Sappanwood extract gives brightt red, fucshia, crimson, purple and burgundy shades. It is well known all around the world because it is easy to achieve bright colors with this dye. A little of sappanwood goes a long way - after dyeing bright reds, you can still use it for lots of pale red, pink, peach, lilac, mauve.
Latin name: Ceasalpinia sappan
Other names: indian brazilwood
Dye production:
Colorant brazilin is obtained from the core of several species of Caesalpinia trees, which is red. Caesalpinia sappan tree is cultivated in Asia, mostly India, and that’s where this dye comes from too. Caesalpinia echinate, known as brazilwood, grows in Brazil and carries an important cultural significance.
Why choose extracts? Firstly, a little goes a long way. All colorants are extracted from dyestuff in an environment-friendly way so it takes much less space and keeps all dyeing properties. When using extract you can use 5 to 10 times less than the original dye. For example, you can use 10 grams of sappan extract instead of 100 grams of ground heartwood powder. This way can save on storage space and on shipping price. Secondly, extracts are much easier and quicker to prepare so they are perfect for beginners and for those who would like to make things a bit faster. Also, it`s quite useful to have some extracts for those unexpected inspirational moments when you don`t want to spend two days on preparing dye solution :)
Dyeing:
- Little amount of extract can dye a lot - use 5-10 % WOF
- Dissolve the powder in a small amount of warm water and add to your dye pot.
- For best results use pre-mordanted fibers. Add fibers to the dye solution and simmer for 30-60 minutes depending on the shade you want. Leave to cool.
- Sappanwood reacts beautifully with different pH, so for a wider color palette experiment with additional citric acid, cream of tartar, soda ash or chalk.
- To widen your palette even more experiment with additional mordants - iron sulfate or various tannins.
More natural dyes, mordants and assistants:
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Yarn for dyeing:
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