Madder Lake - NO FROTH

                MADDER LAKE - FAIL 😓
           By Lady Symonne de la Croix
                           13.3.20

100gms madder root        
 30gm  Alum (metallic salt)- KAl (SO4)2•12H2O           
 30gms  Potash( alkali)- KOH medieval lye              Water- distilled preferred 

NOTE: I downloaded the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for above and took specific note of first-aid information)

turkey baster                                  
heating appliance ( I used a slow cooker)      
pH tester                    
Thermometer       
Gloves                             
Containers                                                                                        
Material for straining                                        
Coffee filters
Funnel
Cotton wool


The madder root needs to be washed before starting the dye/lake making processes.


 Add water. Stir. Allow to soak overnight. Syphon water. Add clean water. Repeat, for as long as necessary 

After 4days, there is a definate change happening to the water. There was a slight scum, perhaps the start of fermentation? Which I have read is not a problem and can perhaps help with the process.
Pink staining on the container, the floating bits finally sank. The final wash will be with demineralised water.
[I chose to use tap water for this part of the process as it used so much water and I didn't think it would have a negative effect on the process.]
I used demineralised water for further steps as I didnt want  to risk tap water interfering with any of any chemical reactions


I did the above processes for about a week.


Then sieve madder root through cloth, rinse
and repeated until water is as clear (or as clear as your patience/water supply will get it) then sieve again. Discard water.




Put wet madder roots on a heating set up (I used a slow cooker). I heated the madder  for a 2.5days on low heat. 
Madder should NOT be boiled as it will destroy the alizirin colour.
Add alum (can be dissolved in some water) to the dye bath and put back in low heat.
After a day or so, when you dip in a paper towel in dye bath it should be a rich red (alizirin).



Allow dye bath to cool. 
Separate roots from liquid -( pillowcase over a clean bucket). This time keeping the fluid (dye) and throwing away the roots.




Sieve dye fluid through a very fine sieve set up. I used a funnel with cotton wool. This is to make sure no bits stay in the dye water as this will end up in the pigment.

And thats where it all went wrong….

I added 30gms lye but no froth 
ph went from 1.6 to 13.6
Huge jump. Maybe too much lye? Making it too alkali? Could using demineralised water be a problem?
I put it on the heat hoping that it would precipitate a reaction which it did not
I added a teaspoon of vinegar thinking it would add acidity. Went down to 12.6
No froth 
Added Teaspoon of alum again with the thought of adding acidity
Still no froth but changed colour. A darker red 
Added Teaspoon cream of tartar with the same idea but pH was still 12.6.
Dye went a more reddish purple colour
And still no frothing 
I would not add anything in the future. Me being in 'fix it panic mode' which meant I didn't think it through


 It looks like something is happening. There appears to be something in the fluid. Hoping it is pigment. Will cover and leave overnight to see if there is separation of liquid and  (hopefully) pigment.


Alas no. I was mistaken. I have used the dye water on some gypsum and chalk to get a pigment so it isn't a complete waste. What am I doing wrong here? Hmmm
Pretty colours. Now to wait for it to dry, grind it to a powder and see how it paints. I will do a lightfast test to see if I have a viable pigment

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