Dictionarium polygraphicum. To dye silk red.

Dictionarium Polygraphicum:
Or, The Whole Body of Arts Regularly Digested.
Vol II.
London: Printed for C. Hitch and C. Davis in Pater-noster Row, and S. Austen in St. Paul's Church Yard. MDCCXXXV.
1735
To dye silk red.
For every pound of silk allow one pound of Brasil, boil it, and strain it, then boil the wood again, adding cold water to it; wave or turn the silk about in it, and take it out of that without wringing, when it hath sufficiently imbib'd the tincture; then add a little pet-ashes, or put them into cold water, and turn the silk up and down in it, and when it is red enough, rinse and dry it.



Of dying silk red.

The way of preparing the liquor or suds, in which the silk must be steep'd, before it be dyed crimon.

For every pound of silk put four handfuls of wheaten-bran into the quantity of two pails of water; boil them together, and pour the liquor into a tub, and let it stand all night, clarify it, and put into half the water, half a pound of alum, and a quarter of a pound of tartar of red wine, redue'd to an impalpable powder; add also half an ounce of turmerick, redue'd to a fine powder; boil them together for a quarter of an hour, stirring them very well; then take the kettle off the fire, and immediately put in the silk, and cover the kettle very close, that none of the steam may evaporate.

Let it stand thus for three hours, then take out the silk, and rinse it very well in cold water; then beat it very well upon a block, and let it dry.

Then beat a quarter of a pound of galls small, put them into a pail of running river or rain-water; boil them for a full hour, then take the kettle off the fire, and when it is grown just cool enough for you to endure your hand in it, put in the silk, and let it lie and steep in it for an hour, then take it out, and dry it.