Walnut dye for cotten frock.

[ike]

How do I use the walnut stained water. I have boiled and collected the stain to stain my Hunting Frock? I have searched this forum and read about preserving the stain. I have read about using a moderant and not using a moderant. Can some one give me a recipe which will dye this fabric a brown color. A color close to dried oak tree leaves. Please include in the recipe amounts of incredients and when and how to use them. When and how do I use the moderant? Thanks for all of your help.

 

[david50]

dot need any mordent,just boil it up,put the frock in it and let it set for a few days. take it out,hang it up to dry,then run it through the wash with no detergent.to save it,put it in some type of plastic container and store where it wont freeze.just finished this waist coat last week,turned out great.

 

[Macon Due]

Ike
Sorry, I have no 'complicated' recipe to follow.
I heated up my 'dye', thoroughly wet my shirt with warm water.Then place the dye in a 5 gal. pail [if you plan to keep it to reuse...otherwise do it in washing machine] drop shirt in pail stir it around [wear rubber gloves!]leave it in for about 5 min. pull it out and check color shade, repeat if needed.When satisfied....take it out let it drain back into pail [if using washer just let it run thru cycle]. Rinse with water hose, wring it out and put it in clothes dryer and dry it to set dye.Like all natual dyes it will fade some with time.
Macon

 

[sean30ber]

I mix mine up in a 5 gal bucket. Toss in what I need and let it set for about a week. Stir it once a day. Pull and ring it out, hang it to dry. It starts pretty dark but lightens a bit with washing. The first few washes I dont use detergent. Im going to try a setter one of these days just to see how it works. And I still have the 5 gallons with a lid for next time. When it starts getting used up, I throw in some buckskin and let it set long enough to go rancid, weeks. Rinse it well and I have nice dark stained hide to use. Then mix a new batch.

 

[Ken Cormier]

and yet no one said throw a bunch of rusty nails in the pail with the dye soak a week and rinse in clear water don't use city water too much junk in it

 

[zimmerstutzen]

One of the black powder mags just had an article about natural dyes etc, including walnut. I know that some dyes seem to set better if fermented a few days first. I know Poke berries are one of them. Add a bit of sugar and some yeast and let it froth if it will. The toxins in the walnut might kill the yeast.

 

[ohio ramrod]

For an even brown color I just soak in apple cider. Let set three days and you have a brown cloth. For a darker brown add some grape juice!. I learned this trick from the wife who tried and tried to "wash" my cider screen clothe! :idunno: :idunno:

 

[gmarc]

Walnut dyes are sold under the name "Van Dyke Crystals"

These work very well, as a water-based stain is created when the crystals are dissolved in hot (not boiling) water

 

[Maestro]

Here's a good document on plant dyes that mentions mordants: Dyeing Naturally and Sustainably in the Southwest

I've used rusty nails... just thrown them in with the dye in the vat... works well.

 

[Longsmoke]

I keep a 35gl. plastic trash can 1/2 or better filled with my dye. It's a batch I started about 5 years ago. Every year I add more hulls to it. I keep the lid on it when not in use.

Some years I take the whole nut while still green, dump them on the shop floor and crack em with the end of a 2x4. Dump the whole mess in the can and leave it.

Some years I dry the whole nut, dump them on the floor, stomp em and roll em under my boot to dehull.

As a side note. If you put about a 1' of whole nuts in a 55gl. barrel the tree rats will jump in, dehull and steel the nuts leaving the hulls.

This year I strained all the old nuts and left the sludge. I love my concreat mixer.

Now to the question part.
Dear skin don't take long. Just lay it on top of the dye and let it sink ( don't force it in) when it sinks in you can take it out and rinse in clean water. Dry it in the sun, in the winter put it on the dashboard of your truck to dry. The longer you leave it the darker it get.

Modern leather needs to be hot to floot out oils and wax. Turkey cooker. You don't have to boil it, just keep it hot for a few hours then let it cool. Every day it in this cool state it will get darker. In a month it will be almost black but, you will knock years off it's life. Finish the same as the dear hide. When it's dry it will need oiled or bees waxed to keep it from falling apart from cracking.

Cloth is much like the dear hide just hot. Wash it first and put in the hot dye while still wet. Leave it in over night to cool. Clean water and dry in the sun. The longer you leave it the darker it get.

DO NOT DRY IT THE WIFES DRYER. It will leave brown dust behind that will stick to her whites, she will be p***ed at you.

Now, if you hang leather to dry the remaining dye will migrate down giving the new shooting bag a used look (darker on the down hill edges) if you retate it while drying it will darken top and sides too. Leave it wet and let it drip. You can watch it get darker on the edges, just move it every 1/2 to 1 hour as it drys.

I save the salt and other stuff for walnut pies.

Bruce Everhart

Hows that for long winded?