Purple Color. Claret color.

Scientific American 39, 17.6.1848

For the Scientific American.

There are three ways of dyeing this beautiful color. 1st. By dyeing the woolen cloth or yarn a light red and blueing it on the top with indigo. 2, By dyeing it first red and then blueing it on the top with cudbear. 3 By dyeing it with logwood and the muriate of tin. The last plan is not only the cheapest but the richest for a full color, but the second plan is the best for a clear light color.

To dye this color, the goods must be pure white and perfectly clean. For five pounds of fine woolen cloth - such as merino twill - one pound of logwood liquor, one ounce of cream of tartar and one ounce of alum with half a wine glass of the muriate of tin, will answer. These ingredients are put into the kettle and when the liquor is boiling storngly, the goods are entered nicely loose and handled with great care and promptness so as to prevent spotting. When the goods are boiled three-fourths of an hour in this they will be found of a good color. The logwood liquor should be boiled and settled two days before it is used. In such light colors as purple, &c. it is best to give the stuffs two or more different dips.

This makes certainty of levelness in color, and cleanness and permanency beside. As the color is wanted to be darker more logwood liquor is added, but not when the goods are in the boiler. If wanted on the reddis shade, more muriate of tin is added. No person need be afraid of not dyeing a very good and cheap purple by following the above receipt, only beware of an iron kettle to dye it in.


Claret color.

This color is dyed exactly as the purple, only double or three times more stuff is employed to dye it, and the goods do not need to be pure white - an old garment grey or red, or yellow, can be made claret.

Claret can also be dyed with camwood - a plan which we prefer for woolen cloth, as it is much more permanent and stands the sun, as it is commonly termed, better. About 3 pounds of camwood is boiled along with about 10 pounds of cloth for about one hour, when the goods are taken out and the liquor of about half a pound of scalded sumac added and half a pound of the sulphate of iron. This is suffered to boil for a short time and the kettle skimmed of its froth, when the goods should be entered quickly and boiled for an hour. This is called saddening - or darkening. This makes an excellent claret, and if boiled afterwards in a kettle with clear fustic liquor, a good and clear brown is the result.

If hypernic, or peachwood, is put upon the top of a purple, a good maroon is the result. This is done by using considerable alum in the purple dye, and boiling the goods afterwards in the peachwood liquor. Two pounds of peachwood to ten of goods answers very well, but there is such a difference in dye stuffs and in the qualities of goods, that no dyer can be conscious of integrity, who says dogmatically such and such a weiht of dye stuffs will always dyes such a shade certain - but by these receipts and a little practice, any person can dye them correctly.