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The Dyer's Companion
By ELIJAH BEMISS Dover Publications, Inc.
Copyright © 1973 Dover Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-16897-5
CHAPTER 1
THE DYER'S COMPANION.
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RECEIPTS, &c.,
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1. To set a blue Vat of twelve Barrels.
FOR a vat of twelve barrels; fill the vat about half full of water, scalding hot ; dissolve eight pounds of potash in eight gallons of warm Water ; fill the copper with water ; add one half of the potash lie, with five pounds of madder, and four quarts of wheat bran ; heat this with a moderate fire, nearly to boiling heat, often stirring it—turn this into the vat. Take five pounds of indigo, wet it with one gallon of the potash lie, and grind it well : then fill your copper with water, and add the remainder of your potash lie, when cool, (being careful in pouring it off, as the sediment is injurious to the dye) ; add this compound of indigo, &c. and four pounds of woad; stir this continually over a moderate fire, until it boils ; then turn it into the vat, and stir, rake or plunge well, until well mixed together ; cover it close and let it: stand two hours ; then add four ounces of borax, rake well, and let it stand twelve hours.
If it does not come to work, then take two quarts of unslacked lime, and six quarts of water, putting. them into a vessel proper for the purpose, and stirring well ; after standing till well settled, take the lie of the lime, and rake again, cover close, and let it stand two hours. The symptoms of the dye being fit to work, may be known by the rising of a fine copper coloured scum, on top of the dye, and likewise, a fine froth rising, called the head ; your dye will look green, and your cloth dipt in it, before it comes to the air, will look green also.
Form of a Fat and other Utensils necessary for Blue Dying.
1st. The Vat ought to be made of pine plank, at least two inches thick : it should be five feet long, and the width sufficient for containing the quantity required ; the largest end down, and about three feet in the ground ; hooped with large iron hoops as far as it stands in the ground ; and all above ground covered with wooden hoops ; the top covered tight with a thick cover so as to exclude the cold air. A small lid should be made to open and shut at pleasure for the purpose of admitting the dye into the vat, stirring, raking, &c. It is absolutely necessary to cover close, so as to confine the heat and steam from the time you begin to empty your liquor, until your vat is full. The liquor should be conveyed from the copper to the vat by a spout or trunk, and after stirring, be immediately covered close.
2d. The Rake is of an oval form, with a handle through the middle, of sufficient length to reach the bottom of the vat with ease.
3d. The Screen or Raddle, to prevent the goods from sinking upon the sediment. This utensil is placed about ten or twelve inches from the bottom of the vat. It should be as large as the top of the vat will admit, and filled with netting or splinters ; it should be hung by three cords from the top, so as to be easily taken out when necessary, and a weight in the middle sufficient to keep it down.
4th. The Cross-Bar, or stick across the vat. This should be about one inch in diameter, and placed about six inches from the top, and across the middle of the vat.
5th. The Handlers, Claws or Hooks, are for managing the cloth in the dye, (for no air must come to the cloth while in the dye). The claws are made with wooden handles; the hooks of iron in an oval form, half round, and notches in the hooks like saw teeth, for the purpose of catching hold of the cloth.
To fit Cloths for Dying.
In the first place scour the grease well out of the cloths. Take about thirty yards of cloth to a fold or draft, having prepared, in your copper, about two barrels of water, with four ounces of pearlash therein ; in this liquor run and prepare your cloth for the vat about eight or ten minutes; then roll it out and let it drain. Then fold it up smooth on the side of the vat, that it may go in open ; toss the end over the cross-bar, and let a person on the other side with his handlers be ready to poke it down, and let it be done quick and lively. When the cloth is all in the vat, take the other end back again, by pulling it hand over hand, very lively, till you arrive at the other. Then shift sides, and manage in this manner till ready for taking out ; which will be In ten or twelve minutes, if the dye is ripe and hot. But judgment must be used in this case ; when the dye is weak and cool, it is necessary to keep the cloth in an hour or more :
In taking the cloth out of the vat, it is necessary to use dispatch. The utensils for this purpose are two crooked irons passed just above the vat, so that two men may put the cloth thereon, as taken out of the vat ; then a windlass for the purpose of wringing the cloth as dry as conveniently can be done. Hang your cloth then in the open air, till it is perfectly cool. At the came time, if you have more cloth, prepare it as described before in the copper of pearlash water. This process must be observed every time the cloth is dipped in the vat. Two dippings arc commonly sufficient for colouring the first time ; then air and rince, and this will be a pretty good blue—and full and manage as you do cloths to prepare them for colouring. However, your dye must not be crowded too fast at first.
If you find your dye does not colour fast enough, cover and rake, and let it stand an hour or two ; being careful to keep the vat covered, excepting when the cloth is in : work the dye till it is cool, then heat it again. If all your cloths are not coloured for fulling ; heat your dye again in the copper or other utensil, nearly to boiling heat, then turn it into the vat and cover it up ; add two pounds of pearlash, rake well, and let it stand ten or twelve hours ; then rake it, and let it stand two hours, when it will be fit for work. Let the dye be worked as long as it will colour well; then manage as before until the dye is reduced. Recruit as before in setting, and manage in the same manner till your cloths are all coloured. Only omit two pounds of potash and one pound of indigo out of the quantity ; and the dye must stand to come to work, which will probably be sooner than at first ; caution must be used about working it too soon.
The cloths when fulled and prepared for colouring, must be managed as at first, and run till they suit. After you have done colouring, open your vat, rake well, and give the dye all the air you can. Let it stand, and it may be kept good for many years, if rightly managed : After it has been recruited several times, it will be necessary to dip off the dye carefully so as not to disturb the sediment or lees, and throw the lees away. When the dye has been standing a long time, it is necessary to throw away the lees, for they will have a tendency to injure the dye, and the colour will not be so bright if they remain in the vat. The dye will not come to work so soon as if the sediment had remained in the vat, and it ought not to be disturbed excepting when it is necessary to dispense with some of the lees.
The dyer being careful to manage according to these directions, will have the best mode of dying cloth blue, known by me.
To color yarn or wool in this dye, the yarn must be hung loose in the dye, and the wool be put loose into a nett and then immersed.
When the goods are dyed, have them immediately rinced in clear water ; when dryed, take twelve gallons of warm water to one pound of hard soap dissolved, and one pint of beef gall ; wet the cloth with this, and let it run in the mill eight or ten minutes, then rince it with fair water till perfectly clean, and it will prevent the goods from crocks, &c. if the color is not struck through the cloth and cuts light in the middle, to 20 yards take half pint of color, put in your copper of boiling hot water, run one hour, and rince well.
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2d. ANOTHER METHOD FOR BLUE.
The best to dye Yarn or Wool.
TO set a tub of 6 gallons, take five gallons of good old sig, to which add 2 gills of spirits, half a pound of good indigo made fine ; put it in a bag, wet it and rub it out in the dye, then add two ounces of pearlash, and 2 ounces of good madder ; stir and mix it all together, let it stand 24 hours ; then add half a pint of wheat bran, stir it up till well mixed together, let it stand 24 hours longer, and if your dye does not come to work by this time, stir it as often as once in two or three hours, but do not apply your goods before your copper scum and froth rises, and the dye looks greenish when dropping, and your yarn or wool looks greenish when applied to the dye, which are symptoms that your dye is in good order for use ; but you must be cautious notto crowd your dye too full, for many blue dyes are destroyed in this way. Be careful also about reducing your dye too low ; always keep indigo in the bag, rubbing it out when necessary : and you need not stop your dye to recruit it after it has come to work ; but make your additions when you take your goods out, as you find it necessary. Wring out the goods, stir your dye well together, cover it close, and place it where it will keep lukewarm. It will not dye so quick as the other dye, but it will make a superior blue. It is commonly from two to three days in colouring for a deep blue.
N. B. The yarn or wool should be wet in warm sig, before it is put in the dye, and the tub covered close, &cc,
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3d. ANOTHER METHOD FOR BLUE.
TAKE half a pail full of good ashes, two quarts of stone lime, and as much sig as to run through three gallons of liquor; add two onnces of good indigo made fine, four ounces of good madder, and half a pint of wheat bran ; stir and mix it well together, let it stand two days, then stir it up, and put in half a pint of good emptines. Let it stand 24 hours, and your dye will be fit for work.
Directions to be observed in common Colouring.
EVERY person that understands his business knows what utensils are necessary for the business in colouring ; however, I will give a brief description of those commonly used.
The first thing necessary is the copper kettle ; I say copper kettle, because it is most commonly used in all hot dyes, and all hot dyes may be coloured in the copper, and I shall mention no other in the following receipts. Block tin or brass, are better for red and yellow, than the copper ; and iron the best for black or green ; but this I leave to the discretion of those in practice. The size ought to be from two to four barrels, according as your business requires. In setting the kettle, reference should be had to convenience of heating and working.
The Reel, as it is commonly called, which is used for managing the cloth in the dye, is conducted over and over in the dye, being turned by a wench ; and the cloth is poked down and spread open by a stick about three feet long. The cloth always should be tended lively when in the dye. (The time the cloth is to be in these dyes, will hereafter be described. )
When the cloth has been a sufficient time in the dye, then reel or wind it up ; let it drain a few minutes, then take it out in the open air, and spread it till perfectly cool ; and this must be the management every time the cloth is dipped. Never add any dye-stuff or water when the cloth is in the dye ; but when added, stir and mix the dye well together before the cloth is put in. The cloths should be perfectly cool to prevent their spotting, and for the brightness of colours have the kettle well cleaned. To clean a copper, the most common form I practise, is to rince the dye well off, then take some ashes and a swab, and rub it well and rince it clean, and it will answer for most colours. But if it does not appear bright enough, then take half a gill of oil of vitriol, and rub in the same manner as before ; rince clean, &c.
To clean a Copper.
TAKE four ounces of allurn, two quarts of Vinegar, and two ounces of oil of vitriol ; put them all together, heat them boiling hot, and put them into your kettle ; wash it well with a swab, rince it with water clean, and it will be fit for any dyes.
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A GENERAL RULE.
I SHALL lay it down as a general rule, to take 20 yds. or 16 lbs. weight for the quantity of cloth, for which to proportion the dye-stuff. However, any quantity of cloth or goods may be coloured by the following receipts ; only in the like proportion as before mentioned : and another thing is to be observed, the different states of the dyes, by giving all your goods an equal chance in the dye ; for most of colours the dye is good for nothing for that colour after the colour is done.
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4th FOR BLUE.
TO 20 yds. of fulled cloth, take four pounds of good logwood chips ; fill your copper with fair water, add the logwood, and boil well till the strength is out ; then add one pound of good madder and one pound of allum ; let it simmer together fifteen minutes, but not boil, (for the madder ought never to boil (run your cloth twenty or thirty minutes, roll out and air it ; let the dye simmer a few minutes, then run it again as before, with the heat of the dye increasing, about thirty minutes : air it, and the cloth will then appear of a purple cast or shade. Then take two ounces of verdigrease pulverized fine; then take one pint of sig ; put them into a proper vessel, and simmer them together with constant stirring, till well mixed and dissolved ; then add this to your dye, with two gallons of sig, and two ounces of blue vitriol ; boil them moderately together about 15 minutes, then stop your dye from boiling, and stir well together, then run your cloth about thirty minutes : run in this manner till the colour suits, and you will have a fine blue, but it will not be so durable as Indigo blue.
5th. FOR NAVY BLUE.
TO twenty yards of fulled cloth ; fill your copper with fair water, heat it boiling hot, take two pounds of copperas, half a pound of allum, a quarter of a pound of argal, or red tartar—pulverize these together, and put this compound into the boiling water—skim your dye, stop its boiling, run your cloth twenty or thirty minutes, air and run it again, as before, twenty minutes, air and rince it in water ; shift your liquor from the copper, rince your copper, fill it with fair water, then add four pound of good logwood chips, boil well twenty minutes, then slacken your fire and add an half pound of good madder; let it simmer fifteen minutes—together with one ounce verdigrease made fine, as described in receipt fourth, with sig, &c. then take one gallon of sig and add with the rest to the dye, stir them well together, till the dye is well mixed ; run your cloth again in this dye thirty minutes, air it and add two ounces of pearlash and run it again, with the dye well mixed together— handle in this manner, till your colour pleases. This will be a good blue, rather preferable to receipt No. 4.
6th. PRUSSIAN BLUE.
Compound, or Chymic —This compound or blueing is made thus : Take one pound of good flotong indigo pulverized, four pounds of oil of vitriol, and two ounces of fine salt—put this in a stone pot (or some earthen vessel) that will contain six times the quantity of this compound, or it will be liable to rise and run over. First put in the vitriol, then the indigo, then the salt; stir this continually one hour, or till it gets pretty well settled and cool—for it will boil and foment in a terrible manner Let it stand four days or a week, covered close, stirring it now and then, as is most convenient.
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7th. ANOTHER METHOD FOR BLUEING, OR COMPOUND.
TAKE one pound of common good indigo, six pounds of oil of vitriol, half a pound of stone lime—put these together (as described before) in the pot and stir it—This will be fit to use in forty eight hours. I have mixed it without either lime or salt ; but it requires more stirring and longer standing before it is fit for use. This compound is used for dying Prussian blue, green and many other colours,
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8th PRUSSIAN BLUE.
FILL your copper with fair water, heat it nearly boiling hot, then add of your blueing (as is before mentioned) a little, and stir it well with the water, run your cloth, roll out, air, and add of your compound by little and little, till your colour pleases.—You may make in this dye, any shade you wish of this kind of blue, and very bright.
9th. FOR GREEN.
TO twenty yards of cloth, take six pound of fustick chips and boil them well, then add one quarter pound of allum, run your cloth till it is a good yellow, then add of your blueing about half a gill at a time, stir and mix it well together in the dye, run your cloth with a hot fire fifteen or twenty minutes, then air and add a little of your blueing and run again in the same manner as before, and add of your blueing, little by little, till your colour suits.
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Excerpted from The Dyer's Companion by ELIJAH BEMISS. Copyright © 1973 Dover Publications, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
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