Dying With Madder

MADDER

Materials:

1/2 teaspoon madder

1/4-teaspoon aluminum sodium sulfate

2 cups water

Silk

Procedure: First I heated water on a hot plate so that the temperature was hot but not yet boiling. Then I added the madder and mordant and mixed them together and let them heat up for about ten minutes. Then I placed my silk sample into the prepared dye bath and let it soak in there for about five minutes before removing it. Then I added another silk sample to the dye bath and let it soak in for about fifteen minutes to see if the dye would appear darker.

Analysis:

The first silk square removed form the dye bath after five minutes was orange, a light orange that did not fade at all when rinsing off. The second silk sample placed in the dye bath for three times longer then the first sample, appeared to be a much deeper and bolder color of orange then that first silk sample. I think possibly if you were to leave the silk in the heated dye bath for over a day the dye would be ultra strong and possibly turn the silk an orange red color.