Dyehouse

“ The variety of these fabrics has of late years considerably increased, which increase may be largely ascribed to the introduction of the direct dyeing colouring matters--the Diamine dyes, the Benzo dyes, the Congo and the Zambesi dyes; for in the dyeing of wool-cotton fabrics they have made a revolution. The dyer of union fabrics, that is fabrics composed of wool and cotton, was formerly put to great straits to obtain uniform shades on the fabrics supplied to him owing to the difference in the affinity of the fibres for the dye-stuffs then known. ”

“ THIS beautiful and fascinating art of textile decoration, applied to draperies and articles of dress, has been practiced in many countries for centuries. Old pieces have been found in South America, in Peru and Bolivia. In the Philippines and in provinces of India the work may still be seen, the art having been handed down from generations unknown.
The essential process consists in dyeing the cloth in a dye-bath after having wound parts of it more or less tightly with string or cord, which serves as a resist to prevent the color from reaching those parts of the fabric. ”

“ Let me first direct your attention to the diagram containing the natural coloring matters—those dyestuffs which were in use previous to 1856. Broadly speaking, they are of two kinds; those which dye textile materials "direct," and those which give no useful color without the aid of certain metallic salts, called "mordants."
Now, among the natural coloring matters, these "mordant dyes," as they may be conveniently termed, are much more numerous than the "direct dyes;" but be it observed, we have fast and fugitive colors in both classes. ”

“ The art of dyeing consists in impregnating flexible fibres with any color which may be desired, in such a manner, that it will remain permanent, under the common exposures to which it may be liable.
2. The union of the coloring matter with the fibres receiving the dye, is purely chemical, and not mechanical, as in the case of the application of paints. Wool has the greatest attraction for coloring substances; silk comes next to it; then cotton; and, lastly, hemp and flax. These materials, also, absorb dye-stuffs in different proportions. ”

“ Is there a blue in the world as fine as the blue in a Bokhara rug, or a red to touch the red of a Persian brocade or Indian silk?—the new fresh colours as they come out of the dyer's vat, not as they are after years of wear and tear, though that is beautiful enough. And yet they are not more beautiful than the colours once made by dyers in England. They are as brilliant as the chemical colours, but they are not hard and unsympathetic 5 and correct. They are alive and varied, holding the light as no chemical colour can hold it ”

“ A slow dyeing is generally more level and successful in every way. In cases where the fiber absorbs the color greedily the dyer sometimes puts other ingredients called “assistants” into the bath to retard this absorption.
[Pg 41] Frequently the craftsman does shaded dyeing, such as a scarf with deep blue ends grading to a light blue center. The following directions will accomplish this: Hold the scarf in the middle with one hand, dip the ends into the dye-bath and work them thoroughly with the other hand. Then lower the scarf into the bath very gradually without interrupting the working. ”

“ In this respect it serve as a guide that concentrated baths are best used dyeing dark shades while light shades can be dyed in more dilute baths. The most important factor for producing uniform dyeings is the appropriate regulation of the temperature of the dye-bath. Concerning this the dyer must bear in mind that the direct colours possess a greater affinity for cotton if dyed below the boiling-point, and only go on the (p. 172) wool when the bath is boiling, especially so the longer and more intensely the goods are boiled. ”

“ If you have pupils old enough, or a class on which you can rely, nothing will delight them more than to do their own dyeing. A fourth-grade class in one of the Baltimore schools has successfully dyed all the raffia, cord, cotton, and textiles used in their classroom. The child dearly loves color; the possibility of having different shades to work with will arouse an intense interest in procuring these colors. It will be unusual if the pupils do not handle with care the materials and the dye pot. ”

“ Here we must take special steps to get the dye well into the fiber and secure the results obtained from the large dye-bath in all-over dyeing.
The fabric must be prepared for pattern dyeing in the same manner as for all-over dyeing. It is just as essential that it be clean, free of sizing, with its fibers soft and absorbent. Attention has been called to the pains taken by the Orientals in the preparation of their fabrics for decoration. We must not jeopardize our success by omitting to boil out new raw material and to clean old material. ”

“ It is remarkable, that although an indigo ground for wool enriches the black, yet for silk and cotton it is not generally considered necessary. Latterly, however, we believe the dyers of black on cotton do first give it an indigo ground before the black is given. This is, nevertheless, not a new method, for D'Apligny describes the process in his Art of Dyeing, for linen and cotton yarns; these are first dyed sky-blue in the vat, then wrung out and set to dry. ”

“ The artificial blues derived from coal tar are very numerous, and representatives of all classes, direct, basic, acid and mordant of dye-stuffs may be found among them. The direct blue dyes do not work very well on wool. They are apt to dye very red, and somewhat dull shades, which are, however, fairly fast to washing and light. The basic blue dyes are fairly numerous, and may be used to dye from pale sky to deep navy tints. They are apt to work somewhat unevenly on to wool, owing to their great affinity for the fibre. ”

“ In large manufacturing cities, dyers usually confine themselves to one kind of goods, as wool or silk, and some to certain colors. Dye houses, in other than manufacturing cities and towns, are mostly for the coloring of goods that are worn, or new goods that have been damaged. A great deal of dyeing is done in our large cities. Frequently, persons going into mourning have articles of dress dyed. Steam has taken the place mostly of hard labor. When goods have been well dyed, a casual observer could not detect it. ”

“ Some dye wool only or silk, while others confine themselves to certain colors, such as scarlet and blue. The principal profits of the dyer, when unconnected with manufacturing establishments, arise from dyeing garments or stuffs which have been partly worn.
10. The origin of the art of dyeing is involved in great obscurity, as the ancients have not furnished even a fable, which might guide us in our researches. It is evident, however, that the art must have made considerable progress, long before authentic history begins. ”

“ It will be convenient to point out here that a very large proportion of the shades dyed on wool and other fabrics are obtained, not by the use of a single dye-stuff, although this should always be done, whenever possible, but by the combination of two or more dye-stuffs together in various proportions. It is truly astonishing what a great range of shades can thus be dyed by using two or three dyes suitably mixed together, and one of the things which go to making a successful dyer and colourist is the grasping of this fact by careful observation, and working accordingly. ”

“ The art of modern dyeing very greatly consists in the proper use of what are called mordants, that is, substances which, although they do not of themselves produce colour, so act upon the dyes as to cause them to give an intenser hue to the fabric, and also serve to make the colour permanent. The modern dyers have obtained several dye drugs unknown to the ancients, such as cochineal, quercitron, Brazil and logwood, arnotts, and indigo, which was only known to the Romans as a paint ”

“ He also executed for the Prince Consort, at Osborne, the fresco Neptune giving the Empire of the Sea to Britannia.
Dyeing is the art of colouring textile and other materials in such a way that the colours are not readily removed by the action of light, washing, &c. Like spinning and weaving, it was originally a home industry, as it still is in many places. The natural dyes formerly employed are now largely displaced by dyes derived from coal-tar products, the first discovery of which was made by Perkin in 1856; a few mineral colours are employed in cotton dyeing. ”

“ The greater number of red shades are now dyed by means of the artificial dye-stuffs, as these are much easier to dye than are the natural dyes, and they give, on the whole, more even and brilliant shades, while as regards fastness to milling, acids, and light they are fully equal, and in most cases superior, to the natural dyes.
The Direct Red Dyes.--Of this group of red dye-stuffs, Benzopurpurine, Titan Scarlet, Diamine Fast Red F, and Benzo Fast Red are types; many of them have been found to be very serviceable in wool dyeing. ”

“ Likewise the compounding of a vivid blue green, or reseda green, forbids either the yellow or the blue containing any appreciable admixture of red.
All of these dyes find great use in the industries, and all of them, within their limitations, are valuable for color mixing. Having acquired a working knowledge of red, yellow and blue dyes, it will be found of practical benefit to include some of the others. An experienced craftsman works with a small range of colors chosen for his particular purpose. ”

“ Salmon.--Prepare the dye-bath with 1/4 oz. Fast Acid Violet R, 1/2 oz. Orange G, 10 lb. Glauber's salt, 1 lb. sulphuric acid. Work at the boil to shade.
The mordant reds are fairly numerous, and include both natural and artificial red dye-stuffs. The principle or property on which the application of this group of dye-stuffs to the dyeing of textile fabrics depends is that they are of an acid character and combine with metallic oxides, like those of iron, aluminium, or chromium to form insoluble coloured bodies, or "colour lakes" as they are called. ”

“ Great care has to be taken in dyeing the threads of the weft, which are much finer than those of the warp. Vegetable dyes, such as cochineal, madder, indigo, etc., must be used, for permanent colours can never be obtained with aniline dyes. The old Spanish dyes were considered the best. In this country, one sometimes gets the fine colours in an old Mexican serape or a prized Navajo blanket. The wool that is used to mend old tapestries in the American museums is coloured with dyes made by Miss Charlotte Pendleton in her workshop near Washington, which I have visited. ”

“ It corresponds to the excess color in dyeing, which we take pains to remove by rinsing. The very purpose of the steaming, or other “setting” process, is to incorporate the dye into the fiber. This is never perfectly accomplished. There is always some excess adherent color to be removed.
OLD JAPANESE STENCILS
How often we meet the following experience: A [Pg 136] craft worker in decorating a fabric applies color until the eye is pleased, takes little or no pains to incorporate the color into the fiber, and ignores altogether the fact that some of the color is only adherent. ”

“ Although it is possible to dye wool with the basic dyes from a plain bath containing water only, yet the results are not satisfactory, especially when working on a large scale; and for dyeing pale shades especially, the affinity of the dye-stuff for the fibre is so great that the first portions of the goods which are entered into the dye-bath have a great tendency to absorb all the dye-stuff, or the larger proportion of it, so that uneven dyeing is the result, one end of the piece of cloth being darker than the other end. ”

“ When the women have been employed in dyeing cloth, they industriously preserve the colour upon their fingers and nails, upon which it shows with its greatest beauty; they look upon this as no small ornament, and I have been sometimes inclined to believe that they even borrow the dye of each other, merely for the purpose of colouring their fingers. Whether it is esteemed as a beauty, or a mark of their housewifery in being able to dye, or of their riches in having cloth to dye, I know not. ”

“ Dye for about one hour at about 175° to 195° F. in as concentrated a bath as possible, with about 7 to 8 lb. dye per 100 lb. of satin, 8 to 16 oz. Glauber's salt and 5 to 8 oz. soap per 10 gallons dye liquor; keep cool in the bath for some time and rinse.
The raising is either done in a tepid soap bath with the addition of some new methylene blue, or in an acid bath to which Naphthol, blue black, Acid green, etc., is added for shading the silk.
Direct dyed blacks are especially suitable for cheap goods (ribbons, light linings, etc.) , for which special fastness to water is not required ”

“ Very light shades can also be done on the padding machine. The dye-stuffs of Group (2) , which have been previously enumerated, do not stain the wool at all or only very slightly and are therefore the most suitable. Less bright effects can be produced by simply dyeing the goods in one bath. The wool is first dyed at the boil with the wool dye-stuff in a neutral bath, the steam is then shut off and the cotton dyed by adding the cotton dye-stuff to the bath and dyeing without again heating. ”