chemicals used in tie dyeing

1. Soda Ash
The purpose of sodium carbonate is simply to increase pH. It actually makes the dye adhere
chemically to the actual fiber of the fabric. (The fabrics are soaked thoroughly in a soda
ash mixture after the first wash.)
Adding the soda ash before the dye is the usual method for tie-dye.
To make the soda ash soak youll need a large container. Add about one to two gallons of
warm water to the bucket. Next, add one whole cup of soda ash and stir until thoroughly
mixed. You can now add your fabric (before or after tying) to the mixture in the bucket.
They can be added wet or dry. Soak for 15 minutes.
An alternative for soda ash is Sodium silicate - Fabric that has been painted and the dye
allowed to dry, can be treated with a liquid sodium silicate solution. The sole purpose of
sodium silicate in dyeing is to increase the pH. It is necessary to increase the pH
(alkalinity) of the reaction. The high pH activates the cellulose fiber molecule so that
it can attack the reactive dye molecule and form a permanent chemical bond to it. If
sodium silicate is used as a dye fixative, soda ash is not needed, since sodium silicate serves the
same role as sodium carbonate. Sodium silicate is severely irritating to the skin and
eyes. Paint it on with a brush. Let it dry a little bit, then cover your fabric with
plastic/plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour then wash it out and you are done!
2. Urea
Urea has two purposes: it can make it possible to dissolve more dye in a given volume, for
the strongest of colors, and it serves as a humectant, or water-attractor, to help keep
fabric damp long enough for the reaction to occur. You can do without urea if your dye
solutions are strong enough for your needs without it, and you keep your fabric damp in
some other way, such as by covering with plastic. Urea is what makes it possible to
supersaturate the dye.
The dye base is made by adding about 1.75 liters of hot water to a two liter soda bottle
that has been well cleaned. Then add two cups of Urea to the hot water. Put the lid on
tight and shake until all of the Urea is dissolved. Now you have a dye base that is ready
to be portioned, thickened and have dye addedafter it cools first. VERY IMPORTANT. Cool
to room temperature before adding dye.
Too much urea can actually make it harder to dissolve some dyes, if your dye (especially
fuchsia, Procion red MX-8B) is not dissolving well, you may need to reduce the amount of
urea you are using.
3. Salt
Salt is necessary in three ways, firstly, to drive dye into textile during the dyeing
process in textile. Secondly, use of salt leads to maximum exhaustion of dye molecules
during dyeing process in textiles. Thirdly it is used as an electrolyte for migration,
adsorption and fixation of the dyestuff to the cellulose material.
In tie-dyeing cotton, rayon, and silk, using fiber reactive dyes there is no need to use
salt at all.