Rock Tripe - Natural Dye Experiments

Ramblings and recipes under break

This was such a wonderful discovery that I tripped over somewhere online and decided to test out. Rock tripe is a lichen that is common in my area. It is a slow growing organism, so I only collected pieces that had already fallen off the rocks it grows on. It doesn't take very much to produce this dye, and what a rich, beautiful dye it is. If you're thinking that the color looks so vibrant because of your monitor you might be wrong - this color does look like it came from some bright acid dye.

To make the dye, I crushed the pieces of rock tripe coarsely by hand and put them in a jar until it was roughly two thirds full. Then I filled the jar with a solution of 2 parts water and 1 part ammonia. It does unfortunately have to sit for at least a month or two before using, during which it needs to be opened and stirred occasionally to introduce oxygen to the mix. This seems to help the color become richer and slightly bluer - a jar I forgot about (and subsequently never stirred) was a bland reddish brown color compared to the deep fuchsia of the jars I maintained. Over the course of a month the liquid should go from a dirty yellow to a deep, opaque red wine color.

To dye with it, strain out the rock tripe pieces and sediments, saving the liquid in the jar. One of the various posts I read suggested pouring the liquid back and forth a few times to fully aerate the solution before dyeing with it. While doing this the color did seem to shift a bit from a red wine color to more of a red-violet. Then, simply submerge wool or other animal fiber in the dye overnight. It may work on plant fibers too, I just haven't tested it yet. Mordanting the fiber is unnecessary but it does produce a much brighter, less natural looking color. 

In the morning wring out the fiber over the jar. Anything that runs off of the fiber can be reused multiple times since this is a fermented liquid not dye pigments suspended in a liquid (there is no pigment to use up). Then rinse the fiber thoroughly and allow to dry before using. It should dye a few shades lighter than the color of the liquid itself, and as it dries it does tend to develop a slightly more blue hue due to oxygen. I tested out what altering the pH and using certain after baths did to the overall color, the results are as follows:

1) No mordant 

2) Vinegar after bath to alter pH - it shifts the color a little bit redder

3) Iron sulfate after bath - hard to see in the picture but makes color slightly darker and the tiniest bit more blue

4) Mordant (alum and cream of tartar) - makes color incredibly bright and vibrant to the point where I still can't believe it came from a natural dye

5) Copper Sulfate (Blue Vitriol) after bath - shifts color noticeably more blue, turns it from a fuchsia to more of a grape

Overall I'm thrilled with the results, and I still have a ton of it leftover for future projects. I'll update if and when I find out how long this stuff's shelf life is.