You might come across ‘European indigo’ in the marketplace, but be aware that whilst what you’re buying is indigo dye, it has been extracted from the unrelated Isatis tinctoria(below), or woad as it’s better known, which is more suited to the northern climates and has a huge natural range, from North America, to Scandinavia, to the Siberian steppe. Current world production of indigo is 17,000 tons/year, mostly (40%) produced by BASF in Ludwigshafen. That is where things started in July 1897, using a process developed by von Heumann. It started with naphthalene… A variety of plants, including woad, have provided indigo throughout history, but most natural indigo is obtained from those in the genus Indigofera, which are native to the tropics. In temperate climates indigo can also be obtained from woad ( Isatis tinctoria) and dyer’s knotweed ( Polygonum tinctorum), although the Indigofera species yield more dye. The primary commercial indigo species in Asia was true indigo ( Indigofera tinctoria, also known as Indigofera sumatrana). In Central and South America the two species Indigofera suffructicosa and Indigofera arrecta (Natal indigo) were the most important. As a denim enthusiast, what really attracted me to jeans was not only the cool image associated with them. It was the appreciation for the dark blue colour of a new pair of jeans, and how that colour changes and evolves with wear. Yes, you can but the best results using food coloring as a dye comes if you use that product on angora or wool. Usually, a reactive dye works well on denim because of the plant fibers used to create the material.

How to Dye Jeans - Rit Dye

Part of this process depends on how light or dark you want your jeans to be. The lighter the color the less amount of time the denim has to spend in the dye solution. Standard beginning time is 20 minutes give or take the type of dye you are using. If you are coloring white or faded denim you may get away with a straight brown color. As we have said dyeing is not an exact process and your results may be different than anyone else’s. Where Can I Dye Denim? Interestingly enough, whilst both natural and synthetic indigo are chemically identical, many people attest to a difference in how they fade. The Difference Between Natural and Synthetic Indigo Add the dissolved dye mixture alongside the recommended amount of salt. Stir well to ensure that everything is evenly mixed.It doesn’t matter if you use a liquid dye or a powered dye, as both types are equally effective. The main difference is the clean-up afterward. The powdered dye can be a bit messier to use. There is, in fact, a third kind of continuous dyeing range called loop dyeing. It’s almost the same as slasher dyeing; the difference is that loop dyeing has only one dye bath, which means it requires less space and, to get deeper shade depths, the sheet is dipped 3 to 4 times in the same dye bath. Pour the dye into the barrel of the washing machine. Start with half a bottle of dye, which amounts to about 1⁄ 2 cup (120 mL). If you're dyeing the jeans a dark color, then use a full bottle of dye instead. [7] X Research source This is a technical writeup on various types of dyes used in Denim Dyeing by one of our guest writers – Adnan Indigo Dyes Indigo nowadays comes in two forms: plant-based natural indigo and a synthetic indigo, both of which I’ll talk about below. Natural Indigo

Can You Dye Blue Jeans Black? [How to Dye Denim Jeans or Jacket] Can You Dye Blue Jeans Black? [How to Dye Denim Jeans or Jacket]

The dyeing process is “a wonderful potential technological advancement,” says Robert O. Vos. He’s an industrial ecologist who works at the University of Southern California. It’s in Los Angeles. Denim fashions are popular the world over. So any advance in denim-making could have a large positive impact on fashion’s environmental footprint, he says. He predicts companies will be eager to adopt the new dye technology. It’s easy to wash jeans, but they can lose some fibers and dye with each laundering. So experts recommend not washing jeans more than necessary. esemelwe/E+/Getty Images Plus

Cellulose is a tough organic polymer found in plants cells and wood. It’s also the material that makes up paper. Nanocellulose consists of the same fibers, only on a billionth-of-a-meter scale. They’re shaped like eyelashes, but only a thousandth their size. If you have an elastic band at hand, put it around the edge of the fabric from which you’ll start wrapping string around. This will make sure the fabric stays in place. Pour your indigo powder into one of the 1-litre jars and add the ethyl alcohol or methylated spirits. Mix with a spoon or stirring implement until it forms an even paste. Before modern continuous dyeing ranges, the yarn was dyed with ‘hank dyeing,’ also known as ‘skein dyeing.’ Hank dyeing is one of the oldest yarn dyeing techniques, and it’s traditionally done by hand.

blue Scientists find a ‘greener’ way to make jeans blue

The technique is simple but time-consuming. Bundles of yarn, known as ‘skeins,’ are first rinsed to open the fibres. Then, the skeins are dipped in the dyeing vat, usually numerous times. Next, they’re washed and then dipped again. Step 5: Leave your jeans in the dye for between 10 minutes to an hour. When you have your desired shade, remove your jeans from the dye. Bear in mind, the jeans will look darker when they are wet but will dry lighter. Squeeze out any leftover dye.

The name indigo comes from the Roman term indicum, which means a product of India. This is somewhat of a misnomer since the plant is grown in many areas of the world, including Asia, Java, Japan, and Central America. Another ancient term for the dye is nil from which the Arabic term for blue, al-nil, is derived. The English word aniline comes from the same source. A tub large enough to hold 8 litres of dye solution. A 12-litre tub is a good size to allow some room to work with and make sure you don’t spill a lot of the solution Always add the soda ash and sodium dithionite into the water. Never pour the water onto the soda ash or sodium dithionite! If you’re not a coffee drinker, you can also use tea. Using a similar process, make a brew from around 40 tea bags and allow it to be steep until it is super strong. Then follow the steps above. As you wrap your fabric, give it a few millimetres of ‘give’ as you’ll have a hard time doing the later steps if it’s wrapped really tight. Step 3: Wind Thread Around Your Fabric

Dyeing With Indigo: How To Do It By Hand - Denimhunters Dyeing With Indigo: How To Do It By Hand - Denimhunters

A slight downside of this method is there may be some residual dye left in the machine after the dyeing process. Make sure to run the empty machine through a full wash cycle immediately after the dye run has finished. This will ensure any leftover color has been safely removed from the drum. How Do You Set Dye Color in Blue Jeans? Another distinction of slasher dyeing compared to rope dyeing is that the dyeing vats need to be more colour-consistent to ensure that the entire sheet is dyed evenly. With rope dyeing, you have natural inconsistency in the amount of indigo that the yarn is exposed to, which creates a planned unevenness in the fabric when the yarn is laid out. Paint brightens up a home or a room covering past mistakes with ease. Dyes can hide a multitude of fabric sins just like paint covers those home sins. Choosing the right dye for the fabric is another issue. It has to be made for the fabric you want dyed.

If it looks a rich, dark blue then you’ve oxygenated the mix too much! You’ll need to add more sodium dithionite into your solution and stir gently again to remove the oxygen! Step 4: Prepare the Dye Bath