RECIPES for DYEING with LOGWOOD
Logwood is a dye wood from Central America, used for producing blues and purples on wool, black on cotton and wool, and black and violet on silk. It is called by old dyers one of the Lesser Dyes, because the colour was said to lose all its brightness when exposed to the air. But with proper mordants and with careful dyeing this dye can produce fast and good colours.
The principal use for logwood is in making blacks.
The logwood chips should be put in a bag and boiled for 20 minutes to 1/2 an hour, just before using.
(1). BLACK
Mordant the wool for 1 to 1-1/2 hours with 3 per cent Chrome and 1 per cent Sulphuric Acid.
Wash and dye in separate bath for 1 to 1-1/2 hours with 50 per cent Logwood.
This gives a blue black.
A dead black is got by adding 5 per cent Fustic to the dye bath.
A green black by adding more fustic. Also by adding 3 to 4 per cent Alum to the mordanting bath a still greener shade can be obtained.
A violet black is produced by adding 2 per cent Stannous Chloride to the dye bath and continue boiling for 20 minutes.
(2). LAVENDER
Mordant with 3 per cent Bichromate of Potash for 45 minutes and wash.
Dye with 2 per cent madder, 1 per cent logwood.
Enter the wool, raise to the boil and boil for 45 minutes.
The proportion of logwood to madder can be so adjusted as to give various shades of claret to purple.
(3). A FAST LOGWOOD BLUE
Mordant with 3 per cent Bichromate of Potash and boil wool in it for 1-1/2 hours.
Wash and dry wool.
Make a bath of 15 to 20 per cent logwood with about[Pg 30] 3 per cent chalk added to it.
Boil the wool for 1 hour, wash and dry.
The wool can be greened by steeping it all night in a hot solution of heather till the desired tint is obtained.
(4). RAVEN GREY FOR WOOL
Mordant with 25 per cent Alum for 1/2 hour at boiling heat; then take it out, add to the same liquor 5 per cent copperas, and work it at boiling heat for 1/2 hour.
Then wash. In another copper, boil 50 per cent logwood chips for 20 minutes.
Put the wool into this for 1/2 hour; then return it into the alum and copperas for 10 to 15 minutes.
Wash well.
(5). DARK RED PURPLE WITH LOGWOOD
(2-1/2 lbs.) Mordant with 25 per cent alum and 1 per cent cream of tartar for 1 hour. Let cool in the mordant, then wring out and put away for 4 to 5 days.
Dye with 60 per cent logwood and 25 per cent madder.
Boil up the logwood and madder in a separate bath and pour through a sieve into the dye bath.
Enter the wool when warm and bring to the boil. Boil from 1/2 hour to 1-1/2 hours.
Wash thoroughly in soft water.
(6) PURPLE
(For 1 lb.) Mordant wool with 1/4 lb. alum and 1/2 oz. tartar for one hour; wring out and put away in a bag for some days.
Dye with 1/4 lb. logwood for 1 hour.
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