EARTH GUILD 33 Haywood Street Asheville NC 28801 |
technical help: 828-255-7818 |
List
of Instructions |
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Procion
Dyes, Acessories & Starter
Set
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GENERAL INFORMATION The Procion family of dyes was discovered by ICI in England, in 1956, and has been in continuous development ever since. Fiber-reactive dyes develop color inside the fiber, rather than on the surface, thereby improving light-fastness and wash-fastness. No dyes available to home- or studio-dyer are more permanent than Procion dyes. Procion dyes are inert until dissolved in an alkaline solution—then they will attempt to make a bond whether or not a suitable fiber is present. After an hour or two the solution begins to lose potency to do new dyeing, even if there is still pigment in the bath. After several hours, the solution will no longer work, fiber put into the pot will stain rather than dye—the color will not be true or fast. These dyes were designed for use on cellulosic, vegetable-based fibers: cotton, linen, jute, hemp, sisal, ramie, rayon. Polyesters are sometimes open to them, depending on how spun. The only chemicals required, besides the dyes, are Table Salt (sodium chloride) and Washing Soda (sodium carbonate). Soda is the activator. Salt levels color and improves the solubility and take up of the dye. Grocery store Washing Soda almost invariably is “improved” by the addition of bleaching agents. It’s a good rule to get your Soda where you get your dye to be sure of purity. It’s possible to use Procion dyes on protein-based fibers: wool, silk, nylon. Two recipe changes are the key. Turn the bath acidic by adding any mild acid—distilled white vinegar (acetic acid), citric acid, oxalic acid—one cup per gallon of dyebath. And raise the temperature of the dyebath gradually to a simmer. |
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follow this this
link to see "virtual color swatches"
follow this link to see "virtual
mixing swatches"
BASIC PROCION RECIPE
This recipe dyes one pound of fiber to a medium shade. Results vary with
the fiber used. To dye more than a pound, scale all quantities upwards
proportionately. To dye less than a pound, scale down. For lighter or
darker shades, use less or more of all the powders, keeping the same proportions
among them.
For very dark colors, leave fiber in the dyebath for a longer time, up
to twenty-four hours. For still darker shades—over-dye—do the entire process
again.
Woven cloth needs less dye to achieve a given depth of shade than knitted
cloth, or skeined yarn, or unspun fiber.
The left column below gives measurements in “kitchen” form, the right
column in metric units. The kitchen units are volumes, inherently inexact
for powders. If you can once master the metric form—calculating (scaling
up or down, for instance) is vastly simpler and your results will be far
more precise and repeatable. You’ll need an accurate scale.
If you get consistently poor results, check your water, your fiber, and
your chemicals. Try a water-softener if the colors are dull. Let your
water stand over-night if the colors are thin. Be sure your Soda has not
been “improved”. Find out if your dyes are too old, or have been stored
improperly. Follow the same recipe with fiber you’re sure is dyeable—an
old, many times washed, all cotton T-shirt, for example.
SODA is washing soda, sal soda, sodium carbonate, soda ash. SALT
is regular table salt, sodium chloride. A pound of FIBER is 2
to 5 yards of woven cloth, a lesser yardage of knits, the simple dry weight
of yarn or unspun fiber.
BASIC PROPORTIONS |
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1 pound | FIBER |
454 grams |
2.5 gallons | WATER |
9 liters |
1 tablespoon | DYE |
9 grams |
40 tablespoons | SALT |
860 grams (2.5 cups) |
4 tablespoons | SODA |
48 grams |
Approximate Metric Equivalences
1 tablespoon SODIUM ALGINATE—14 gm
1 quart WATER—910 gm
1 tablespoon UREA—15 gm
1 teaspoon DYE—3 gm
1 teaspoon BAKING SODA—5 gm