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

Chromate of lead for YELLOW on SILK and COTTON.

Chromate of lead, as a pigment has been for some time in use; M. Lassaigne, in 1820, made public a process for dyeing cloth with this article, which has since become pretty common in this country.

Immerse hanks of scoured silk for a quarter of an hour in a weak solution of acetate of lead at the ordinary temperature; take them out and wash them in a great deal of water: then dip them into a weak solution of chromate of potash. They immediately take a fine yellow colour; at the end of ten minutes the effect is complete. From this colour being decomposed in part by soap and water, it is chiefly applicable to silks. But by applying, however, a mordant of acetate or nitrate of lead, and passing the goods through bichromate of potash, a very beautiful and sufficiently fast yellow is now given to cotton goods in this country.

Conclusion.

We cannot conclude our work without observing, that from the researches continually going on in botany and other branches of natural history, and, more especially, from those in chemistry, there can be no doubt that discoveries, which will materially improve the art of dyeing, must, from time to time, be made. Some of these, not yet generally known, in the hands of a few persons, have already been found useful; but individual interest is, of course, a great enemy to their being made public. Others, although public, are, as yet, of too doubtful a utility to be noticed here.

If we have not given forms for the employment of some articles in use by certain dyers, such as kermes for reds; French Berries, (rhamnus infectorius,) the Canada golden rod (solidago Canadensis,) the Barberry (Berberis vulgaris,) and the French marygold, (Tagetes patula,) for yellows, &c. &c.; it is not to be concluded that such are not good in their kind, and might not be used occasionally with advantage. But as our object has been to give the best methods of dyeing the various colours, it would be impossible to notice many others in a manual of this kind, and in the limits within which we are necessarily confined. To mention those substances recently introduced into dyeing, the utility of which is not confirmed by extensive practice, would be injudicious, and tend to lead the young dyer astray; those, however, who have leisure and inclination, and are, besides, able to run the risk of the failure of new processes, may, and no doubt will, make experiments with them by which our art must be eventually served and improved.

INDEX

• Acetate of alumina, [8], [36]
  • copper, [16]
  • lead, [17]
• Acid, the acetic, [33]
  • carbonic, [32]
  • Gallic, [10]
  • muriatic, [12]
  • nitric, ib.
  • nitro-muriatic, [13]
  • pyrolignous, [33]
  • sulphuric, [15]
  • Tartaric, [33]
• Acids, what, [31]
• Adjective colours, [27]
• Adrianople red, [117]
• Albumen, [24]
• Alcohol, what, and how obtained, [25]
• Alkali, volatile, [23], [30]
• Alkalies, the fixed, [14], [30]
• Alum, common, [7]
  • roche, ib.
• Alumina, ib.
  • acetate of, [8]
• American bark, [15]
• Ammonia, [23]
  • carbonate of, ib.
• Animal substances, analysis of, [18]
  • oil, [24]
• Annatto, preparation of, [136]
• Aqua fortis, [13]
  • regia, ib.
• Archil, [8]
• Argol, ib.
• Aurora, to dye silk, [137]
• Azotic gas, [29]

• Bancroft's dyeing, [4]
• Bancroft's murio-sulphate of tin, [101]
• Barilla, [15]
• Bastard saffron, ib.
• Berthollet's dyeing, [4]
• Bile, [10]
• Black on silk, [106], [107], [108]
  • to dye, on cotton, Rouen process, [108]
  • London process, ib.
• Black, to dye, on cotton velvets at Manchester, [110]
  • silk and cotton with a blue ground, [112]
  • another for cotton, [114]
  • on wool, [90], [93]
• Bleaching, [37]
• Blood used in dyeing, [119]
  • its constituents, [24]
• Blue, [111]
  • to dye, on cotton, [47]
  • silk, [64]
  • wool, [73], [80]
  • linen and cotton, [57]
  • chemic, [47]
  • copperas or vitriol, [10]
• Bran, [9]
• Brimstone, [15]
• Brown, to dye wool, [97]
  • cotton, [128]
• Buff, to dye cotton a fast, [58]
  • wool, [101]