community of dyers

Dharma Trading Company and Jacquard Products sell very similar Procion MX dye. Although it is, rarely, possible to buy a bad jar of dye, both of these companies are good quality suppliers. Neither dilutes their dye more than the others, as long as we're talking about the unmixed single-hue colors, which in this case we are. They do each sell a great many colors that are mixed and, in some cases, diluted, in order to make a certain shade; these premixed colors are all different from similarly named dyes sold by the other company, but the pure dye colors and the manufacturers' mixtures are the same.

However, note that Dharma does not carry C. I. reactive brown 23, which Jacquard sells as rust orange, and ProChem sells as burnt orange. Whatever dye Dharma sells as "rust orange" is a mixture of different dyes, and not the same dye you've been using at all. You might like it better, or maybe you should overdye with a brown mixture or a red, instead.

If there is a difference between one jar of one of the pure unmixed dyes from one company, and a jar of the exact same pure unmixed dye from another company, it's most likely due to measuring by volume. Some dye lots are much lighter and fluffier than others. Procion MX and other dyes are standardized by weight, not by volume, so 5 grams of dye powder should always contain the same amount of dye, but one teaspoon of dye from one company (or from the same company at different times) might be twice as strong as one teaspoon of the other. Measuring by the spoonful is faster and easier, but sometimes the results you get from it are less predictable.

Of course if the dye begins to hydrolyze, or go bad, which happens when some of the dye molecules react with the moisture in the air, especially if the jar of dye is stored in a hot place, then it will become weaker. An old jar may seem to be a lot less strong than a new jar. Sometimes if you buy dye powder from a crafts store, the jar they sell you has been around long enough to start to go bad, even immediately after you buy it.

There are other factors that can make a dye seem weaker than it really is. If the fabric has been treated to make it stain-resistant or permanent-press, or if the temperature of the dye reaction is lower, or if the pH is wrong due to leaving out the soda ash (don't laugh, mistakes happen!)—if anything goes wrong with the dye reaction, the resulting color will be paler. Also, you will always get much deeper and richer colors if you dye mercerized cotton, or rayon. If you are dyeing unmercerized cotton, the natural fuzziness of the fibers on the surface make the color appear significantly lighter.

I think in this case, though, it might just be that this dye is not quite the one that you wanted. It's almost always hard to predict from a color swatch, especially given the variations in fabric.

-Paula

Thanks Judi. I weighed out 1 lb. of dry fabric and stirred regularly so the color was solid.

If you repeat the exact same dyeing conditions over again, you will get a darker color than the one you have now. Will that be as dark as the color you want? It sounds to me like it might not be. Do you want a color twice as dark as you have now, or darker than that? Terra cotta is a very dark orange, so I'd think you'd want to follow the instructions for a dark color, not for a medium color, which, according to Jacquard, would mean two tablespoons of dye for a one-pound piece of fabric, or four tablespoons for a two-pound piece. (See How much Procion MX dye should I use?.)

I also have to ask, just in case: how warm was your dyebath? It's important to note that temperatures below 70°F (21°C) will result in paler colors. So will anything that reduces the yield of your dye, such as age (dye powders usually last a couple of years) or storage in a hot place, or if the fabric has been treated with a permanent-press or stain-resistant finish. I'd be much more inclined to use warmer water than nececssary than to use more time than the recipe calls for. 85°F to 95°F would be pretty much ideal.

But as Judi said, the amount you need depends on the weight of your fabric. Weigh your fabric while it is dry, and use that to calculate how much dye powder you need to use. Jacquard's Rust Orange is Colour Index reactive brown 23, or Procion MX-GRN (unless they've replaced it with a mixture, as occasionally happens to a pure unmixed dye color); since it's a standard strength by weight, you can even look at other retailers to get additional information on it, if you want to. For example, to get a color as dark as ProChem's color chip for the same dye, which they call PRO MX #515 burnt orange, starting with undyed white fabric, you'd want to use 3.0% OWG, which works out to 3 grams of dye per 100 grams of fabric, or 14 grams of dye powder per pound of fabric. (Expect a darker color for mercerized cotton and rayon, and a lighter color for unmercerized cotton and hemp.)

As a general rule, you wouldn't have to change the amount of soda ash and salt you used, unless you used the wrong amount for the amount of fabric and water you were using. Given that, however, I do usually follow a recipe that, for one pound (454 g) of fabric calls for 3 gallons of water, 3 cups of non-iodized salt (note that a larger volume is required if you use kosher salt, but the amount depends on the brand of kosher salt; equivalences are given on my salt page), and 1/3 cup of soda ash. Using more salt will probably make only a small difference in color intensity, not a lot. When you use a high water ratio dyebath, to get a smooth solid color, without salt, the high ratio of water to dye would cause problems in getting the dye right into the fabric, since the negative charge of the fiber repels the negative charge of the dye molecules; using salt gets you around this problem. If you left the salt out altogether, much of the dye would be wasted, resulting in a poor color yield.

The three gallon recipe you followed is suitable for dyeing one pound of fabric to a smooth solid color, assuming you stir frequently enough, and add the soda ash in parts after having thoroughly distributed the dye through the fabric. If you were not interested in solid colors and were willing to produce a mottled color, you'd want to use the technique of low water immersion, instead. It's a lot less trouble since you can skip all the stirring.

-Paula

Thanks so much Paula!! I really appreciate all of your information and taking the time to add links, so very helpful! I'm still a beginner at dyeing. Hard to believe there are so many variables in getting the color you're after.

I used 1 lb. of dry fabric to the 3 gallons salt water. I didn't test the temp of the water, but got it to warm not hot. Probably makes sense to go a bit warmer when I re-dye to ensure the color is what I'm after. You're right, I am trying to get a deep rust orange so I should use 2 tbsp of dye next time. Hopefully I can get away without having to measure the dye since I liked the simplicity of using measuring spoons and cups.

I had a feeling it would be too light when I pulled it out of the dyebath. Do you think if I left it in for more time the color would have been closer to terracotta instead of peachy?

As for the consistency, I stirred regularly to get an even coloring. Didn't mind the stirring, but it is only my second attempt. The first one was perfect. I used Dharma's brazilnut, such a pretty chocolate brown.

-jen

Leaving the fabric in the dye solution longer could solve the issue with the hue. When I do full immersion, I usually do a rinse after about two hours, but you can also leave your fabric in the solution longer if you wanted... even overnight. Have fun! :D

Judi Hurwitt
Approachable Art
http://approachable-art.blogspot.com