Walnut Hull Dye question.....

I've got a question on the preparation of Walnut Hull Dye (I'm going to dye some vegetable tanned leather). One online source states to use whole walnuts to make the dye, whereas most other sources seem to refer to the hulls only.Which is correct, and what is the difference in the final product (dye) produced? Any replies will be greatly appreciated.THANKS!

 

Either way works.

you can let the walnuts soak for an extended period or boil them to speed up the process.

I like to place them in a sack and boil them so there is as little residue as possible to deal with. All of that loose manure floating around is rough to get out of whatever you are dying.

If dying leather you need to cold soak the material and apply no heat to the leather.

There are several long threads on walnut dying in the clothing and equipment section. Check the archives there too.

 

[musketman]

I had best results with black walnut (Juglans nigra L.)...

The hulls also make a good trap dye...

 

[ReSmiley]

Hello

Using the whole walnut is just easier than trying to get the hull off the nut it gets messy trying to get them off. The nut does nothing for the dye. The idea of boiling them in a bag is a good one because if you use dried walnuts you do get alot of particles in your dye bath which are hard to get out of your fabric or what ever else you are dying.

Hope this helps

Smiley

 

What would the affect be if I used Walnuts, instead of BLACK Walnuts?

 

[doverdog]

Keep in mind, you are using the outer green husks, as shown it the picture above. If you have access to English walnut husks, handle a few without gloves. If your fingers turn black, they should work also. :: The hard nut shell that contains the nut meat is useless for the dyeing process. The soft green stuff is what does the job. Rubber gloves highly recommended.

 

Whoa...ok, NOW I get it, the soft green stuff? Ok, but how do I obtain something like THAT? I have recently checked, and there are NO black walnuts to be found anywhere in this city, let alone any GREEN walnuts. My mother in law is bringing me some black walnuts from Kentucky this weekend, but am I to understand now that those won't work?

 

[musketman]

My mother in law is bringing me some black walnuts from Kentucky this weekend, but am I to understand now that those won't work?

There is a small amount of tannin in the shells, this is why there is black squirrels, but the hulls are the mother-load in tannin...

 

Longbarrel, if you are somewhere around Memphis I know for a fact that there will be black walnuts around!

You will have to check unusual places when you live in urban settings.

Parks often have walnut groves in isolated areas. Espically old established parks.

Universities are notorious for having stands of mature walnut trees on their campasses. Call UT Memphis maintainance dept. and ask one of the guys that mows the lawn if he knows where you can pick up some walnuts. Bet he would know.

It is a little late in the season to find good nuts still in the hulls. TOW has crushed hulls for sale I think. If you look in Muzzle loader, Muzzle Blast or Smoke and Fire news you sometimes find hulls for sale. If you are dying one or two small items it does not take much of the hull material to get a good color. A plastic shopping bag of hulls will do a couple of shirts, pants and a tarp. A 5 gal plastic bucket of cold soak will work. If you are doing bigger things, tarps or blankets, you will need a big garbage can or something. ou can still boil the brew over the grill in the back yard, on the coleman stove or something. Pour the liquid into the container and let it cool if leather is being dyed. Some guys just keep the bigh plastic garbage can full of dye year around. Occasionally they throw in a few more nuts, hulls, or leaves and keep the liquid level right.

I have found that a pint of vinegar will make a good mordant and keep the color in the fabric longer. This is a weak dye and will wash out quickly in hot water and detergent.

If you just cannot find walnuts think about using strong tea or coffee as a dye. You will get a nice tan color from those liquids too.

 

Ghost, thanks for that information, it really helps. Is this a weak dye on leather also? I've used tea before, on wood. I got a F&I era Tomahawk, with an ash handle. The handle started out white, but over a two day period, I put about 10 or 12 coats of good, strong tea on it, rubbing it in good. When that dried, I used several coats of low gloss Tung Oil. Now, it has a nice, mellow, maple color to it.