[Sca-cooks] Re: vinegar and iron

[Pixel, Queen of Cats]

'Saddening', in dyer's parlance, means to darken and mute the color. Like
if you add black to another color of paint. The same reaction that makes
black dye and black ink adds black to whatever you're dyeing. Or, to
whatever acidic thing you are cooking in that cast iron and
not-quite-seasoned pot. This is why they tell you to use unreactive
vessels for dyeing and for cooking acidic food. Black applesauce is *so*
unappetizing. ;-)

Well-seasoned cast-iron doesn't react nearly as fast because there is a
layer of polymerized oil in between the acid and the iron. I make chili in
my cast-iron all the time, but it's pretty thoroughly seasoned by now and
if it darkens it's only a little bit.


Margaret FitzWilliam



On Fri, 24 Aug 2001, Susan Fox-Davis wrote:

> Thank you Elizabeth!  Sinech and her son, then a charming, precocious
> preteen, spent some time in "Mainland Caid" a while back.  OK, about a
> decade back, and Guy has probably taken over NZ by now.  Where does the
> time go?  Anyway.
>
> Un-soapy steel wool dissolves faster in vinegar, but then again, rusty
> nails are frequently available for free.  I've got a couple of Dutch ovens
> around here that have seen better decades, maybe I should just keep vinegar
> in them and use them as dyepots.  What does it mean, "saddening dyes"?  I
> want all my arts projects to be happy. ;-)
>
> Selene
>
> Elizabeth A Heckert wrote:
>
> >    Please forgive the bandwidth!
> >
> >    I forwarded Selene's comment about vinegar and iron as a leather dye
> > to the SCA Natural dyes list.  I think the person who responded thought
> > it was Selene posting, so I am forwarding her reply here.
> >
> >    Elizabeth
> > From: "Lila Richards" <lila at ihug.co.nz>
> > To: <SCA_NaturalDyes at yahoogroups.com>
> >
> > Hi Selene.
> >
> > I also use a little bit of vinegar in the water, with some iron - old
> > rusty
> > nails, because my son Guy (remember that little Southron Gaard boy in
> > Tudor
> > from way back?) helpfully acquired a large jar of them! - to make iron
> > water
> > for saddening dye colours.
> >
> > Sinech
> > (Lila Richards)
>
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