A New Collection of Genuine Receipts

A New England receipt book from the 1830s — cures, dyes, inks and kitchen secrets, preserved exactly as printed.

HomeRecipes › To produce the Swiss deep and pale red tropical mordants

To produce the Swiss deep and pale red tropical mordants

When the cotton cloth has beer freed by steeping and boiling in soap and water, from the paste used by the weaver, and any other impurities it may have acquired, immerse it thoroughly; or, as it is called, tramp or pad it in a solution of any alkali, and oil of grease, forming an imperfect soap, or boil it in any of the perfect soaps dissolved in water, or in a solution of soda and gallipoli oil, in the proportion of 1 gallon of oil to 20 gallons of soda locs, at the strength of 4 degrees and a half; then dry the cloth in the stove, and repeat the process several times, which may be varied at pleasure, according to the lustre and durability of the colour wanted, stove-drying the cloth between every immersion. To the above solutions add a little sheep,s dung, for the first three immersions; these are called the dung liquors; after the cloth has received the dung liquors, it is steeped for 12 hours in a quantity of water, 110 degrees of Fahrenheit; this is called the green steep. The cloth being again stove dried, is immersed as above in a solution of alkali and oil, or grease, or boiled in perfect soap dissolved, but without the sheep's dung; or oftener, according to the brilliancy of colours wanted, stove-dying as before, between every immersion; these are called the white liquors. Steep the cloth for twelve hours at 125 degrees Fahrenheit, which forms what is called the white steep. The cloth being now thoroughly washed in cold water, and dried, is ready to receive, first, the pink mordant, which is composed as follows:--take equal quantities, by measurement, of a decoction of galls at the strength of four to six, and a solution of alum at one half degree, the alum being previously saturated with whitening, or any other alkali, in the proportion of 1 ounce to the pound weight of alum; mix them together, and raise the temperature to 140 degrees of Fahrenheit, or as hot as can be handled. By immersion, as formerly mentioned, in this mixture, the cloth, when dyed and cleared, exhibits a beautiful pink, equal, if not superior, to that produced by cochineal.

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