Tea Dyeing?

[Chas]

We have discussed in the past dyeing hose using tea. I am now in the position to do so, having just acquired a pair of white hose.

So my questions are to do with procedure.

How much tea for a pair of hose?

Water temperature? Boiled up - boiled then left to cool - cold water?

Mordant? Some have said that none is required, but doesn't that mean that every wash will remove more of the dye? Or should the dyed hose only be washed by hand?

Thanks in advance.

Regards

Chas

[Oberu]

I have done this a time or two myself. The amount of tea depends on the shade you'd like to obtain. I find that to get the shade I'm after I have to get the tea very dark indeed. I would keep the water temperature below boiling. I would add salt as well if the hose are natural material. I can never get manmade materials to hold stain in this manner. I am unfamiliar with "Mordant". I would steer clear of drying with a machine. Hope this helps.

[Woodsheal]

I did mine in a stainless steel pot on the stove top, and threw in about ten regular ol' Lipton black tea bags, brought it to a boil, then reduced it to a simmer. Pre-wet the hose in warm water and toss them in. Stir occasionally, and remove them when they appear quite darker then the final shade desired. Rinse thoroughly in cold water.
No mordant required, as I understand the metal of the vessel itself has mordant properties. Salt wouldn't hurt, but I didn't use any. Mine came out a nice medium brown, almost like a dark khaki, and have held their color just fine....

[Burly Brute]

What about Coffee?

[chrisupyonder]

I tried coffee but it seemed to wash out unlike tea.

The pair of white hose I did with tea came out 1 lighter than the other. It seems they were from a different batch of fabric and one had more man made fibre than the other which did not take the colour.
I have now re-done the lighter one and they look about the same.

Chris.

[Bugbear]

I thought the salt is a Mordant.

[Mikilt]

I used some strong coffee on a pair and they came out almost the same shade as my oatmeal hose. I rinsed them and re-dyed with proper brown dye and they came out perfect.

I don't know about tea. What are your hopes for color/shade?

[Chas]

I don't know about tea. What are your hopes for color/shade?

Brown - darker rather than lighter. But these are commercial ex-rental white hose, so the wool content is only about 20% tops. Realistically, if I can get mid brown, I will be happy.

Thanks everyone.

Regards

Chas

[Pleater]

You need to be considerate of the fibre your hose are made from, and not use the tea too hot.

I let the tea stand with the leaves or bags in, until it is just warm, then filter it - even it it is in bags - as a stray leaf can make a dark mark on the item.

The things to be dyed need to be able to float around - using a dye bath which is too small can lead to patchy take up of colour.

They should be wet, totally immersed in clean water with a tiny tiny amount of detergent to lower the surface tension, then picked up and put straight into the dyebath, then stirred.

If you are not sure how dark the colour will be, use only a little tea - but measure how much. Then when you have seen the effect you can add more. With the large dye bath you can add extra dye a little at a time, whilst stirring to disperse it.

If the required shade is 'as dark as possible' then things can be left for several hours.

With wool adding just a little alkaline substance to the wetting water will cause the scales on the surface of the wool to lift - or attempt to lift if it has been treated for washabiity, which increases the surface area available for the colour to sit on. Usually the small amount of detergent will do that - which is why woollens should be given a final rinse in water with a little vinegar added, to restore the pH wool likes.

The same brew is good for removing rust - I recommend it when someone finds that they have a knitting machine with rusty needles. It turns the rust soft and blue.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: