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

For the brightest oranges, and up to scarlets and poppy, &c. silk should have an annatto ground three or four shades under that of aurora. There is no occasion for alum when the silk has been grounded and washed off. If for orange a liquor which has been used for poppy will be sufficiently strong to finish it, or for light cherry, rose, &c. For flesh, the lightest of these colours is so delicate that a little of the soap water used for boiling should be added to the liquor, to prevent the silk from taking the colour too quickly or unevenly.

Liquors having safflower or weld in their composition, require to be immediately worked, as by keeping they lose their colour, that is, the safflower and its compounds, and are entirely spoiled. They are also always used cold, as the safflower cannot bear heat.

The safflower preparation has been before described in Chapter II. where the process of cotton pink is performed by its solution.

To dye silk POPPY, called by the French COQUELICOT.

When the silk has received the annatto ground three shades less than for aurora, the safflower preparation must be ready, and turned by the solution of tartar as before described; the silk must also be well washed from the annatto ground; that the alkali used with the annatto may not counteract the tartar of the safflower, a bath of which must be prepared as strong as possible, through which the silk must be worked six or seven times: for a full poppy it is necessary to pass the silk through four or five such liquors. Poppy is the deepest colour which can be done with the safflower. It has been before observed, that the liquors from the poppy, if used directly, will serve for orange, cherry, flesh, &c.

Archil, as described for crimson, with cochineal for wools as before described, is to be used on some occasions. In other cases some patterns have no ground of annatto.

A cheaper POPPY with annatto and Brazil wood.

The silk is to be grounded with annatto as before; when well washed off it must be alumed and washed off again; then passed through the decoction of Brazil wood, washed off again, again passed through a fresh decoction of Brazil wood; and every time that goods are passed through the dye, as has been before stated, they must be worked from end to end of the skeins, from five to seven times, to have them even, and to give them a full opportunity of combining with the colouring materials of the dye.

These repetitions must of course be in number proportionate to the slightness or intensity of the colour wanted. With the Brazil decoction it is necessary to mix well a little soap liquor, about five quarts to thirty pounds of silk. This keeps the alum used to receive the Brazil decoction not only from producing a stiffness, but, on the contrary, preserves the silk soft and pliant.

The above poppy serves for a ground for brown red colours, by the addition of logwood. A decoction of logwood, Brazil wood, and old fustic, as has been before observed, should always be kept ready boiled.