WARNING: PERSONAL OPINION BELOW! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
If I could leave on lasting impression on indie dyers it would be SAY NO TO VINEGAR! It is not a good mordant! It is for putting on salad, not dying!
The acidic compound in white distilled vinegar is acetic acid. Unfortunately, acetic acid is not the best compound for fixing dye, you have to use more dye and more water to rinse the yarn in addition to the foul odor it leaves behind. In addition the concentration of acetic acid in vinegar varies from bottle to bottle producing inconsistent results.
I prefer and use citric acid. Citric acid is a better mordant. It fixes the dye better which in turn means the yarn requires less rinsing. One tablespoon of citric acid does as much as a whole gallon of vinegar. It is much more cost effective. Frankly, it is better for the environment, safe to handle (it is the same type of acid you find in lemons/limes!), and less corrosive (better for pipes, hands etc).
Just because I can use watercolors to paint my house, doesn't mean I should. I use what professionals use, house paint. It just pains me so to see people constantly asking questions about how to use vinegar and when to use vinegar and using vinegar to rinse. Vinegar is NOT A CURE-ALL. This is just one of many reasons I am opening this store, to make this simple compound available to you, along with the directions about how to get the results you want.
For those of you that LOVE your vinegar and couldn't IMAGINE doing it any other way, okay, but there are better tools out there, begging you to use them. I am sure the other people in your studio will not complain of the lack of stench either.
Update on the store: Hoping to get my website design approved so I can get the site up. I am testing several payment methods, and trying to figure out if people really do hate paypal. I like it, but someone recently told me that "people" do not like paypal. If you have a paypal opinion would you be as so kind as to vote on the sidebar? ((Thanks))
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5 comments:
I am sorry but I am going to have to disagree with you. I use Acetic acid and Lanaset dyes and your assertion that more dye and rinsing is required and that it is an inferior mordant is absolutely untrue. I measure everything using precise tools and weights. The amount of dye used for a certain depth of shade is based on the weight of fiber and has nothing to do with the type of acid used. Citric acid may work just as well, but it is not better and I don't believe you have any basis for this statement.
I know that you prefaced your post with the statement that it was your opinion, but what followed was not merely a statement of opinion. You are claiming a proven mordant, acetic acid and it's weaker version, vinegar, to be inferior and that is just not true. That goes beyond opinion. An opinion is something like, I prefer citric acid because it has no smell and is more economical for large volume dyeing. For a casual or small dyer the cost is not that big a deal as far as vinegar goes. I am dyeing very large volumes and that is why I use acetic acid, since it is more concentrated. Actually I need less acetic acid by weight than I would citric acid, if I used it. I am not bothered by the odor in the finished yarn and a single rinse when the yarn comes out of the pot is sufficient for removing most of it and there is usually very little if any excess dye to rinse out due to the fact that I don't use more than needed to achieve the shade I want.
Indie Dyer
I could not agree more. Don't I hate it when so called dyers want to use salad dressing and kids drinks to dye yarn. I live in a green state and can not imagine fouling my fiber with the stench of vinegar or using that amount of water when just a teaspoon of citric acid will do.
Notsocks
Well I based my argument on my personal experience of using vinegar and (my albeit limited knowledge of chemistry) how acids donate protons to solutions. How well the dye sets has to relate to the acidic properties of the mordant or we would just add more dye, or use ANY type of acid to set. It may not set the dye better, but it sure seems to, my yarns colors are cleaner and crisper. I haven't taken chemistry in several years, but I am sure I could do some more research on it and post it in my blog. :) AFTER I MOVE.
I knew someone would disagree with me on the topic. :) Especially because people are so stuck in their ways.
The scientist in me takes over when it comes to mixing my dyes. I want my dyes to have the same measured out concentrations of mordant. Store bought vinegar is not all the same, I mean I am sure its pretty close, but I don't want to find out later when the yarn comes out wrong. I guess you can buy acetic acid from big chemical companies if you want to standardize it, but I just find that PERSONALLY, citric acid is easier on my hands and everything else I own. Thus it is TO ME a BETTER ALTERNATIVE.
:)
Happy Dyeing!
Hi Indie Dyer, I just had to click on this post because I am such a huge vinegar fan that I had to read about why I should "say no" to it. I love vinegar! Lately, I have been using it as a fabric softener in my laundry (infused with a sachet of lavender) and to clean my kitchen. I LOVE the way it smells! Maybe it is because I grew up working in a cider mill? I don't know, but I think it is truly wonderful stuff! Did you know that it is even National Vinegar Month? Well, that being said, I do use Citric Acid when dying, not as a mordant, but to achieve the best pH for my acid dyes. Sometimes, I revert back to using vinegar if I'm running low on Citric Acid or if I'm just in the mood for vinegar. I curious as to why you think vinegar is bad for the environment when it is touted as a wonderful thing on so many "go green" websites? Thanks for an interesting post.
Well In comparison to 409 and bleach, vinegar is definitely less offensive to the environment. So yes, cleaning your house is probably more green then windex or scrubbing bubbles. :)
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