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Titanium oxalate

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Wild Colours natural dyes > mordants > cotton mordants > titanium oxalate

Mordanting Cotton with Titanium oxalate

Cotton dyed with weld extract and titanium oxalate

top left: cotton lawn dyed with weld then post mordanted with titanium;
bottom left: cotton lawn mordanted with titanium then dyed with weld;
top right: cotton lawn mordanted in the traditional 3-step method then dyed with weld;
bottom right: cotton lawn mordanted with acetate then dyed with weld

Titanium oxalate is an interesting mordant to use, as you will get different shades than if you had used alum. For example you will get orange shades with tannins and yellow dyes. Titanium oxalate also increases light and wash fastness.

Titanium oxalate is a very fine powder so wear a good dust mask when using it.

A) Differences between titanium oxalate and alum
 
B) Titanium oxalate as a post-mordant
 
C) Titanium oxalate as a pre-mordant

D) Thickened titanium oxalate for prints
 
E) Titanium oxalate for protein fibres

A) Differences between titanium oxalate and alum

1. Strong reaction to tannin: Titanium oxalate will give you orange shades with tannins (e.g. gallnut extract) and yellow dyes (e.g. weld extract). This is of particular interest to dyers who do botanical prints. Leaves which are full of tannin will come out more orange/yellow than if alum or aluminium acetate was used.
 
2. Different shades: titanium oxalate will provide different shades with other natural dyes (madder, cochineal, logwood etc), which makes it a great mordant for experimenting.
 
3. Increased light fastness: titanium is a little more light fast than alum. On a scale of 1 to 8, where 1 is not fast and 8 is very fast, titanium increases the fastness by ½ a degree.
 
4. Matt colours: titanium oxalate may provide more matt colours, while the alum may provide brighter colours.

B) Titanium oxalate as a Post-mordant

Titanium oxalate mordant | WildColours Natural Dyes

Buy titanium oxalate here

Using titanium as a post-mordant will give bright to medium oranges

- 10 grams of weld extract or gallnut extract
- 100 grams of fibre
- 5 to 15 grams of titanium oxalate

1. Dye your fibre in the extract in the usual way. For this method do NOT mordant the fibres first.
 
2. Dissolve the titanium oxalate in a small container with warm water.
 
3. Add it to a saucepan with water and then add your fibres.
 
4. Heat slowly up to 80-90°C for 45 min while regularly stirring the fibre.
 
5. Let the fibres cool in the saucepan.
 
6. Rinse once or twice at room temperature.

C) Titanium oxalate as a Pre-mordant

Using titanium as a pre-mordant will give you attractive peachy tones

- 100 grams of fibre
- 5 to 15 grams of titanium oxalate

1. Dissolve the titanium oxalate in a small container with warm water.

2. Add it to a saucepan with water and then add your fibres.

3. Heat slowly up to 80-90°C for 45 min while regularly stirring the fibre.

4. Let the fibres cool in the saucepan.

5. Rinse once or twice at room temperature.

D) Thickened titanium oxalate for prints

You can thicken a concentrated solution of titanium oxalate with gum tragacanth and use this to print on small areas of fabric. If you then dye the fabric with weld or another dye high in tannin, you will get orange tones.

E) Titanium oxalate for silk and wool - protein fibres

Titanium oxalate can also be used for as a mordant for protein fibers (silk and wool). Mordant with the titanium oxalate first and then dye with the natural dye extract. Use the same proportions as for cotton, 5 to 15 grams of titanium oxalate per 100 grams of fibre.

Go to
How to scour cotton

How to mordant cotton

Mordanting with aluminium acetate

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Contact Teresinha for enquiries
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email: info@wildcolours.co.uk

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Updated on 04 January 2024
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