ANST - Red Organic Dye

[Gunnora Hallakarva]

Barn, you were in dye-r need of help with organic red dyes?

Lark books has a brand new book out on this topic:

Sandberg, Gosta.  The Red Dyes:Cochineal, Madder, and Murex Purple $29.95
(800) 284-3388.

Some organic dyes that yield red include:

Madder (Rubia tinctoria) - brick red, but DO NOT BOIL the bath or you'll
get orange.  Other tips to get a better red include adding chalk, using
alum mordant, and adding ammonia to the dyebath.

Cochineal (Porphyrophora hameli) - a dye made from a scale insect which
infests prickly pear cactus.

Kermes (Kermes vermilio) - another insect dye, made from the parasite of a
prickly evergreen Mediterranean oak.  Kemes is the dye which yields the
original scarlet.

Lichen, perhaps orchil - Hrolf Kraki's Saga mentions a red lichen dye, this
would be a fermentation method.

Sandalwood - alcohol extracts the dye principle from powdered sandlewood,
and the color is a deep red-orange.

Hopi Red Dye (Amaranthus cruetus) - mordant with copper.

Chaya plant - The traditional Kalamkari dyeing process of India uses roots
to yield a vivid red dye with aluminium.

Choke cherry or wild plum, Tamarack bark, Spruce cones, Sumac berries,
Alder, Hemlock inner bark, Poke berry, Bloodroot, Sassafras, Red Bedstraw,
Buffalo-berry (Lepargyrea), Squaw current, Red Osier Dogwood, and Red cedar
were all used by the American Indians to dye porcupine quills.  I don't
know about any of these plants execpt for poke berry:  poke gives a
burgundy red, but it cannot be made color fast by any technique I am aware of.
Wæs Þu Hæl (Waes Thu Hael)

::GUNNORA::

Gunnora Hallakarva
Herskerinde
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Ek eigi visa þik hversu oðlask Lofstirrlauf-Kruna heldr hversu na Hersis-Aðal
(Ek eigi thik hversu odhlask Lofstirrlauf-Kruna heldr hversu na Hersis-Adhal)

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