| ========================== Dyeing With Black Walnut Hulls ========================== Black Walnuts are a wonderful dye for obtaining browns and blacks. You get your strongest dye from the "green, turning brown black" hulls. It is very permanent so be careful gathering the dyestuff. I like a ratio of at least 1:1, but if I am going for black, I use stronger. I also like to keep a batch brewing much of the time. Put hulls in bucket. Cover with water. Let sit and ferment for as long as you would like. Smell is not great, so do this out doors if possible. If this molds, not a problem, mold produces browns anyway. The thicker and darker the dyebath the better. Put dyestuff in pantyhose, heat dyebath, add premordanted fiber and let cook....simmer....checking to see the color develop. Cool fiber in the dyebath whenever possible, Rinse well and dry. Good browns, sometimes golden, sometimes with a greenish cast. Blacks obtainable using iron as a mordant. Carol Lee ---------------------------------- Black Walnut For 1 lb wetted wool 4 gallons soft water Dark Brown 6 quarts green walnut hulls No mordant necessary Golden Brown 6 quarts green walnut hulls Alum mordant Soak hulls overnight in water, boil two hours.* Strain liquid reserving hulls. Tie reserved hulls in cheesecloth and return to strained liquid. Add wetted, or wetted mordanted wool to dyebath and simmer gently for one hour stirring occassionally. *Richer color may be obtained by fermenting hulls for up to two months in lieu of overnight soaking and boiling. Randall ------------------------ |
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| (It is very permanent so be careful gathering the dyestuff.) |