True Fibers

MORDANT: Tin or Alum.

CREAM OF TARTAR IS A MUST with the Tin! Use about a teaspoon per pound of fibre. Without it, the colour will probably be a dull rust red and not a rich, brilliant purple.

DYE: Logwood - well aged heartwood, in sawdust or shaving form.
                2 to 8 ox ground or shaved heartwood per pound silk (12 - 50%)
                (for Aurora Silk dark Amethyst colour #52, (tin mordant)
                or Aurora Silk dark Purple color #42, (alum mordant):
               use 6 ox. per pound silk.)
               Use more or less dye for darker or lighter shades.

SOAK THE DYEWOOD OVERNIGHT. This is very important to complete the aging process and get the most and best colour from the heartwood. Next day, extract three times, boiling 20 minutes or more for each extraction.

CHECK THE COLOUR OF DYE SOLUTION. It should be violet or a grape juice purple. If it is an orange-rust color, add Ammonia till it turns violet.

The strong Logwood solution dyes very quickly. For evenness of colour, work constantly, or begin with weak dyebath and gradually add more of the strong undiluted extractions.

MODIFIERS: Vinegar and Tin mordant make the purple more reddish. But too acid a bath will give only a rusty red shade. Alum and Ammonia and Chalk give a more blue purple. For a good blue purple add more ammonia or even a bit of chalk to the dyebath before entering the silk. For a more red-toned violet purple add Cream of Tartar to the tin mordant bath.

FASTNESS: Good to light and washing. Old textiles show logwood purples faded to lavenders and greys, however I have silk clothes worn daily through months, washed in the laundry as per silk, and they show no noticeable colour change. The exact shade of the colour is peculiarly heat sensitive, and ironing may modify it slightly.

ALWAYS DRY LOGWOOD IN THE SHADE, as it is sensitive to light when it is wet, expecially if newly dyed. Sunlight turns it reddish.

VARIATIONS: Beautiful Port wine colours are had by first dyeing Madder orange, then overdying with a little logwood.

LOGWOOD PURPLES ON OTHER FIBRES: The blue violet on wool with logwood on Alum can be enhanced with chalk and ammonia until it really is more blue than violet. All the purples on wool are moderately fast to light and goodly fast to washing. Logwod on cellulose fibres if just as pretty and give the same tones as on silk, but is not as fast to either light or washing.

ACID SPOTS ON LOGWOOD PURPLES: Acid will turn logwood purples to a light rust or dull orange. This is the greatest weakness of Logwood purples as fashion colours. If treated quickly with a few drops of ammonia, the colour will turn back to purple.