Solar Mordanting

Here in southern VT we've had either heavy cloud cover, pouring rain or a steady drizzle for a few weeks - not to mention a definite "nip" in the air. The leaves in our adjoining forest have responded with early color change and the hummingbirds are packing their bags to go south - can't blame them! So much for the ubiquitous, Labor Day picnic. This photo was taken when the sun was still shining in all it's glory this summer. Since I've spoken about solar dyeing in this blog, thought you may like to see these four, recent, "Terry's Tub," set-ups. The two tubs in the foreground hold 2lbs each of tussah silk top. The fiber is being premordanted with alum and a cream of tartar assist. This is the fiber that the 15 participants who have signed up for my "Silken Spinning" class at SOAR '06 will use for their small scarf projects, once I dye it (look for in a later post). Of the tubs behind, one has chopped madder root and the other has black walnut hulls. These last two sat outside all last winter: froze, thawed, froze, etc. These fermenting dyes have been used before by me and will be used for future projects as well.

"Terry's Tub" is just one of several solar set-ups I use. It was developed by Terry Collard of NH. It's concept is blissfully simple. Basically, get yourselves a cement mixing tub from the hardware store. These are black plastic and can be often found in different sizes. Have the hardware store folks cut a piece of plexiglass that will cover the top of the tub. Pick out four c-clamps that will hold the top to the tub. Four, medium-sized rocks keep the corners down nicely. The way it works is that the sun goes through the clear top into the black tub, which holds the heat well. Neat and easy!!

If you want to mordant, like I did, mix the mordant in a jar, in a dye box, and pour it into about a 1" of water that you put in the bottom of the tub. This water should be the same temp as the last rinse water after scouring your fiber. Mix well. Squeeze out excess rinse water from your fiber. Lay it in the bottom of the tub, carefully spreading it out over the bottom. Keep in mind, that in order for the sun to heat up the tub, you can't have a ton of water in there. That said, depending on the amount of fiber you're mordanting, you do want it covered with water. Therefore, if you need more water, carefully push the fiber from one side and pour more in the tub (keep the water temp consistent). It's best not to pour right onto the fiber itself. For two lbs of silk, I may end up with 2 or 3" of water at most. Gently push down on the fiber to insure the take up of the mordant throughout the entirety of the fiber, inside and out. Pop your plexiglass lid on and secure with c-clamps and rocks. Put in the spot that gets the most sun all day. No need to babysit and "watch the pot" (er...tub). Also, isn't it refreshing when one can tap an energy source and NOT get charged?

I often get asked how long I let fiber mordant/dye in the sun. This depends, as you can imagine, on what kind of sun and heat are present. For mordanting, I often let it go longer since I want to insure a proper job. Wishy-washy mordanting means wishy-washy dyeing. That means, at the height of the summer, I'll let it mordant 3 days or so. If I was dyeing under the same conditions, it might be a day or two. If it gets cloudy and colder, I may mordant a few weeks. In fact, I have some merino/silk top that's out there mordanting and has been doing so for just prior to our VT inclement weather. I'll wait for 3 good sunny days of mordanting (Indian summer has to come sometime, doesn't it?!) before I remove the fiber.

Mold can sometimes be a problem if the fiber has been sitting without sun for too long. Black and red mold is dangerous, I'm told. Do wear a mask and gloves when you scoop any mold off. Otherwise, mold doesn't bother me too much & I just remove it from the top when it does occur. Keeping the fiber below the water level cuts down on mold, so weigh it with plates on top of the fiber if you like (remember NOT to use those plates for anything else - never for eating again, please!)

Once mordanted, I remove the fiber and rinse it in clear water several times. I have large, mesh bags - the kind you find athletes use to tote equipment around in - that I put the squeezed fiber in. These bags go into the spin cycle (no water squirting out of the machine) of my washing machine and the remaining rinse water is spun out.

In a later post I'll photograph what I dry my fiber in & on. I didn't realize it was snazzy until Leslie visited and liked it alot. Maybe you will, too.

'course you can replace any of the "fiber" words above for "yarn," if that's what you're mordanting. Again, more on the actual dyeing later. For more info in the meantime, do check out the Summer '05 issue of "Spin-Off".