Important: Safety Warning
This page contains a formula or preparation using substances now known to be dangerously toxic, such as arsenic, mercury, lead, or cyanide compounds. Exposure to these substances can cause severe poisoning, permanent injury, or death.
In addition, this page describes trade processes that use dangerously toxic materials such as cyanide solutions, mercury amalgams, or strong acids. These processes require training, equipment, and precautions far beyond what the text describes.
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Home › Contributions From Friends On Household Economy › Drab, Green, etc
Drab, Green, etc
S. P., Lapeer City, Mich., who not only colors, but weaves her own carpets, gives the following: To color drab: Save your cold tea and put a little copperas in it. Boil it up and skim it, and then put in your goods and let them remain a short time.
To color cotton green: First color blue, and then put them in a yellow dye. To color blue: For four pounds one ounce prussiate potash, one ounce copperas, one ounce of alum. Dissolve the alum and copperas in water enough to wet the goods. Then put them in the potash, and let them remain ten minutes; then put in the copperas and alum. Let the dye be hot.
To color yellow: Take eight ounces sugar of lead, four ounces bichromate potash. Dissolve the sugar of lead in hot water, in a jar. Dip the goods in the sugar of lead first, and then in the potash, alternately, till you have the color desired. This will color six pounds.