| Some 18th Century Madder Red Recipes | |
|
From The Whole Art of Dying (yes, that's how the title is spelled in the original), translated into the English from German in 1705. These recipes are for large quantities of fabric; he doesn't always tell the reader how much fabric, but I'm assuming the usual amount to be twenty-three English yards of cloth, unless stated otherwise. When the author is talking about putting the fabric on the roller, he refers to the rollers that rotated these large quantities of fabric through the dye vats, ensuring an even dye -- truly industrial dyeing! Some of these recipes contain poisonous ingredients, and are not suggested for modern hobby-dyeing! I'm posting them for their historical interest only. Better recipes for modern hobby-dyers can be found in The Art and Craft of Natural Dyeing: Traditional Recipes for Modern Use by J.N. Liles. Mordanting: How Stuffes must be Allomed, particularly for Reds. For every Pound of Stuff, hang rain or Running-water over the Fire, adding one third part of the Starch or Bran-water ; put in two ounces of Allom, one Ounce of Tartar, when it boils or froths, first skim it, then put in the Stuff, stir it very well for about an Hour, then take it out and rince it. The quantity of Allom must always be double to
that of Tartar; some Dyers reject Red Wine Tartar, and use only White,
others esteem the Red better especially for Crimsons and all brownish
Red Dyes, and indeed it is very advantageous in all good Stuffes that
require a little Red preparatory ground before they are Dyed
Black. Dyeing: Of several Particular Dyes. To Dye Madder Red. Take three Pound of Allom, two Pound and half of white Tartar, a quarter of a Pound of Foenugreek, two Quarts of Wheat Bran, boil it all in the Copper, then put in the Stuff [i.e., woolen fabric] and let it boil two Hours and a half, after which take it out, cool it very well, and hang it out for one Night; then to dye it, take seven Pound of Madder, an Ounce and half of Aqua Fortis [nitric acid], and a Pint of Wheat Bran, put them into the Copper, stir them very well about, and when the Stuff hath been very well rinced in the Dye, then wind it very swift upon a Roller, and tumble it about the Copper for an Hour at least, taking care that the Fire keep it boiling hot; after which take it out and Rince it. [Note: this is still describing the mordanting process.] (p. 38-39) To Dye Red. First take three Pound of Allom, two Pound of Tartar, half a Pint of Wheat Bran, in proportion to twenty three English Yards of Cloath, then put more Water into the Copper, and add 6 Pound of good Madder and a Glass full of Vinegar, let the Dye be hot and then put in the Cloath, stirring it about till it hath sufficiently imbibed the Red Colour, then rince it out, and you will find it of a beautiful Red, always pre-supposing that the Cloath hath been first boiled three Hours in Allom and Tartar. (p. 39) Genua Madder Red Take three Pound of Allom, one Pound and a half of Tartar, boil the Stuff in it an Hour and a half, then pour off the Water and put fresh Water into the kettle; make a Liquor of ten Pound of Madder, four Ounces of Pot-ashes, and some Urine, and boil it off when it hath dissolved one Night. (p. 39) To Dye English Red. Take three Pound of Allom, two Pound of White Tartar Wine, Three Ounces and a half of Ceruse, a pint of Wheaten Bran, and boil the cloth in this Liquor an Hour and a half, and leave it to soak a whole Night in the suds; and after it is rinced out, take for every piece of Cloth, six Pound of good Madder, two Ounces of Orlean [Bixa orellana, aka Annato] , an Ounce and a half of Termerick [tumeric], two Ounces of Aquafortis [nitric acid]; Let the cloth remain three quarters of an hour upon the Roller, and you will have a good English Red, then rince it out. {p. 43) To Dye Scarlet. For every forty Pound weight of Stuff, take three Pound of Madder, one Pound and half of Allom, three Ounces of White Wine Tartar, three Ounces of Arsenick, two Ounces of Ceruse, and boil the Cloth in it one Hour and a quarter, then throw away the Water and put fresh into the Kettle, adding a quart of Wheaten-bran, then rince the Stuff in River Water, then pass it through the branny Water, take it out and make a Liquor of three Pound of Verdigreace [verdigris, or copper acetate], an Ounce and a half of White Wood called Immick and rince the Stuff in it several times, the Immick shavings being before well stirred about, then put into the Yellow Liquor, five Pound of Madder, two ounces of Storax [an aromatic resin], and suffer them to dissolve for one whole Night, after which the Stuff must be stirred about for one Hour, always taking care to keep a good Fire under the Copper, all which well observ'd will produce a very good Scarlet. (p. 44) Madder Red. For every twelve Pound of Stuff, take a good handful of Wheaten Bran, one Pound and a half of Allom, three quarters of a Pound of Tartar, half an Ounce of Turmerick, boil the Stuffs in them two Hours, decant the Water, fill the Copper again, and rince the Stuffs, then add one Pound and a half of Madder, the third part of which must be before dissolved, and then put into the Suds, to which must be added a little beaten white Starch and Vinegar, the roll the Stuff upon the Roller in it, till it is deep enough dyed. (p. 50) Another Red. Hang over the Fire an equal quantity of Starch Water, and Rain Water, and to every Pound of Stuff, put in two Ounces of Allom, one Ounce of beaten Tartar; and when it boils put in the Stuff, letting it boil for one Hour, and stirring it well about; then take it out and rince it very well, then hang the Liquor over th Fire again, and for every Pound of Stuff, put in three Ounces of Brasil [brazilwood], a few Pot-ashes, boil it half an Hour, then put in the Stuffs and boil them till they are sufficiently tinged; upon which take them out and dry them as usual. (p. 51) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright Notice: The Author of this work retains full copyright for the written
material on this page. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim
copies of this document for non-commercial private research or educational purposes
provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all
copies.
Copyright 2003, M. E. Riley