Important: Safety Warning
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.
In addition, this page directs the use of hazardous substances — such as benzine, gasoline, lye, or strong acids — for household tasks. These materials are highly flammable, corrosive, or poisonous, and the practices described have caused fires, burns, and poisonings.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Home › Contributions From Friends On Household Economy › With Butternut Bark
With Butternut Bark
Another way to color yarn, cloth or carpet rags, is to boil a large iron kettleful of butternut-bark for four hours; take out the bark, put in a spoonful of copperas. If you wish a black put in more copperas or a little blue vitriol-too much vitriol rots the goods. Then while the dye is boiling, put in the goods and keep stirring and once every few minutes lift the goods with a stick into the air, then put them under. And so on keep watching and moving them till you get the shade required. If left folded or packed too tight they will spot. -SARAH A. B., Shellsburg, Iowa.