Part 4 (1/2)

Some of thethe Lichens They seees, but apparently none of the great French dyers used the The only Lichen dyes that are known generally a dyers are Orchil and Cudbear, and these are preparations of lichens, not the lichens themselves They are still used in soreat ood and permanent dyes The _Parely used in the Highlands and West Ireland, for dyeing brown of all shades No mordant is needed, and the colours produced are the fastest known ”Crottle” is the general naathered off the rocks in July and August, dried in the sun, and used to dye wool, without any preparation The crottle is put into the bath with a sufficient quantity of water, boiled up, allowed to cool, then boiled up with the wool until the shade required is got This may take from one to three or four hours, as the dye is not rapidly taken up by the wool Other dyers use it in the folloay: A layer of crottle, a layer of wool, and so on until the bath is full; fill with cold water and bring to the boil, and boil till the colour is deep enough The wool does not see time A small quantity of acetic acid put with the Lichen is said to assist in exhausting the colour

The grey Lichen, _Rarows very plentifully on old stone walls, especially by the sea, and in damp woods, on trees, and on old rotten wood Boil the Lichen up in sufficient water one day, and the next put in the wool, and boil up again till the right colour is got If the wool is left in the dye for a day orit absorbs more colour, and it does not hurt the wool but leaves it soft and silky to the touch, though apt to be uneven in colour Some mordant the wool first with alum, but it does not seem to need it

The best known of the dye Lichens are _Parmelia saxatilis_ and _Parely used in Scotland and Ireland for dyeing wool for tweeds The well-known Harris tweed smell is partly due to the use of this dye

Other Lichens also known for their dyeing properties are: _Parmelia caperata_, or Stone Crottle, which contains a yellow dye, _P

ceratophylla_, or Dark Crottle, and _P parietina_, the coives a colour similar to that of the Lichen itself, yellowish brown A deep red colour can be got frorey friable Lichen, co on rocks and walls, and old roofs, dyes a fine plum colour, if the wool is mordanted first with bi+chromate of Potash

In Sweden, Scotland and other countries the peasantry use a Lichen, called _Lecanora tartarea_ to furnish a red or crimson dye It is found abundantly on alrows on dry moors It is collected in May and June, and steeped in stale urine for about three weeks, being kept at athen a thick and strong texture, like bread, and being of a blueish black colour, is taken out and ht, which are wrapped in dock leaves and hung up to dry in peat smoke When dry it may be preserved fit for use forit is partially dissolved in ater; 5 lbs of Korkalett is considered sufficient for about 4 Scotch ells of cloth The colour produced is a light red It is used in the dyeing of yarn as well as of cloth

In Shetland, the _Parmelia saxatilis_ (Scrottyie) is used to dye brown It is found in abundance on argillaceous rocks It is considered best if gathered late in the year, and is generally collected in August

Linnaeus mentions that a beautiful red colour may be prepared from the Lichen _Gyrophora pustulata_ _G Cylindrica_ is used by Icelanders for dyeing woollen stuffs a brownish green colour In Sweden and Norway, _Evernia vulpina_ is used for dyeing woollen stuffs yellow

Iceland Moss, _Cetraria Islandica_, is used in Iceland for dyeing brown _Usnea barbata_ is collected froe colour for yarn

A generalof Sweden in his _Experi Wools and Silks_:

”The Lichens should be gathered after some days of rain, they can then be more easily detached from the rocks They should be ashed, dried, and reduced to a fine powder: 25 parts of pure river water are added to 1 of powdered lichen and 1 part of fresh quick lime to 10 parts powdered lichen To 10 lbs lichen half a pound sal aether The vessel containing them should be kept covered for the first 2 or 3 days Sometiive greater lustre to the colours”

Thisto experi did not use a rows on both rocks and trees, the speciive the better colours

ORCHIL OR ARCHIL AND CUDBEAR are substantive or non mordants dyes, obtained fro on rocks in the Canary Islands and other tropical and sub-tropical countries

They used to be made in certain parts of Great Britain from various lichens, but the manufacture of these has almost entirely disappeared

They have been known froive beautiful purples and reds, but the colour is not very fast The dye is produced by the action of aen upon the crushed Lichens or weeds as they are called The early way of producing the colour was by treating the Lichen with stale urine and slaked lime and this method was followed in Scotland Orchil is applied to wool by the sihtly acid solution of the colouring matter 3 Sulphuric acid is a useful combination Sometimes alum and tartar are used It dyes slowly and evenly It is used as a bottoo on wool and also for co it is not used It is rarely used by itself as the colour is fugitive, but by using a mordant of tin, the colour is made much more permanent

Many of the British lichens produce colours by the sae quantities were athered in the Shetlands and Western Highlands

This was called Cudbear The Species used by the Scottish Cudbear enerally _Lecanora tartarea_ and _Urceolaria calcarea_; but the following lichens also give the purple colour on treatment with ammonia:--_Evernia prunastri_, _Lecanora pallescens_, _Umbilicaria vellea_, _U pustulata_, _Parive colours of similar character, but of little commercial value The manufacture of Archil and Cudbear from the various lichens is simple in principle In all cases the plant is reduced to a pulp ater and ammonia, and the mass kept at atwo or three weeks to complete

RECIPES FOR DYEING WITH LICHENS

_To dye Broith Crotal_ For 6-1/4 lbs (100 ozs) of wool Dye baths ths of from 10 to 50 ozs of Crotal Raise the bath to the boil, and boil for an hour A light tan shade is got by first dipping the wool in a strong solution of Crotal, a darker shade by boiling for half-an-hour, and a dark brown by boiling for two hours or so It is better, however, to get the shade by altering the quantity of Crotal used The addition of sufficient oil of vitriol or acetic acid to htly acid will be an improvement (a very small quantity should be used)

_To dye red with Crotal_ Gather the lichen off the rocks--it is best in winter Put layers of lichen and wool alternately in a pot, fill up ater and boil until you get the desired tint Too much crotal will make the wool a dark red brown, but a very pretty terra cotta red can be got No ht yellow Lichen_ (_Parmelia parietina_)

Mordant the ith 3 of bi+chromate of Potash, then boil with the lichen for 1 hour or more

_To dye Brown from Crotal_ Boil the ith an equal quantity of lichen for 1 or 1-1/2 hours No mordant is required

_To dye red purple frowood_ Dye with equal quantities of Cudbear and Logwood, the wool having beenwith 8 lbs cudbear, 1/2 lb

logwood (for 30 lbs wool)

_To dye Yellow on Linen with the Lichen Peltigera canina_ (a large flat lichen growing on rocks in woods) Mordant with alum (1/4 lb to a lb of linen) boil for 2 hours Then boil up with sufficient quantity of the lichen till the desired colour is got