Vinegar experiment anyone?

[8thsinner]

On the subject of natural dyes, as it has come to some popularity of late.

I have decided to post a simple list of all of the most popular tannin high trees and shrubs.

In most cases if you google the name eg Oak natural dye, you'll get a hit in the first five or so about it.

Sorry it's not in a more alphabetical list but also add dandelion, nice dark browns from it... Enjoy

Silver fir,

Mimosa,

Green wattle,

Sweet acacia,

Blackwood,

Golden wattle,

Blue-leaved wattle,

Amur maple,

Mountain maple,

Horse chestnut,

Tree of heaven,

Alder,

Grey alder,

White alder,

Red alder,

Sitka alder,

Mountain alder,

Marsh andromeda,

Madrona,

Strawberry tree,

Bearberry,

Coast banksia,

Chitra,

Siberian tea,

Cherry birch,

Silver birch,

White birch,

Mysore thorn,

White cypress-pine,

Red cypress-pine,

Heather,

Tea plant,

Hottentot fig,

Chestnut hybrids,

Bush chinkapin,

Japanese chestnut,

American sweet chestnut,

Chinese chestnut,

Ozark chinkapin,

Chinquapin,

Sweet chetsnut,

Chinese chinquapin,

Chinknut,

River she-oak,

Carob,

Spurge olive,

Redoul,

Cornelian cherry,

Mountain dogwood,

Hazel,

Smoke tree,

Berry-bearing catchfly,

Broom,

Rimu,

Native hops,

Male fern,

Lemon-scented gum,

Ulmo,

Stinkwood,

Native cherry,

Ash,

Cut-leafed cranesbill,

Spotted cranesbill,

Wood avens,

Chilean hazel,

Honey locust,

Gunnera,

Witch hazel,

Alpine heuchera,

St. John's wort,

Yellow flag,

Japanese walnut,

Heartseed walnut,

Black walnut,

Walnut,

Larch,

Dahurian larch,

Japanese larch,

Tamarack,

Sub-alpine larch,

Western larch,

Larch,

Siberian larch,

Dunkeld hybrid larch,

Labrador tea,

Wild rosemary,

Sea lavender,

Tanbark oak.

[rdb]

Thanx for the list!

These are all things I would think of to make the natural dyes, but there's a lot of information I would like to know. For instance are these soaked and mixed with water, or some other medium.

It would be nice to have these in a list order of tones, maybe starting with the darkest, moving to lightest. Things like that can be done, like you say, with teh Goog Machine, so of course I will take your advice.

I haven't done all my research yet, but there should be books out there on "how to" make these dyes, and possibly their effect on leather. This would be a good Topic to try and gather that type of information. Not all knowledge can be found in a book. But I'll bet the people here probably have enough to fill one.

[8thsinner]

The only thing I have tried so far personally and not on leather, but for ink, is oak and dandelion.

The oak galls I used gave a jet black ink after just a week of soaking.

The dandelion a nice dark brown.

I would love to have all of these tested on leather. I know for a fact oak galls work to give a deep black.

Oak galls are the round balls of solid matter (similar to nuts I suppose) upto an inch across, almost completely spherical, they can be knocked off the tree easily. They are a trees method of removing toxins, so oak trees near road ways are fantastic for them around this time of year as it happens too they are in abundance but falling fast. by the time the first frost hits they will be mostly gone.

Also young ones are amazing.

you usually get 5-10 from an adult tree, but a ten year old I once picked nearly 30 from.

I suppose all of the above in a vinegar rust mix will dye leather very well...It would be great to get a compilation of colours and info about them all though, and I will end up with a list twice as big if I do some more research probably. That was just a quick one on possibilities and old time secrets.

But I will happily compile it all into a PDF book when completed.

[ChuckBurrows]

To use walnut, hazelnut, pecan, etc. hulls bring to a boil in water (distilled is often recommended to eliminate any chemical reactions with iron, etc) and simmer for a couple of hours - I mix about equal parts of nut hulls and water. Turn off and let set over night. Reboil and let simmer. Let set over night again and then strain off the liquid - make sure and squeeze out as much of the liquid left in the hulls. Dry and save the hulls and re-use them 3-4 times....

Simmer the liquid uncovered until it turns the consistency of thin honey. Store in the freezer or add some alcohol or vinegar to keep from molding (the vinegar will also act as a mordant to help set the dye) - if does get moldy just skim it off and add some more alcohol - about 1/8 cup to a quart and a half usually works. The fresh green hulls work best but even the dried hulls, ground up will yield a dye.

Cooked in an iron pot will also act as a mordant for most most nut hulls, but it will usually turn the color more of a gray brown. I use an old ceramic lined crock pot when I don't want the iron mix.

Coffee - dark roast brewed strong makes a nice brown of varying shades. Instant is fine and less of a mess........

Logwood - available from several sources makes a brown to almost black dye.

Various barks, sawdusts (Osage orange and rosewood for instance), and sumac berries will all make nice dyes when. Check out natural dye sites for more info how-to and then experiment (with mixes and soak times) and don't forget about mixing items to get the color you want.........Some spices will work - saffron, annato, and paprika have all been used for dying leather.

Just remember none of the natural dyes will work like the commercial ones - they usually give different look altogether.....but that tain't a bad thing IMO.....It's a fun journey that just keeps on giving.....also remember oil (neatsfoot, extra virgin olive oil, tallow, etc.) and the sun can be your friends, especially in conjuntion with the dyes.....

Edited October 21, 2008 by ChuckBurrows

[tashabear]

The only thing I have tried so far personally and not on leather, but for ink, is oak and dandelion.

The oak galls I used gave a jet black ink after just a week of soaking.

The dandelion a nice dark brown.

What part of the dandelion did you use?

[8thsinner]

The crushed stem gives out a clear looking liquid to start but after oxygen does it's job it turns brown.