The Dyer's Guide / Being a compendium of the art of dyeing linen, cotton, silk, wool, muslin, dresses, furniture, &c. &c.; with the method of scouring wool, bleaching cotton, &c., and directions for ungumming silk, and for whitening and sulphuring silk and wool; and also an introductory epitome of the leading facts in chemistry, as connected with the art of dyeing

by Thomas Packer

Composition for dyeing silk SCARLET or CRIMSON with cochineal.

Take one pound of nitric acid, two ounces of muriate of ammonia, six ounces of fine tin, prepared as mentioned under dyeing wool scarlet, water twelve ounces.

The muriate of ammonia, the prepared tin, and the water, are put into a stone jar, to which the nitric acid, is added, and the whole left to dissolve.

This composition contains much more tin and sal-ammoniac than is used for the scarlet of cochineal upon wool; it is, however, absolutely necessary.

An ounce of this composition, for every pound of silk, is to be added to the galls and cochineal when boiling. The boiler is then cooled down a little, the fire-door thrown open, the silk put in and worked from five to seven times, when the silk will have become pretty even as far as it is dyed. The copper is now again to be brought to boil; it should continue boiling, and the silk kept turning, for two hours; the fire is then taken from under the copper, and the silk is immersed entirely and left all night, or for seven or eight hours at least; it thus takes a full half shade. In the morning it is washed, twice beetled, wrung as usual, and hung up to dry.

The least tincture of sulphate of iron in the water saddens the crimsons, takes off their yellow, and gives the violet cast; but if too much of the yellow is carried off, it may be restored by fustic. Nothing but sulphate of iron will sadden grain scarlets, logwood being quite useless for this purpose; sulphate of iron darkens greatly with galls. Macquer.