About Lanaset Dyes

Lanaset dyes can be used to dye all polyamide fibers: silk, wool, angora, mohair, and nylon. Lanaset dyes include two or three entirely different classes of dye. They all attach to wool under similar conditions, and may be intermixed freely, so it does not matter a great deal, to the user, which of the Lanaset dyes belong in which class.

Sources of Lanaset dyes

Lanaset dyes are sold by several dye suppliers, including Paradise Fibers and PRO Chemical and Dye under their name of Sabraset. They are also sold under the brand name Telana. They are manufactured by Huntsman Textile Effects, which purchased the global Textile Effects business of Ciba Specialty Chemicals Inc. in 2006.

Why use Lanaset dyes?

Lanaset dyes are considerably more washfast than most dyes available for use on wool; they are significantly more permanent than the less washfast members of ProChem's WashFast Acid dyes or Jacquard's Acid Dyes, and certainly far more washfast than the strong acid (Kiton) dyes. No other group of dyes that is suitable for hand dyeing is more washfast on wool. Unlike other acid dyes, Lanaset dyes are tested in hot water, at 140°F, conditions under which many acid dyes will wash out or bleed. They are also known for being more lightfast than some of the alternatives, particularly the French silk dyes, such as Sennelier Tinfix. Dyers appreciate the rich, deep coloring provided by Lanaset dyes.

The main disadvantage of Lanaset dyes is that they are made by only one supplier. Not all of the dyes in this series have Colour Index names, which are the generic names used for dyes in other classes. Prices tend to be higher than other acid dyes (though lower than all-purpose dyes); dyers generally agree that they are worth the price. Some of the acid dyes included in Lanaset mixtures are available elsewhere; for example, one of the two black dyes in the Lanaset Black B mixture is acid black 172, available among ProChem's Washfast Acid dyes.

Dye Classes

In her book Synthetic Dyes for Natural Fibers, Linda Knudson wrote that some of the Lanaset dyes are fiber reactive dyes that react with wool, others 1:2 premetallized acid dyes. However, it is clear from some of the full chemical names and/or structures, in the tables on the page "Which Lanaset dye colors are pure, rather than mixtures?", that most if not all of the Lanaset dyes that are not premetallized (metal complex dyes) are in fact acid dyes, described elsewhere as being acid milling dyes. They all attach to wool under similar conditions, and may be intermixed freely, so it does not matter a great deal, to the user, which of the Lanaset dyes belong in which class.

How to use Lanaset dyes

Lanaset/Sabraset dyes are used at a mildly acid pH; for example, for one pound (0.5 kg) of fiber in 3 gallons (12 liters) of water, use 2 cups (0.5 liter) of distilled white vinegar. Glauber's salt (sodium sulfate) is often used to help level the dye, that is, to produce a smooth single color on the entire batch of wool, instead of coloring some parts strongly and others weakly; typically one cup per pound of fiber in 3.5 gallons of water is recommended. In addition, sodium acetate may be used as a pH buffer, to maintain acidity, at a rate of 2 grams per liter (0.5 to 1 ounce per 3.5 gallon dyebath). Albegal SET is a three-product mix that aids in leveling, to get a smooth solid color. Heat is the final requirement. See PROchem's directions for immersion and rainbow dyeing with Sabraset dyes.

More details

For more information on Lanaset dyes, including Colour Index names where available, or full chemical names if Colour Index names are unavailable, please see the details in the tables on the page "Which Lanaset dye colors are pure, rather than mixtures?".

Code name	Color	Light- fastness	Wash fastness	Comments
Yellow 4G	Sun yellow	5-6	4-5	Reactive dye mixture. Clear, bright.
Yellow 2R	Mustard	6-7	5	acid dye. Useful for mixing deep shades and orange.
Red 2B	Scarlet	4-5	4-5	metal complex dye. Clear, bright
Red G	Deep red	5-6	4-5	Reactive dye (though CAS number seems to indicate premetalized acid dye). Dull color useful for mixing browns.
Bordeaux B	Magenta	6-7	4-5	mixture of acid red 260 plus a metal complex dye. Dull in color.
Blue 2R	Royal blue	5-6	4-5	Acid dye. Clear, bright.
Blue 5G	Turquoise	5-6	4-5	acid dye. Clear, bright.
Navy R	Navy blue	5-6	5	Acid dye mixture. Useful for mixing deep, dull shades
Brown B	Brown			mixture of two metal complex dyes
Violet B	Violet	5	5	Reactive dye. Very intense, lovely color
Green B	Emerald			acid dye.
Black B	Jet black	6-7	4-5	Mixture of two metal complex acid dyes. Very strong color; contains chromium

(*Lightfastness is on a scale of 1 to 8, where 8 is most lightfast; washfastness is on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is most washfast. Note that Lanaset dyes are washfast to 140°F, unlike most other acid dyes which are tested at a more lenient temperature.)

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