Making Iron Water
Iron water is magical. You can use it to shift yellows to olive green, deepen browns, transform bright cochineal pinks into moody plums, and make all sorts of gorgeous grays depending on what kind of tannins you combine it with. Historically Iron was used to sadden colors.
What You Need
Water
White vinegar - This helps the rust bloom
2 handfuls of rusty objects. Old screws and nails work great. If you’ve gathered your objects off or out of the ground, gently remove any dirt.
Fill your container 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full of water. Put 1 Tb of vinegar into the jar for every 1 C of water. Add your rusty objects and put the lid on. Now all you have to do is wait. I generally check on it every couple of days and give it a gentle shake. In the summertime, you might get rust forming in a couple of days or a week depending on how warm it is. During the winter it takes weeks or even a month. I live in Northern California so I can leave the jar outside all year round. If it freezes where you live keep the jar inside during the winter months. Once the water has turned a deep orange color, it’s ready to use. I usually pour this into another jar and start the process all over. I always like to have a good supply of rust water around, especially in the fall. It’s great for making shades of gray when combined with things high in tannins.
Immersion Method
Because there is no way of measuring the amount of iron in your homemade iron water you’ll need to experiment. Get out your natural dye notebook and take notes. You’ll never remember what you did exactly unless you write it down. You can add the iron water directly to your dye vat or use it to make an after bath. Iron is powerful and a little goes a long way. When adding iron water directly to your dye vat start with 1/2 tsp and do it before you add your fabric. Use a test strip to check color. Add more iron solution until the desired color is achieved.
Iron Water After Bath
This method gives you more control. Start with 1/2 tsp of iron water, adding enough warm water so your fabric moves freely. Start with a 1-minute dip, then 2 minutes, and 3 minutes. The longer you leave the fabric in, the darker it will get. You may need to add more iron water. Remember this may take a little experimentation.
Spray Bottle
This is fun! You’ll need to have a couple of designated spray bottles. Mark the bottles with Iron solution strength. Now all you have to do is spray it on the textile. It’s like making your own camouflage. Depending on how you layer your spray patterns you can make all kinds of beautiful organic patterns.