I've always wondered what the difference was between dye and pigments and your post gives me a better idea of what those differences are. I do have a couple of questions: If you use the pigment to make fabric paint, is it washfast? Can you turn pigment powder back into dye? Or are all dye powders just dyes that have been boiled down until there's no water left? Sometimes, when I see a pretty pigment, I wonder if I can use it as dye.
hi Ania, I want to thank you for sharing this post. I've tried making this. and it's awesome :)
but I have a few questions, why do we need to neutralize the pH of the liquid and why did you add more alum to lower the pH level when you already got over 7 on your first try?
Hey Rizqah, I added alum precisely because I went over pH7 and it wasn't neutral anymore so I had to push it down a bit. In my experience neutralizing stabilizes the pigment, and if I want to use it for painting I want it to be neutral too, not to deteriorate the fabric. But I'm not a chemist and I don't have all answers, so don't take my word for it :)
I'm glad you tried it! What will you use the pigment for?
I've always wondered what the difference was between dye and pigments and your post gives me a better idea of what those differences are. I do have a couple of questions: If you use the pigment to make fabric paint, is it washfast? Can you turn pigment powder back into dye? Or are all dye powders just dyes that have been boiled down until there's no water left? Sometimes, when I see a pretty pigment, I wonder if I can use it as dye.
hi Ania, I want to thank you for sharing this post. I've tried making this. and it's awesome :)
but I have a few questions, why do we need to neutralize the pH of the liquid and why did you add more alum to lower the pH level when you already got over 7 on your first try?
Thank You.
Hey Rizqah, I added alum precisely because I went over pH7 and it wasn't neutral anymore so I had to push it down a bit. In my experience neutralizing stabilizes the pigment, and if I want to use it for painting I want it to be neutral too, not to deteriorate the fabric. But I'm not a chemist and I don't have all answers, so don't take my word for it :)
I'm glad you tried it! What will you use the pigment for?