RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 979
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Post by RyanAK on Jun 10, 2022 16:45:04 GMT -7
Hey, gang. I just started to tiptoe into fabric dying with some linen swatches and a few things I had on hand. With me… that leads to additional thought and research. I was wondering if anyone had a resource for period correct dyestuffs. The internet is flooded with ‘natural dyes’, but I don’t yet have the knowledge to know what would have been available in mid-18th center North America. Here’s what I’ve compiled so far:
Iron - mordant and dye
Copperas
Walnut hulls
Oak galls and acorn caps
Logwood
Madder
Goldenrod
Sumac
Tea
Indigo
That should keep me busy for a while, but I’m always interested in more info.
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Post by brokennock on Jun 11, 2022 4:15:05 GMT -7
TallsWife on that other forum has a lot of good information on it.
Your question raises a question this tech dummie has had for a long time.
When a forum dies, what happens to the posts and info? We are often told, and stress to young people, "once it goes onthe internet, it's forever." Usually as a warning. If that is so, where is the info?
I ask because there used to be a forum called "Muzzle Loading Life." And there were a few threads with a lot of great info on stuff we discuss here. Including a really good one from a lady who who I think went by Tsuti, that had great period she info with links to materials and more info.
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 979
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Post by RyanAK on Jun 11, 2022 7:35:19 GMT -7
It’s not forever, that’s for sure. The internet isn’t a library with hard copies. There’s the wayback machine, but that’s an imperfect solution.
It’s a concern of mine. I was active for years and year (still am occasionally) on the Classic Fly Rod Forum. That’s the single best resource for bamboo rod collecting, building, fishing etc. Some early stuff was lost in software upgrades. The ownership is of questionable character. (To the point where a contingent tried to buy the forum…) But there always seems to be new members, and that keeps it going. For now.
We’re talking maybe 100,000 topics of information.
The biggest crush to the information there was the Photobucket disaster. That forum didn’t do integrated image hosting ($$$$) so many (myself included) used Photobucket to upload images. When SHTF with PB, many, many, MANY topics became absolutely worthless without the images. I had a very popular (30,000 views) 14 page step-by-step topic on building a rod with very basic tools. Useless without photos.
I don’t have a good answer. All I know is that we need to support the forum owners in any way possible and think of a succession plan for the information we’ve collected here, elsewhere, and in our home computers.
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Post by paranger on Jun 11, 2022 7:51:07 GMT -7
Frontierfolk was another such forum with tons of great information and research from some real heavy hitters which has now become the digital equivalent of a ghost town. I really got my foundational knowledge of period knives there from the likes of Ken Hamilton, Wick Ellerbe et al.
I don't have a good solution, either. I am not likely to build my own server and archive everything of potential interest, but short of that, not sure what to do about it.
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 979
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Post by RyanAK on Jun 11, 2022 9:12:04 GMT -7
Federal grant to acquire digital storage and a librarian for the new ‘Early America Digital Archive’?
Back to dyestuffs. I need to look in some of my information for what was available through merchants. Right now I see a division of types sorta like this:
1. Natural local material available for homebrew dye. Walnut, Oak, other local plants.
2. Commercial dyestuffs available through local merchants for home dyeing of fabrics. Madder, logwood, etc.
3. Commercial-scale dyestuffs for dying textiles in a dye house. This need not be a big operation. Indigo, etc.
I’m mostly interested in what would have been done in the home to locally produced cloth with either locally gathered dyestuff or those acquired through local merchants. Stuff that we basically reenact when we dye a piece of kit. Local material from nature should be fairly simple to define for any particular geographic region, but advertisements or a merchants day book would give some insight into what someone could purchase to dye fabric at home.
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Post by Black Hand on Jun 11, 2022 11:33:10 GMT -7
I use Fireshot to turn web material/page(s) into a PDF that can be archived on my computer. It is a free extension.
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Post by brokennock on Jun 12, 2022 2:39:21 GMT -7
Frontierfolk was another such forum with tons of great information and research from some real heavy hitters which has now become the digital equivalent of a ghost town. I really got my foundational knowledge of period knives there from the likes of Ken Hamilton, Wick Ellerbe et al. I don't have a good solution, either. I am not likely to build my own server and archive everything of potential interest, but short of that, not sure what to do about it. Difference being, I can still log onto Frontier Folk and read the information that is there. It may not be active, which is a shame, but the info is there. Muzzleloading Life doesn't even seem to have old inactive pages hiding in the corners of the web. As for dye stuffs. Check out Foxfire books, I'm sure something is there. Also, check the websites of companies offering plant based, natural, dyes and mordant. I know at least one has a lot of information on them with links to more info. I just can't remember which one. Maybe through p.m. you can talk TallsWife into joining us here, or at least dropping in for a visit and discussion on what she knows about the subject. |
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Post by Black Hand on Jun 12, 2022 3:49:44 GMT -7
There is also a person on Keith's forum - tricky, since they are "down under" and the dyestuffs are different.
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Post by Black Hand on Jun 12, 2022 3:55:01 GMT -7
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Post by paranger on Jun 12, 2022 5:01:45 GMT -7
Frontierfolk was another such forum with tons of great information and research from some real heavy hitters which has now become the digital equivalent of a ghost town. I really got my foundational knowledge of period knives there from the likes of Ken Hamilton, Wick Ellerbe et al. I don't have a good solution, either. I am not likely to build my own server and archive everything of potential interest, but short of that, not sure what to do about it. Difference being, I can still log onto Frontier Folk and read the information that is there. It may not be active, which is a shame, but the info is there. Muzzleloading Life doesn't even seem to have old inactive pages hiding in the corners of the web. As for dye stuffs. Check out Foxfire books, I'm sure something is there. Also, check the websites of companies offering plant based, natural, dyes and mordant. I know at least one has a lot of information on them with links to more info. I just can't remember which one. Maybe through p.m. you can talk TallsWife into joining us here, or at least dropping in for a visit and discussion on what she knows about the subject. Interesting. I can't even get to FF anymore. Maybe my login expired or something. |
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Post by Black Hand on Jun 12, 2022 5:10:55 GMT -7
I can still get to FF and log in with my original screen name/password.
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Post by paranger on Jun 12, 2022 6:39:11 GMT -7
I can still get to FF and log in with my original screen name/password. Ok. Maybe I will try a password reset. |
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Post by paranger on Jun 12, 2022 6:41:26 GMT -7
Got it. I'm in now, thx.
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 979
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Post by RyanAK on Jun 12, 2022 7:49:19 GMT -7
Well that’ll keep me reading for a while! Thanks. ‘Nock, I’ll try to get over to the other forum today. I’m setting sleeves at the moment. The native plant dyestuffs seem straightforward. I guess the real question comes down to which of the exotics would have been available to the home dyer. Indigo, logwood, madder…? |
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Joe
City-dweller
Posts: 170
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Post by Joe on Jun 13, 2022 19:21:59 GMT -7
The book "Shaker Recipes and Formulas" by Lassiter has quite a few interesting pages on the subject. It is mid 19th century though .
Many of my old cook books have a section of dyes in them. The Shaker Manuscripts talk a lot about "fermenting" the dye. as well as troubleshooting dyes that don't dye.
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