Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Primitive Skills => Topic started by: Don Case on December 04, 2013, 04:35:17 pm
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I was thinking I could make natural dyes by soaking various things in alcohol. To keep from re-inventing the wheel has this been hashed over already? I did a search and didn't come up with much.
Don
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http ://p ioneerthinking.com/crafts/natural-dyes
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What do you plan to dye? My wife is a natural dyer and uses all sorts of plants and mushrooms to make amazing creations, all of which, so far, are textiles. Her experiments are really panning out though and she is gaining a firm grasp of the art and skill. Her eis her blog where she explains a few things: http://www.fairopheliadesigns.blogspot.com
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I was planning to use it on bows. Most natural dyes fade in the sun(I think) so that might be a prob. Thanks for the link, I'll take a look.
Don
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So far as wood stains, while it is not primitive, steel wool scraps soaked in apple cider vinegar makes a nice deep brown.
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I did a more in-depth search and got a few hits. The steel wool/vinegar was the most popular and also the one I already knew about. It looks like you can use just about anything to get the colour, it's fixing it and making it colorfast that takes the knowledge. I'll keep poking around.
Thanks
Don
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Steel wool and vinegar is more than a simple dye, it's pigmented and won't fade.
If you make the bow from osage or mulberry and leave it where the sun can get to it, it will stain itself! I love the color of old osage.