Green Walnuts

[RiverRat]

My friend gave me a burlap bag full of green walnuts and I would like to render them down to make some dye. How do I go about this? Can this dye be stored for use later this winter?
Thankyou

 

[BillinOregon]

Rat: I just let mine dry enough that the husk darkens and can be removed by rolling between a couple of sections of newspaper with feet, board, whatever. Put two ort hree cups of husk in a coffee can and add enough water to stir, then let it simmer on a camp stove or hotplate for a few hours. Pour off the liquid and that's your dye. Without adding alcohol, mine would form a head of mold several times during the winter, but underneath it was good dye.

 

[tom hargrove]

i make mine by .building a fire out side and in a large metal container i add walnuts to 3/4 from the top then add water rain ,water if you got it or well water , then boil after it boils for about 20min i remove it from the fire and add 1cup fo salt or 1/2 cup alcahol as a modent, and let cool for two days then pour the liquod through a screen into another conainer then fine strain through a pc of onsonburg when i want to dye something i just toss it in the bucket for about 5days wring it out and lay it over the fence to dry never had a problem but you have to let i dry before you was it or the color will wash out.

 

[BillinOregon]

Two Bellys: Your method sound much better than mine, especially when making up a large batch of dye for treating garments. The small batches I make are fine for staining hand-made arrows, atlatls and atlatl darts -- also works on small leather objects.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

I use cold water in a trash can. I smash the walnuts with a tamp bar while they sit in an old wash tub. I prefer to make it when they are green and juicy like yours are now.

 

Throw the walnuts hulls and all(the green ones make better dye) in a big cast iron kettle and add a bunch of water and boil them down. I let mine set in the kettle for about a week so the iron oxide is added to the mix. Iron is the mordant for walnut dye. Then sift out the walnuts and bottle the dye up. You can add a tiny bit of alcohol to the dye to keep it from going bad.