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Iron (Ferrous Sulphate) - 100gm
Iron (Ferrous Sulphate) - 100gm
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Iron is a mordant used in natural dyeing to ensure dyes are colourfast. Without a mordant many natural dyes would fade or wash out. Iron also has the added benefit of changing the colour of your dyes, also known as modifying. This makes it possible
to achieve deep greens, blues, browns, greys and even blacks. Each dye will change to a different colour with iron. For example, the yellow marigold dye will shift to an olive green, and the pink madder dye will shift to a dark purple.
Iron should be used at around 1–2% weight of fibre (i.e. 1-2gm per 100gm fibre). Using too much iron can make fibres brittle and prone to breakage.
Iron as a mordant: Dissolve iron in a pot of hot water from the tap (50°C[120°F]). Add the fibre and allow it to soak for roughly 10 minutes for animal fibres and a maximum of 30 minutes for plant fibres. Leaving the fabric in iron for too long can weaken its fibres and/or produce orange stains where the iron has oxidised. Always rinse the fibres in cold water and a gentle detergent after mordanting to remove any iron that has not bonded to the fibre. You can now proceed to dyeing.
Iron as a modifier: Follow the above instructions after dyeing to darken the colour of your dye.
Safety: Avoid contact with eyes and skin. Do not inhale or ingest. Do not use cooking utensils with mordants. Work in a well ventilated space and use eye protection, gloves and a dust mask. Keep out of reach of children and pets.
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