Weld Old Fustic Turmeric Quercitron Dyer's Broom Heather And Other Yellow Dyes


Weld, Reseda luteola, is an annual plant growing in waste places.

The whole plant is used for dyeing except the root. It is the best and

fastest of the yellow natural dyes.



The plant is gathered in June and July, it is then carefully dried in

the shade and tied up in bundles. When needed for dyeing it is broken

into pieces or chopped finely, the roots being discarded, and a

decoction is made by boiling it
up in water for about 3/4 hour. It

gives a bright yellow with alum and tartar as mordant. With chrome it

yields an old gold shade; with tin it produces more orange coloured

yellows; with copper and iron, olive shades. The quantity of weld used

must be determined by the depth of colour required. Two per cent of

stannous chloride added to the mordant gives brilliancy and fastness

to the colour. Bright and fast orange yellows are got by mordanting

with 8 per cent stannous chloride instead of alum. With 6 per cent

copper sulphate and 8 per cent chalk, weld gives a good orange yellow.

Wool mordanted with 4 per cent of ferrous sulphate and 10 per cent

tartar and dyed in a separate bath with weld with 8 per cent chalk,

takes a good olive yellow. 8 per cent of alum is often used for

mordant for weld. A little chalk added to the dye bath makes the

colour more intense; common salt makes the colour richer and deeper.



Weld is of greater antiquity than most, if not all, other natural

yellow dyes. It is cultivated for dyeing in France, Germany and Italy.

It is important as it dyes silk with a fast colour.



(1) OLD GOLD



Mordant with 2 per cent chrome and dye with 60 per cent of weld in a

separate bath. 3 per cent chalk adds to intensity of colour.



(2) YELLOW



Mordant with alum, and dye with 1 lb. of weld for every pound of wool.

Common salt deepens the colour. If alum is added to the dye bath, the

colour becomes paler and more lively. Sulphate of iron inclines it to

brown.



(3) ORANGE



Mordant with alum with a little weld in the bath. Dye with weld. Add

teaspoonful of tin to the dye bath. Boil in separate bath with 1/4 oz.

madder or cochineal to the pound.



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