Another walnut dye thread

[Ohio Rusty]

The walnuts are starting to fall. Soon they will be prolific. I use the dye for clothes and knife sheath coloring. There are probably 100 different ways people extract the dye from the nut hulls. This is my way of doing it.
After hammering on the walnut, the hull separates from the hard inner nut. Those hulls are put in a bucket and hot water is poured over the hulls to start extracting the dye. I also use a 2x4 and press down on the hulls to help extract the dye crushing the hulls. I will do this process for several days to make sure I have gotten all the dye I can.
After that, I pour the hulls and dye water through a 1/4 inch mesh screen to take out all the big hunks. I then stretch a pair of panty hose over a bucket and pour the dye into the hose and hang it to drip. This removes all the tiny pieces that got thru the screen. If you don't get out those tiny pieces, they will stick to your cloth and your cloth will be covered in dark spots and it will look like it has the measles !! There is no getting out the dark spots. I saw a fellow once that didn't remove all the fine matter from dyeing a weskit and the weskit was pretty much ruined from all the spotting/staining of the walnut pieces.
Avoid the temptation to try to sgueeze more dye from the hose as squeezing opens the mesh more letting the tiny bits and pieces through the hose. Let drip on it's own.
What you end up with is a clean batch of dye. I needed to re-dye a pair of breeches that had faded, and they turned to a nice even color prown. Both Alum or vinegar can act as a mordant to make your stain stick to the cloth. I just hang the cloth until dry to make the stain set. Don't forget to rinse well the cloth after it dries as there is stain in the cloth that didn't stick.

 

[ETipp]

Have you ever tried a paint strainer for the final filtering?

 

[1950DAVE]

Paint strainer, very little surface area compare to panty hose. Lots of solid matter in walnut hull dye that has to be separated. Painters, quite often use panty hose, especially for anything more than a cupful.

 

[ETipp]

Paint strainer, very little surface area compare to panty hose. Lots of solid matter in walnut hull dye that has to be separated. Painters, quite often use panty hose, especially for anything more than a cupful.

That's why I stated the final filtering.

I've used paint strainers a lot. Nothing is going to get past a paint strainer. We use them in aviation to filter paint prior to painting aircraft.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I like to either prepare the dye in an iron potje or put a rusty piece of old steel wool into a grain sack for brewing, to add iron oxide to the dye as a mordant.

LD

 

[Ohio Rusty]

I don't know the cost of paint strainers, but I can get two pair of panty hose from the thrift store for 99 cents. I'm on a strict fixed income, any place I can save money I do it.
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[BillyC]

I’m dyeing and waxing some mink and muskrat traps this afternoon with walnut hull dye. It turns the traps black!! You can even use green walnuts so you don’t t have to wait for them to turn black later in the year.

 

[ETipp]

I don't know the cost of paint strainers, but I can get two pair of panty hose from the thrift store for 99 cents. I'm on a strict fixed income, any place I can save money I do it.
Ohio Rusty ><>

They are usually free at any paint supply shop. Just a suggestion, no big deal.

 

[necchi]

I then stretch a pair of panty hose over a bucket and pour the dye into the hose and hang it to drip.

An olde T-shirt works.
What I found is key,, Is how far ya render down the drippings before ya use it as a stain.
5 gallons of drippings can make a gallon of stain,, or the same can make a quart.
Ma usta use a colander with a cheese cloth liner to make our jelly's,, an jelly is different than jam

 

[ETipp]

An olde T-shirt works.
What I found is key,, Is how far ya render down the drippings before ya use it as a stain.
5 gallons of drippings can make a gallon of stain,, or the same can make a quart.
Ma usta use a colander with a cheese cloth liner to make our jelly's,, an jelly is different than jam

Necchi, in terms of making walnut stain, what do you mean when you say render it down? I know what render lard means.

I'm looking into making some walnut stain this fall.

Thanks.

 

[necchi]

what do you mean when you say render it down?

Basically boiling the water off to make a concentrate, but do it slow.

 

[ETipp]

Basically boiling the water off to make a concentrate, but do it slow.

Very well then. Pretty much what I had thought. Looking forward to making some this fall.

I thank you, sir.