What kind of dyes can I use for dyeing shibori, and can I use them in a bucket, instead of heat-setting them?


Name: Janine

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Message: I just recently did a workshop on shibori, but she didn't really have time to teach the dyeing preparation. Is it possible, instead of using a microwave, just to boil water in a stove top kettle and pour it into a bucket and then dye the silk that way? I'm trying to figure out the simplest no nonsense way of doing it. I don't want to get into huge pots and having to work outside, particularly since I want to be able to do this through the winter inside.I have limited space as well.

First, please tell me exactly what dyes you are using. Or, do you still need to choose a dye? What fiber content is the fabric that you will be dyeing?

haven't started anything yet, and I will be using silk. I think the woman who did the workshop used a fibre reactive acid dye and use vinegar as a fixer for both immersing in simmering pots and in the microwave technique.  I haven't purchased anything yet.

Just pouring boiling water into a bucket is not a very good way to set acid dyes, because the water begins to cool immediately. (Procion dyes, when used with acid, act on the fabric as acid dyes, not as fiber reactive dyes; see "Using Fiber reactive dyes as acid dyes on protein fibers".) It is best to have a prolonged exposure to heat to set your acid dyes. You will get a better yield and brighter (or darker) colors. 

When people say fiber reactive dye, they usually mean Procion MX dye. I love Procion MX dye, and yes, it does work when used as an acid dye on silk, but I would not buy it if your only goal is to use it as an acid dye, with vinegar, on silk. The famed super washfastness of Procion dye is possible only when it is used with soda ash. If you are going to be dyeing both silk and cotton, it is handy to own only one range of dye to use for both. However, if you're only going to be using them as acid dyes, why not get a specialty acid dye? 

The best dye for silk is the Lanaset range of dyes. They are expensive, but very rich, and a little goes a long way. Because the Lanaset dye range lacks a good bluish red mixing primary, it is often used with a non-Lanaset acid red, such as Polar Red. Other acid dyes also work well; PRO Chemical & Dye's line of WashFast Acid Dyes is very popular for use in shibori.

The best reason to get Procion dyes to dye your silk will be if you decide to use soda ash, instead of vinegar, to set them. (See "How to hand dye: basic recipe for Procion MX dyes on cellulose or silk ".) Procion dyes work extremely well on silk in the presence of soda ash. (Note that premixed colors will produce a different hue on silk than on cotton.) No heating is necessary, as long as your dyeing studio is at least 70°F. This means that you can use an ordinary bucket for immersion dyeing with Procion MX dyes, as long as you are using soda ash. Of course, soda ash does change silk. Silk tends to be a little bit softer, less stiff, and a little bit less shiny when dyed with soda ash. However, it does not lose all of its shine. Being able to work without any added heat at all means that you can get by without investing in a dyepot or a steamer. This is by far your best choice if you really do not want to get involved with heating. As a side benefit, you can also dye cotton and rayon using the same technique; neither of these fibers can be dyed in the presence of an acid such as vinegar. However, you should not use soda ash when dyeing wool, as wool will be damaged by a pH above 8.

Microwave-setting is popular as a short cut, but the gold standard for heat-setting dye with acid is to use the stovetop, either for immersion dyeing in a simmering dyebath, or for steaming. There is no worry, with steaming, that you might scorch your fabric, as long as you keep the water underneath from running dry. If you let fabric cook too long in the microwave, so that it dries out, it can scorch, turn black, and eventually catch on fire.

If you really want to use heat-set acid dyes without a dyepot, microwave, or steamer, I suggest that you experiment with a dedicated cooler. Good results are not guaranteed, since this method has not yet been used much. If you buy a cheap insulated cooler, sold for use in chilling food, you can use it for your dyeing. Styrofoam will withstand boiling water, as we know from those awful styrofoam coffee cups, and it will dramatically slow the cooling process, after you pour boiling water into it. This will probably work pretty well with acid dyes that you would normally use for immersion dyeing on the stovetop, including Procion MX dyes with vinegar or another acid. For silk, you want be able to hold your acid dyebath at or near 185°F (85°C) for an hour or so; temperatures higher than 185°F can damage silk. You must acquire a reliable thermometer that can be immersed in water which will give readings in the range around and below boiling temperature; you may need to refresh the temperature of your dyebath. Keep careful notes as to what temperatures you use and for how long, so that you can decide what methods work best, to use in the future.

You do not have to work outside when using acid dyes. If the fumes from vinegar bother you, an easy solution is to substitute citric acid for the vinegar. Citric acid does not boil away into the air like the acetic acid in vinegar does. Citric acid is easily purchased from your dye supplier along with your dyes, and is also available as a food additive. If you choose to use Lanaset dyes, you should buy additional auxiliary chemicals recommended by your dye supplier (sodium acetate and Albegal SET). You will need to buy a dedicated dyeing pot to use in your kitchen. I have a huge enameled 33-quart canner which was not expensive, about $30, but the enamel in it chipped almost immediately. Chips in the paint of enameled dyepots, unlike chips in food preparation cooking pots, can be repaired by painting on the right sort of waterproof paint, but it's enough of a pain to make it worthwhile considering buying a five-gallon or larger stainless steel pot. A good source for these is a home brewing store, which sells supplies for brewing beer and wine at home. (A five-gallon stainless steel pot can be used without a spigot, but a ten-gallon pot is heavy enough that investing in a brewing kettle with a spigot at the bottom, for easy draining, is worth considering.) You can also use any large pot for steaming your silk to set your acid dyes, by wrapping the dyed fabric in paper and holding it in a rack above the surface of the boiling water, in a covered pot. ProChem's recipe for steaming when rainbow-dyeing with Lanaset dye calls for wrapping the wet silk up in plastic wrap and steaming it like a vegetable. Be careful not to let the water boil dry.

is it really that necessary to have the fabric sit for 25 hours.. and is what you mean, say if i were microwaving in a pyrex dish, to pour out the dye and let it sit with the lid on... I just don't know if I am understanding it properly without being shown.

This is something specific to your instructor and her recipe, so I cannot say how necessary it is. I do not know whether it is necessary for her to let the fabric set for 25 hours; that is a specific recommendation for a specific dye and technique, other details of which I have not seen. If you are microwave-setting dye, it is best to let the dye soak into the fabric for at least half an hour before microwaving, perhaps less for thinner fabrics, so that the dye can penetrate to the center of each fiber, rather than just "ring dyeing" the outside of each fiber, as will happen if you rush too quickly to microwave, after adding the dye. Letting the dye set afterwards for 25 hours seems like an oddly specific recommendation; if you are using heat-set acid dyes, including Procion dyes used with vinegar, then little further attachment of dye to fiber will continue after the dyebath has cooled completely to room temperature, which will take considerably less than 25 hours if you are working without insulation (such as a cooler). Allowing 24 hours for Procion MX dyes to react at room temperature, in the presence of soda ash, works well, but that's a different technique.

I am sure you would benefit by getting a good instruction book. Karren Brito's book, Shibori: Creating Color and Texture on Silk, is an excellent source for beginning to advanced dyers, explaining how to shibori-dye silk using Lanaset dyes and ProChem's WashFast Acid Dyes.

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Posted: Sunday - July 20, 2008 at 11:16 AM          

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