes and then gently wash with fiber wash. 3. Add 1 tbsp soda ash to a pot of water. 4. Add the fiber and soak overnight. In the morning, simmer fiber in new, clean water

to rinse. 5. Bring a pot of water to a simmer and add 2 tsp. of alum. 6. Add all of the wool skeins, and simmer for 1 hour. 7. Take the pot off of the burner, and let sit for 24 hours, then strain, but do not rinse.

Procedure: Jar and Dye Prep

1. Fill each sun tea container with 1 gallon of distilled water. 2. Label the containers 1-4. 3. Measure and record the pH of the water. 4. Add 1/4 teaspoon of calcium carbonate into the containers labeled 1 &2. Measure

and record the pH of containers 1 & 2. 5. Use the grinder to finely grind 2 oz of madder root. 6. Fill each knee sock with 1 oz of madder, and knot the top. 2 socks should contain

ground madder, and 2 socks should contain broken pieces of root. Make sure to tare your scale so the knee sock is not included in the weight.

7. Place the socks containing the madder root in the sun tea containers. Container 1 should get ground root, Container 2 root pieces, Container 3 ground root, and Container 4 should get root pieces.

8. Add 4, ¼ oz skeins of wool to each container. 9. Measure and record the temperature of each container. 10. Seal the containers and place where they will get full sun for at least part of the day.

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Madder Sun Tea Experiment Directions: Continued

Procedure: Measuring Results

1. Let the fiber soak for 1 week. Remove 1 of the skeins, rinse and let it dry. Leave the other skeins in place.

2. Measure and record the pH and temperature. 3. After week 2, remove another skein and follow the same procedure. Make sure to

record temp and pH. 4. After week 3, remove a 3rd skein, rinse and let dry. Measure and record

temperature and pH. 5. After week 4, remove the last skein. Measure and record temperature and pH.

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Madder Sun-tea Experiment #1

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Madder Sun-tea Experiment #2

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Madder Sun-tea Experiment Conclusions:

nitial Conclusions; Temperature and

Root Prep: The first run of this

experiment was conducted in February,

and especially when looking at the results

that Ms. Alderson achieved and the results

from my second run of the experiment, the

cooler weather appears to have had a

significant impact. Ms. Alderson lives inland

and conducted her experiment one month

later than my first run. The temperatures in

her jars were consistently of 90°F and she

obtained much deeper reds. Madder

releases alizarin best with heat, and when

dyeing with heat, the desired temperature

range is generally between 120°F-170°F.

My skeins produced a much broader color

spectrum during this first run. The skeins in

the jars where the madder had been

ground were much, much deeper red. The

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skeins in the jars where the madder had

been broken were shades of light orange

and brown. Because Ms. Alderson’s skeins

also exhibited slight differences in the

depth of red tones (the ground madder

producing slightly deeper tones), I drew the

tentative conclusion that the additional

surface area that grinding the madder

creates gives better reds overall.

The second run of the experiment had the

benefit of much warmer weather and the

resultant colors demonstrate that! The

temperatures of the jars were consistently

in the 80°F-100°F range with no dips to the

60’s or 70’s. Much deeper colors were

yielded throughout the experiment.

Root preparation also continued to appear

to have an impact, with the ground madder

producing deeper reds. The results after

one week still demonstrated a significant

difference between using ground madder

and using broken madder, and while the

differences lessened over each week, it

would appear the extra effort preparing the

root is completely worth the effort.

nitial Conclusions; pH and Calcium

Carbonate: During the first round of this

experiment there were some interesting

patterns with the pH. In my jars, the pH

equalized after a week, and then became

slightly more acidic in all but one jar. The

jar that produced the brown jar became

slightly more basic. Ms. Alderson used a

different form of calcium carbonate in her

jars, and her pH levels were consistently

more alkaline than mine. My calcium

carbonate was purchased from a dye

supplier, and she used crushed oyster shell

she had on hand. The oyster shell is most

likely closer to what they would have used

in period, so I find her results especially

interesting!

The second round the added calcium

carbonate appeared to have very little

impact on pH or the color result. The pH,

in fact, was oddly consistent throughout the

experiment. (I almost have to wonder if I

needed new pH strips.) Some of the later

period recipes call for a post-dye modifier

using a calcium carbonate super-saturated

solution. Definitely something I’d like to try

and see if that method has more of an

impact.

adder Sun-tea Experiment final

thoughts: I think my biggest

take-aways from this

experiment are:

1. Patience is absolutely key when dyeing with madder.

2. Ground madder gives better reds. 3. Reds release better when the roots

are slowly heated to temperatures in the low 100°F range.

4. Leaving the fiber in the dye-bath for extended periods of time is a great way to get deeper color.

I did have some issues with the yarn felting to itself preventing the even distribution of the dye, but based on other experiences and conversations (see the Great Western War experiment), I believe that the use of soda ash to remove the commercial finish may have been the cause.

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Great Western War Experiment

Fiber Prep; Fiber used: 100% Wool from JoAnn’s

1. Skeins were washed using Orvus fiber wash.

2. Skeins were then treated in a heated Soda Ash bath (1/4 cup soda ash to 3 gallons of water) for 30 minutes and left to soak overnight to remove any commercial finish. *Note the observations about this in the conclusion section. I do not recommend this step.

Alum Mordant Copper Mordant

1. Heated water (about 1 ½ gallons) and dissolved 2 teaspoons alum.

1. Heated water (about 1 ½ gallons) and dissolved ½ teaspoons copper.

2. Added wet fiber and heated to a simmer. Left simmering for 30 minutes.

2. Added 8 teaspoons clear vinegar and stirred well.

3. Let skeins soak for 5 days 3. Added wet fiber and heated slowly to a simmer. Let simmer for 1 hour.

4. Rinsed skeins well.

Madder Prep

Soaked, Strained and Ground Broken

1. Chopped and broke madder roots into small pieces.

1. Chopped and broke madder roots into small pieces.

2. Covered roots with water and left to soak for 24 hours.

2. Placed broken pieces into knee high stockings.

3. Strained water off of roots and discarded it.

4. Added strained roots and water to the blender small sections at a time, and ground roots.

5. Water was strained from ground madder, but retained.

6. Strained ground madder was placed into knee high stockings.

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Pre-War Madder Prep

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Dyeing the Fiber

1. Add madder water strained from the blender to the dye pot and add more water until the pot is at a good level. (Usually about 1 ½ gallons total for a small pot.)

1. Add about 1 ½ gallons of water to the dye pot.

2. Add knee high stockings with ground madder to dye pot.

2. Add knee high stockings with broken madder to dye pot.

3. Slowly heat water being careful to keep the temperature between 120 – 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Slowly heat water being careful to keep the temperature between 120 – 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Keep the pot warm, and add yarn skeins. Allow to sit until desired color is achieved.

4. Keep the pot warm, and add yarn skeins. Allow to sit until desired color is achieved.

5. Allow the yarn to rest, and then rinse. 5. Allow the yarn to rest, and then rinse.

Modifying the Color To achieve a broader spectrum of color, modifiers such as iron, calcium carbonate and slaked

lime can be used.

Calcium Carbonate Slaked Lime Iron

For calcium carbonate, dissolve 1 ½ teaspoons calcium carbonate into warm water and add it to the dyebath.

For slaked lime, dissolve about ¾ of a teaspoon slaked lime in warm water and after the yarn has taken up color, add it to the dyebath. It should deepen the color.

For iron, add ¼ teaspoon iron to an iron specific pot. Make sure not to breathe the dust and to wear gloves. Iron is poisonous. Heat slowly and then dip the pre-dyed skeins. Make sure to rinse the yarn well as iron can eat away at fibers.

22

23

GWW Experiment Overall Conclusions

he range of colors achieved during

the GWW dye session varied greatly.

It became immediately apparent that

the method of madder prep had a profound

impact on the color given. The soaked and

ground madder took up the dye quickly and

became a very deep color. The color was

also one of the reddest shades I’ve

managed to achieve in a heated dyepot.

The madder that was broken and heated

that day produced lighter oranges. It is

becoming apparent that long term cold

dyeing and pre-soaked madder will give

some of the best reds.

Temperatures were carefully monitored

and kept between 120-170° F. It may be

interesting to see what colors can be

achieved at a lower temperature. Several

sources gave 120° as the temperature at

which the dye chemical alizarin, which

produces red, is released. I’m curious to

see if that means at lower temperatures

yellower oranges can be achieved or if

there is just little to no color released.

Several sources also mentioned hardness

and pH as factors that affect the color. We

did try slaked lime and calcium carbonate,

and both did indeed deepen the color

achieved. Iron was also used as a modifier,

and its results were especially satisfactory.

The light orangey-tan was darkened to a

purple-brown. Because of the limited

number of skeins available during this dye

session, not all of the combinations of

madder preparation, mordant, and modifier

were tested. Definitely something that

needs to be tried in the future!

The two mordants used resulted in distinct

color families among the skeins dyed. The

copper mordant resulted in various shades

of brown –everything from a light orangey-

tan to a deep purpley-raisin. (The color on

the purple skeins does not show true in the

scanned samples.) The alum mordanted

skeins stayed in the orange-red family with

colors ranging from a salmon to a deep

almost-red.

GWW Experiment Next Steps

ne learned lesson that needs to be

highlighted is whether soda ash is

really useful as a finish remover.

The skeins had developed an odd hand

(they felt weird) and were actually felting to

one another. This made it difficult for the

dye to be absorbed evenly. The soda ash

used to remove the commercial finish is the

most likely culprit. In the future, I will be

eliminating that step from the fiber

preparation process or substituting a

smaller amount of baking soda.

Overall, I’m extremely pleased with the

variety of shades we achieved and feel like

valuable information was gained. The dye

session left me excited to experiment more!

T

O

24

Appendices:

1. Excerpt from p. 47 Natural Dyes: Sources, Tradition, Technology and Science by

Dominique Cardon explaining the use of copper mordants.

Copper mordants Chalcopyrite, a double sulphide of copper and iron (CuFeS2) is, as mentioned above,

listed in the Stockholm Papyrus as one of the 'mordant drugs'. It is one of the two

most commonly found copper ores in the world. Another source of copper mordant, copper sulphate, has also been mentioned above as being a common by-product of the

ancient methods of producing ferrous sulphate from pyrites. Thus it is not surprising to find that the use of copper mordants seems to have begun at the same period as that

of iron mordants, both in the Mediterranean world in antiquity and in India, where Roy has found that copper sulphate (tuttha) appears in texts dealing with mordanting

and dyeing alongside iron sulphate in the classical period (AD 300-700).72 Like iron mordants, copper mordants modify and darken the colours of natural dyes.

They affect yellow dyes in particular, making them more olive or bronze green in tone. When the cloth-printing industry developed in Europe, they were commonly

combined with iron acetate in the mordant mixtures used for purples. They were mainly used in the form of copper sulphate and copper acetate.

Copper sulphate, blue vitriol or blue copperas (CuS04·SH20) is used in the form of crystals that are, as these names suggest, a very beautiful blue. One of the procedures

for producing it, from copper pyrites, is very similar to that described above for iron sulphate, the end product being a mixture of the two sulphates. The purification

procedure consists of allowing conversion of the ferrous - iron(II) - sulphate into ferric - iron(III) - sulphate, concentrating it by evaporation and then boiling

the solution with a little copper oxide, which precipitates the iron oxide. Copper acetate, emerald green in colour, is obtained by dissolving verdigris in vinegar, then

concentrating the solution by evaporation and crystallizing it. Verdigris is mentioned

in the Stockholm Papyrus as a suitable mordant to obtain greens with various yellow dye-plants. A similar recipe, for a pale green from asparg (Delphinium

semibarbatum Bien. ex Boiss., see Ch. 5), mordanted with alum and verdigris in a bath to which lemon juice is added, appears in a dye recipe book of a Persian dyer

who emigrated to India in the Middle Ages to practise his art there.73

2. A recipe from p. 992 of Earle Caley’s translation of "The Stockholm Papyrus." in the

Journal of Chemical Education where pomegranate is used as a mordant.

93. Mordantingfor Sardian Purple.

For a mina of wool put in 4 mines o j dross ofiron (and) I choenilc of sour pomegranate;

but if not this (latter) then (use) I chus of Vinegar (and) 8 cha of water (heated) over the fire

until half of the water has disappeared. Then take the fire away from under it, put the cleaned wool in end leave it there until the water becomes cold. Then take it out, rinse it and it will be mordanted.

25 | P a g e

3. A recipe from p. 997 of Earle Caley’s translation of "The Stockholm Papyrus." in the

Journal of Chemical Education where iron is used as a mordant.

134. Another (Rm'pe).

Let iron rust soak in vinegar for as many days as is necessary. Then mordant the wool in this liquor, which should be cold. Then boil krimnos and put the mordanted wool in.

4. Excerpt from p. 997 of Jenny Dean’s book, A Heritage of Colour: Natural Dyes Past and

Present where iron, copper, and potash (wood ash) are discussed as mordants.

26 | P a g e

5. Excerpt from p. 49 of John Edmonds’ book, Medieval Textile Dyeing where iron,

copper, and potash (wood ash) are discussed as mordants.

6. A recipe including the creation of potash from folio 4 of Leonard Mascall’s 1588 A

Profitable Booke Declaring Dyuers Approoued Remedies to Take out Spottes and

Staines in Silkes, Veluets, Linnen and Woollen Clothes with Diuers Colours How to Die

Veluets and Sylkes, Veluets, Linnen and Woollen Clothes. Taken Out of Dutche, and

Englished by L.M.

27 | P a g e

7. A recipe for dyeing wool red with madder that includes the use the of potash and

unslaked lime from folios 18 and 19 of Leonard Mascall’s 1588 A Profitable Booke

Declaring Dyuers Approoued Remedies to Take out Spottes and Staines in Silkes,

Veluets, Linnen and Woollen Clothes with Diuers Colours How to Die Veluets and

Sylkes, Veluets, Linnen and Woollen Clothes. Taken Out of Dutche, and Englished by

L.M.

28 | P a g e

8. A recipe for making branne water from folios 22 and 23 of Leonard Mascall’s 1588 A

Profitable Booke Declaring Dyuers Approoued Remedies to Take out Spottes and

Staines in Silkes, Veluets, Linnen and Woollen Clothes with Diuers Colours How to Die

Veluets and Sylkes, Veluets, Linnen and Woollen Clothes. Taken Out of Dutche, and

Englished by L.M.

9. A recipe for branne water (strong water) from, Sidney M. Edelstein and Hector C.

Borghetty’s translation of 1548 dye manual, The Plictho of Gioanventura Rosetti:

Instructions in the Art of the Dyers Which Teaches the Dyeing of Woolen Cloths, Linens,

Cottons, and Silk by the Great Art As Well As by the Common page 109.

29 | P a g e

10. A recipe for potash lye water from, Sidney M. Edelstein and Hector C. Borghetty’s

translation of 1548 dye manual, The Plictho of Gioanventura Rosetti: Instructions in

the Art of the Dyers Which Teaches the Dyeing of Woolen Cloths, Linens, Cottons, and

Silk by the Great Art As Well As by the Common page 113.

30 | P a g e

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