Instant Indigo Instant indigo is natural indigo processed by a new method from India. The indigo has been pre-reduced and then freeze--dried into a crystal. As long as you keep it dry, it will keep indefinitely. It is easy to use and gives deep, wonderful colors. It is suitable for all natural fibers and will also dye many synthetics such as nylon, tencel and rayon. In addition, it is very cost effective. Make sure to keep this dye in your freezer if you live in a humid climate. Sold by the oz, dried instant indigo crystals Instant indigo is great for both small batches and large.
DIRECTIONS FOR USE:
Simply mix with luke warm water. As the crystals dissolve the liquid will turn a murky "green" color. This is good! It means the dye is reducing. Ideally, you will be adding just enough crystals to the water to dye a white cotton handkerchief a pale blue with one dunking. The more water you have in proportion to crystals, the thinner the solution. You will obtain a greater quality of color if you plan to dip your cloth into the indigo several times. While dipping once or twice, with a very concentrated vat, will give a beautiful hue, it will also have a greater tendency to crock, or rub off. As with all powders, it is a good idea to take steps to avoid inhaling any of the indigo dust while handling the crystals.
Temperature is very important with indigo. Indigo works best when kept within the warm range. Try to keep your vat somewhere between 100 º and 120º F. A floating aquarium thermometer is a great help in monitoring the temperature.
Be careful while working (this includes mixing the initial batch), not to introduce much oxygen into the vat. This will tire the vat, keeping the indigo from binding to your fiber. If the vat does become tired, give it a rest. That is, leave it alone for a day, giving it time to compensate for the oxygen introduced.
How can you tell if your vat is tired? The surface of the vat, as it comes in contact with air should be a nice blue. However just below the surface it should be a rich blue-green. If the green disappears from within the liquid, your vat is very tired. If giving it a rest for a day doesn't do the trick, you may add a little Rit ® Color Remover (or thiourea dioxide, aka, thiox) to jump start the reducing process. However, if you add too much, it will strip the color off your cloth each time you dunk it into the vat (essentially re-reducing all of the indigo applied up to that moment); not a very fruitful process!
If you are dyeing yardage, it is often a good idea to dip only a few times, and allow the fabric to air for several hours or a day. This will allow the indigo on the fabric to fully oxidize, giving better color adhesion, and allow your vat to rest.
When you are through with your dyeing, rather than throw out the remaining liquid, try allowing the water to evaporate off. The remaining powder will make a very good indigo pigment.
HANDLING, STORAGE, AND SHELF-LIFE Keep bag closed to prevent moisture absorption and contamination. When the product is stored in an unopened container at a temperature range between 65 º and 104º F, the shelf-life of this product should exceed one year from date of purchase. The crystals will last much longer in a dry environment. So if you live in a very humid climate, think about keeping it in your freezer (freezing often draws moisture out of things, causing “freezer burn”. In this case, freezer burn is a good thing!
