Part 3

If a very dark shade is wanted, a few drops of diluted logwood added to bath at the time you add the copperas will have the desired effect; or a few drops of violet will answer in its stead. Should you find your color too much on the drab, a few drops of safranine added to bath will have the desired effect. Should you find that your color is entirely too dark for your sample, rinse off the starch in cold water; pass feathers through a solution of a half teaspoonful of oxalic acid in a gallon of hot water for a few seconds; then rinse in hot water twice to remove the acid, after which prepare a fresh bath as per recipe, using more care, and keep in until desired result is obtained.

PLUM.

Feathers that are any color excepting dark green or black can be dyed a beautiful shade of plum. Wash and rinse your goods, and prepare your bath as follows: one pound of logwood to a gallon or more of water, and boil fifteen minutes or longer, then add to bath about a quarter pound of extract of archil, and enter your feathers, letting them remain in bath about five minutes, after which take them out and rinse in cold water. Prepare a bath of half an ounce of bichromate of potash in a gallon of boiling water, more or less, and see that it is thoroughly dissolved; pass feathers through about ten seconds; then take them out and rinse twice in clear cold water; then dilute a small handful of starch in a half gallon of luke warm water, and add to it about half an ounce of soda; pass feathers through for about half a minute and dry.

Should color be found too light for sample, rinse off starch in cold water, and repeat bichromate of potash bath; rinse, starch and dry. An old logwood bath that has been used for other colors will answer for plum, and save boiling up a fresh bath.

OLIVE.

If your feathers to be dyed are very dark colors, such as brown, navy blue, green, garnet, etc., draw off some of the color by passing through a solution of boiling water and half an ounce of soda, and rinse in boiling water twice. Prepare bath by diluting two ounces of turmeric in about one gallon of water. Enter feathers and let them remain in about two minutes,--a longer time will not hurt; after which take them out and rinse in cold water twice. Have a medium strong bath of logwood boiling meantime, and enter your feathers, letting them remain in about two minutes; then take them out and rinse in cold water. Prepare a bath of one gallon of boiling water and half an ounce of bichromate of potash, and after it is thoroughly dissolved, enter your feathers and let them remain in about one minute, longer if a very dark shade be required. Take out and rinse, after which your feathers will have assumed a dark, dull olive, looking not unlike a faded out black. Next prepare a bath of two ounces of turmeric with about one gallon of boiling water, and add thereto a small pinch of green aniline, just enough to give your bath the appearance of being a couple of shades more on the green than the sample to be matched. Enter your feathers and let them remain in about three minutes; first, however, bringing your bath to a boil, after which take feathers out and rinse, starch and dry.

If feathers be found darker than sample to be matched, a few drops of diluted oxalic acid in your starch bath will bring the shade down; and if found lighter than sample, rinse the starch off thoroughly in cold water, and dilute a quarter ounce of bichromate of potash in a gallon of boiling water, and pass your feathers through for a few seconds. If wanted a very dark shade, they should, after having the starch rinsed off, be returned to the logwood bath, then rinsed and give the bichromate of potash bath as above. If found a little too much on the green for sample, a weak bath of turmeric, similar to the first bath of the operation will have the desired effect. There are also some shades of olive where it will not be found necessary to use any green at all; that is when the shade approaches the brown on the olive.

LAVENDER.

Feathers for lavender must be white, or nearly so, if you desire a good clear shade. All light colors can be used by first bleaching with permanganate of potash, or if only dirty white feathers, wash and rinse them thoroughly. Prepare bath of luke warm water and a small handful of starch, rub feathers around between the hands to expand the fibres; then add to bath a few drops of diluted violet. Enter your feathers and let remain about one minute in bath, keeping them meanwhile in motion; take out your feathers and add to bath a drop of diluted safranine; re-enter and raise temperature of bath a few degrees by addition of hot water; let your feathers remain about half a minute in bath; if wanted darker, add a few drops of diluted violet, and if lighter, less; after which take out your feathers and dry them in the usual way, being careful to use clean starch for drying. To use starch that had previously been used to dry light colors that contained acid, would most likely result in spotting your color, as the application of acid to any portion of the delicate color would turn it a greenish blue. If your color be found too dark for sample, you can either wash in a solution of soap water, or else pass feathers through a bath of a teaspoonful of oxalic acid to a gallon of luke warm water, after which rinse off well and put through fresh bath as per recipe.

OLD GOLD.

All light colors, such as light blues, pinks, drabs, yellows, etc., that you are desirous of making old gold need but to be washed with soap and hot water prior to entering in bath. Prepare your bath with two ounces of turmeric and one gallon of boiling water, more or less matters not. Enter your feathers, and let them remain in bath about two minutes, after which add a small pinch of copperas, about the size of a bean. Let your feathers remain in bath about one minute longer, after which take feathers from bath and add thereto a few drops of diluted Bismarck brown; let them remain in bath about one minute longer; take them out, cool off a small portion of the bath with cold water, add a small handful of starch, pass your feathers through and dry. If wanted a very dark shade of gold, a few drops of diluted logwood added to bath will have the desired effect; and if wanted lighter, a smaller quantity of copperas in bath.

If the shade be found entirely too dark for sample, a solution of oxalic acid in luke warm water will draw off a portion of the color and brighten what is left. If wanted a very yellowish shade of gold, use more turmeric, less copperas and no logwood, and be particular to have your bath at all times at a boiling temperature.

GARNET.

It is not necessary to wash your feathers, except they are very dirty and greasy. As a rule all old colors, excepting greens, navy blues or blacks, can be used for this color without bleaching. Prepare bath by boiling about one pound of logwood to a gallon of water or more about fifteen minutes; strain off liquor from wood; add about two tablespoonfuls of extract of archil, and bring again to a boil. Enter your feathers and let them remain in bath about four or five minutes, after which take feathers from bath, rinse twice in clean cold water, and dilute a small handful of starch in a little clear cold water; pass feathers through and dry in the usual way. Should your color be found too dark for sample to be matched, dilute a couple of drops of sulphuric acid in your starch bath, and pass feathers through for a few seconds; first, however, adding a little hot water to increase temperature.

If found lighter than the desired shade, rinse your feathers thoroughly in cold water and dilute half an ounce of bichromate of potash in about one gallon of boiling water; pass your feathers through for a few seconds, rinse thoroughly and dry. Great care is necessary in passing feathers through this chrome bath, as the color will oxidize very rapidly.

If your sample to match be more on the brown shade, a very little archil, not more than one-half the prescribed quantity must be used; and if more on the purple or plum, add more archil than the quantity specified.

In preparing bath, when you have added the archil, be careful in bringing it to boiling temperature that you do not allow it to boil any time, as that would have a tendency to dull your color. By keeping this bath clean it can be used several times, in fact, it improves with age; and, if kept in a crock, so that it will not come in contact with any metallic substance, and when needed just brought to boiling temperature; and if needed, a teaspoonful of archil added to it will produce very beautiful shades of garnet.

This bath can be used to make your plum colors; and if you have an old bath of logwood on hand it is not necessary to boil a fresh one, simply add the archil, and bring to a boil.

TERRA COTTA.

If white feathers, wash and rinse them thoroughly with hot water, and if faded out light colors, extract color by bleaching with permanganate of potash in the usual way; being careful to rinse well in hot water to remove all the acid used in bleaching before entering bath. Prepare bath as follows: about a gallon of luke warm water, and add a small handful of starch. Enter feathers, rub around in bath between the hands, take out and add a few drops of diluted safranine, and copperas about the size of a pea. Enter feathers and let remain in bath about one minute; take out and add about half a teaspoonful of diluted aniline brown; re-enter feathers and let them remain in about half a minute longer; after which dry in the usual way. If found too pink for sample, add a few drops more aniline brown, and return to bath for a few seconds. If found too yellow, add a few drops more of diluted safranine, and keep in bath a few seconds longer; if wanted darker, add a little more of each color, and keep in bath longer.

BOTTLE GREEN.

After washing and rinsing feathers thoroughly,--if dirty or greasy, extracting color if necessary,--prepare bath as follows: One ounce of turmeric diluted in one gallon of boiling water; enter your feathers and let remain in about one minute, after which take out and rinse thoroughly. Prepare a weak bath of logwood, about half a pound to the gallon of water, or about half the usual strength of an ordinary logwood bath for black; boil a few minutes, after which enter your feathers and let them remain in bath about one minute; then take out and rinse thoroughly in cold water; after which prepare a bath of half an ounce of bichromate of potash to one gallon of boiling water. Dissolve bichromate of potash, enter feathers and let them remain in about half a minute; a little longer if a very dark shade be required, and so much less time if a very light shade is required; after which take feathers out and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Dilute about one-half a teaspoonful of aniline green in a gallon of boiling water, and reduce temperature of bath a few degrees with cold water; then enter feathers and let them remain in bath about two or three minutes; remove feathers and cool off a small portion of the bath with cold water, and add to it a small handful of starch; pass your feathers through the bath, squeeze out and dry off in the usual way.

If found to be lighter than shade desired, rinse off starch thoroughly, and return for a few seconds to logwood bath without increasing temperature any; then rinse off in cold water, and pass through a weak solution of bichromate of potash, about one-quarter ounce to a gallon; after which rinse, starch and dry.

If found darker than shade desired, pass feathers through a solution of half a teaspoonful of oxalic acid in about one gallon of luke warm water for about thirty seconds; take them out of this and rinse twice through boiling water, and then give a weak bath of aniline green,--about half the strength of the first bath. If samples to be matched be more on the yellow or olive, use decidedly more turmeric in the first bath, and add a little, say about a teaspoonful, to the aniline green bath. If a green on the blue, it will be necessary to use only one-half the turmeric prescribed in the first bath.

STEEL COLOR.

All light colors can be used to make a good shade of steel by first extracting colors by the usual process of bleaching with permanganate of potash; if white and dirty, wash thoroughly in hot water and soap and rinse. Prepare your bath as follows: To one gallon of luke warm water add a small handful of starch; enter your feathers, rub them around well in bath; after which add a small pinch of copperas and about a tablespoonful of logwood liquor, and let remain in about one minute; increase temperature of bath and add a few drops of diluted violet, first removing your feathers from bath; re-enter feathers and let remain about one minute, or until your feathers look about four shades darker than sample; after which take out and dry.

If found too light, return to bath and add more logwood liquor and a few drops more violet, and should you find them altogether too dark for sample, extract your color by passing them through a solution of one teaspoonful of oxalic acid in a gallon of hot water; after which rinse them off by passing them through a gallon of boiling water about twice, when you will find your color reduced four or five shades. The oxalic acid renders the feathers a bright yellow.

Boiling water will draw off the logwood and bring out your shade of drab in as much milder form; then proceed to mix a new drab bath the same as per recipe, only using more caution not to get it too dark; enter feathers, bring to shade, using a drop of violet to brighten up color. Be careful in drying not to use starch that has previously been used on a color where acid was used to develop.

FELT DRAB.

Prepare feathers by washing and rinsing thoroughly, or bleaching if needed; after which mix a bath of luke warm water and starch. Enter feathers and manipulate in bath a few seconds between the hands; after which add a small quantity of copperas, about the size of a pea. Enter feathers and let them remain in about half a minute; take out feathers and add a few drops of logwood liquor; re-enter feathers and let them remain in about half a minute; add to bath about a drop of diluted safranine, and if shade be wanted a little on the yellow, a drop of diluted Bismarck brown can be added. Allow feathers to remain in until they look about three shades darker than sample; then take out and dry as usual. If found either too dark or too light, treat precisely as preceding color (steel). Be careful not to use starch that has been used for an acid color.

SLATE COLOR.

To make this color all light colors can be used and some dark ones; only those, however, that do not contain much yellow, as, for example, blues, reds, etc. After preparing for bath by washing and rinsing, or by extracting color if necessary, mix a bath of logwood, about half the usual strength, and enter feathers. Bath must be at boiling temperature, and let them remain in about one minute; after which take out and rinse. Proceed to mix a bath of one quarter ounce of copperas and one gallon of boiling water; enter feathers and let them remain in bath about half a minute; take out and cool off a small portion of the bath, add starch and pass feathers through, squeeze out and dry.

If the color to be matched be very dark, repeat the bath of logwood and mix a bath of one-quarter ounce of bichromate of potash in a gallon of boiling water. Enter feathers and let remain in about half a minute; after which rinse off in cold water, and starch and dry. If a very brilliant shade be required, when you have rinsed feathers from bichromate of potash bath, wash thoroughly in soap-suds and rinse in luke warm water. Dilute a small quantity of starch in cold water, pass feathers through and dry. The above recipe produces a most beautiful shade of slate color, perfectly fast to light, and the depth of shade is regulated by the quantity of logwood. Should you find your color altogether too dark for sample, proceed to extract by passing through a solution of one teaspoonful of oxalic acid to one gallon of boiling water for about half a minute, and then rinsing off twice or three times in boiling water; after which repeat in a milder form.

ORANGE COLOR.

Prepare feathers by washing and rinsing thoroughly. Prepare bath by diluting about two ounces of turmeric in a gallon of boiling water, and enter your feathers, letting them remain in bath about two minutes; then take them out and add a few drops of diluted Bismarck brown and about a teaspoonful of oxalic acid; re-enter your feathers and bring bath to a boil, and let remain in about three minutes; after which take out, and cool off a small quantity of bath, add a small handful of starch, pass feathers through and dry.

Should you desire a very full dark shade, use about twice the amount of turmeric, add a few drops more Bismarck brown; and if wanted much lighter, use less of each color. If wanted more yellow, use very small quantity of Bismarck brown; and if a very reddish shade of orange, a little more Bismarck brown than amount prescribed in recipe.

There are numerous orange anilines in the market that are used successfully in dyeing shades of orange, but it is almost necessary to have a different shade of aniline for every shade of color made. Should your sample to be matched be rather dull, use no oxalic acid in bath, as the oxalic acid is used in developing and brightening the shade. To remove the color, should it be too dark, the first method is to wash well in soap water, rinse and pass through a solution of oxalic acid in warm water, about half an ounce to the gallon.

SCARLET.

Wash and rinse your feathers thoroughly, and if required to remove a surplus of any old color, pass through a bath of permanganate of potash, as per recipe; after which prepare a bath of half a teaspoonful of oxalic acid to one gallon of boiling water and about a teaspoonful of turmeric; enter feathers and let them remain in bath about half a minute, after which take them out and add to bath about half a teaspoonful of rocceline; dissolve powder thoroughly, and return to bath; let them remain in about one minute longer, then cool off a small quantity of the bath and add a small handful of starch; pass your feathers through, squeeze out and dry as usual.

If wanted a very dark shade, add a little more rocceline and let remain longer in bath. If shade be a little on the orange, use more turmeric and less rocceline; and if more on the cardinal, vice versa. Should you, through carelessness, get your color too dark, to remove color rinse off and wash thoroughly in a soap bath, and rinse off in boiling water about twice, which will have the effect of reducing the color several shades; mix a new bath as per recipe, and enter feathers, using more care and judgment and proceed to starch and dry as called for in recipe.

MAROON.

Almost any odd shades of color can be used without extracting colors, but if dirty or greasy, it is always best to wash thoroughly and rinse. Take your old logwood bath that has been used for black and other colors, or else boil a fresh bath of the same proportions, about a pound to the gallon. When at boiling temperature add thereto a half cupful of extract of archil, first removing the grounds of logwood from the bath; then enter your feathers and let them remain in the bath about four or five minutes; take them out and rinse thoroughly in cold water, and prepare a bath of one-half ounce of bichromate of potash to a gallon of boiling water, and thoroughly dissolve potash; after which pass your goods through for a few seconds only, and take out and rinse twice in cold water; dilute a small handful of starch in clean cold water, pass feathers through and dry.

Should a very dark shade be required, allow your feathers to remain in bichromate of potash bath a few seconds longer; take out and dry. Should you find your color too dark for sample, it is only necessary to add to your starch bath a few drops of sulphuric acid, and add a small quantity of hot water to increase temperature a few degrees, and pass feathers through. This bath, same as the garnet, can be used again, and improves with age if kept in a clean place. If you have an old garnet bath on hand, it will answer for maroon by bringing to a boil and adding about a teaspoonful more extract of archil to it.

LEMON COLOR.

Wash and rinse your feathers thoroughly if dirty whites; if old faded out light colors, bleach with permanganate of potash; after which prepare bath as follows: One gallon of luke warm water and a handful of starch; enter your feathers and rub around between the hands for a few seconds; then add to bath a teaspoonful of oxalic acid, and dilute about a tablespoonful of turmeric in a small quantity of water, and add a few drops of the liquor to the bath; re-enter your feathers and let them remain in about one minute or so; after which take them out and add a drop of diluted indigo blue; return feathers to bath and allow them to remain about one minute longer in bath, after which take out, squeeze and dry usual.

If a deep rich shade be desired, and you have no sample to match, use no indigo in the bath. Another excellent method of making lemon is to substitute an equal amount of picric acid for turmeric; and, should you find your color entirely too dark for your sample, rinse off your feathers in luke warm water, and proceed to wash with soap and hot water, and rinse thoroughly in boiling water; then prepare a fresh bath as per recipe, and enter your feathers, using much care. If found too light for your sample, add to bath a little more turmeric liquor, and return feathers to bath for a few seconds longer, and dry.

BLACK.

The most staple and important of all the colors. Some will argue that it is not a color; I, to the contrary, however, that it is not only a color, but a combination of colors, and it is the knowledge of how to properly combine them that results in the production of a very handsome and glossy black. Twelve years ago a bath of black that was commenced on Monday and was ready to go into the drying-room by Saturday was considered at that time a most expeditious piece of work; and, even up to the present time, some of our old orthodox dyers,--those old chronic, methodical dyers,--those who dye according to the most approved and advantageous methods of half a century ago,--still continue to occupy the greater part of a week in getting a black on what (by that time) is left of the feathers. Their object from the start is to produce a black, and they generally succeed.

Begin, if raw stock, by washing and rinsing thoroughly in order to remove all natural grease and dirt adhering to the fibre. If they are old colors to be redyed a black, it is not necessary to wash them nor to bleach them for the purpose of removing any of the color, as the black bath will overcome all the other colors; as, for example, a navy blue, a bottle green, garnet, etc., can be all entered at the same time, and put through precisely the same process, and they will all be the same shade of black when they are dried.