Glossary of Textile Terms

By: Batik Oetoro

 

 

Acetic Acid 30%
A concentrated liquid acid eleven times stronger than household vinegar. Used in dyeing wool, silk, nylon and polyester.

Alginate - see Manutex
Naturally occuring substance found only in sea weed. Sodium Alginate is principal product, which dissolves in water to form a viscous solution.

Alizarin
The red colouring matter of the madder root.

 

Alkanet
Plant dye (also called ox tongue)

• Where from: South American plant
• What for: Textile dyes
• Why used: Color - red to brown

Alum
Potassium, Aluminum Sulfate. Mordant, seals the surface of fabric or paper prior to marbling .

Ammonium Sulfate
A mild acid forming salt used with Acid Dyes. Used to insure levelness for light to medium shades.

 

Anionic
All compounds have an electrical rating for compatibility purposes. Anionic compounds are positive in nature and will blend with like charges or compounds that are nonionic (No charge).

 

Auxiliary
The products necessary to assist dyeing.

 

Azoic Dyes
Dyes which are produced directly in the fibre by the combination of their constituents.

 

Base Extender
Mix with colour concentrates to make textile paints for screenprinting, hand painting or stenciling. Added to colour to achieve pastel shades.

 

Binder
Concentrated binder to hold pigment colour on the fabric. Use 50-100ml per liter of solution.

 

British Gum
Burnt starch gum.Thickener for discharge printing with hypochlorite bleach.

 

Calgon
Metaphosphate - water softener.

 

Catechu
Extract from Heartwood of the tropical mimosa plant (from the Javanese acacia family). Used as Mordant for textile dyes and leather tanners.

• Why used: Color - brown

 

Cationic
All compounds have an electrical rating for compatibility purposes. A cationic compound has a negative charge and will only mix with a like compound, or a nonionic compound (no charge). It should be noted that because of this difference, pigment garment dyeing has been greatly simplified.

 

Carragheen
Extract of "Irish Moss" used to make a "floating" bath for marbling. Considered superior to any other material, it gives a very sharp image definition.

 

Carrier
The dyeing auxiliary required when immersion dyeing to dye polyester with Polysol Dyes.Good ventilation is mandatory as is the use of a respirator.

Caustic Soda Flakes ( Lye)
Sodium Hydroxide. Strong alkali used with vat dyes such as Indigo. Wear protective clothing, when mixing and have good ventilation. Always add Caustic Soda to cold water!! It is corrosive.

Citric Acid Crystals
Substitute for Acetic Acid 30%. Use 1 teaspoon to replace 2 teaspoon Acetic Acid 30%.

Colorless Extender
A marbling color without the color. Use colorless extender as a marbling color if you want your fabric color to be part of the design. It is also used to slow the spread of fast colors. Apply drops of colorless extender on the Methyl Cel base, then apply drops of marbling color on top.

 

Direct Dye
A dyestuff that coats the cellulosic fiber through the application of an electrolyte (salt) and temperature (140F-180F). This type of dyestuff requires an after treatment to gain washfastness.

 

Disperse Dyes
Dyes that are insoluble in water which are applied to the fibre as a fine suspension or "dispersion".

Drimafix
A liquid used with all Drimarene-K reactive Dyes to fix hand painted applications at room temperature without steaming.

Drimarene - K
Fibre reactive dye (Sandoz 1958) Brilliant colours, Stable in aqueous solution. Very long shelf life.

 

Drimalan - F
Reactive dye for silk and wool.

 

DR-33
An industrial Guar gum used to thicken dyes and the burn-out/devore paste during burn out processes. Extremely stable.Won't break down under strong acid or alcaline conditions.

Dyefix
Cataionic agent. Used on cotton to improve wash fastness of Solar Dyes (direct dyes). Can be used as an after treatment od fibre reacive dyes if adequate washing facilities are not available.

 

Electrolyte
The compound or liquid added to a dyebath to force the color out of the water and onto the fabric.

 

Exhaustion Rate
The rate at which the color goes on the fabric. Exhaustion is different for different colors and should be considered when a new process is developed and adjusted for. Colors exhaust on an uneven curve according to the electrolyte content of the dyebath.

Extenders
When a specific type is not specified e.g.; Shelf Life Extender, this usually indicates a product that is used for diluting the original product, therefore extending the use of it.

 

Fluorescent Pigment
In simple terms, it is an epoxy type resin stained with various acid and basic dyestuffs. There are only three truly fluorescent colors. They are Pink, Yellow, and Orange. The fluorescent dye stuffs used are Favine Yellow and Rhodamine Red. Once these cakes are formed, they are then ground to a micron particle size, usually around 4 microns.

 

Formosul
Sodium Formaldehyde Sulfoxylate. Also known as RONGALIT.
It is the preferred discharge agent for silk and wool which requires steaming. Will not dammage delicate silk.

 

Glauber Salt
Sodium Sulfate. Use in place of common salt when dyeing wool, nylon and silk with acid dyes. May also be used with reactive dyes, especially turquoise, to increase color yield.

 

Glycerine (Glycerol)
Solvent and hydroscopic agent.

 

Guar Gum - See DR-33
An industrial gum used to thicken the burn-out/devore paste during burn out processes. Won't break down under strong acid conditions.

Gutta A liquid "resist", which forms a barrier on the fabric to create a pattern. It may be water soluble (Super Gutta or Serti Gutta) solvent soluble (solvent based gutta)

Hydrogen Peroxide
Bleaching & oxidising agent (vat dyes).

 

Humectant
A non-hazardous chemical added to retard drying. For liquid colorant and water base screen inks, it is usually Polyethylene Glycol. (PEG). But Urea is used extensively in reactive printing.

 

Hudigol
Sodium Salt of m-Nitrobenzene Sulfonic Acid. Also known as Resist Salt L. A mild oxidizing agent which prevents reduction of Reactive Dyes during the curing and setting stage of printing and hand painting. Necessary when using Hot Reactive Dyes but optional for cold Reactive Dyes.

 

Lyogen
Dyeing assistant for Drimalan-F, used to obtain level colors. Powerfull wetting agent.

 

Manutex F
Low viscosity, high solids Sodium Alginate thickener for all reactive dyes. Primarily used for silk, wool & synthetic fabrics when fine line definition is of importance.

 

Manutex RS
High Viscosity, low solids Sodium Alginate thickener for all reactive dyes. Primarily used for cotton. May also be used for silk and synthetics when type of pattern painted or printed does not require fine line definition as in block printing.

 

Mercerizing
A treatment of celullosic cloth with caustic soda (Lye) in order to make it more receptive to dyeing.

 

Metaphosphate
Sodium Hexametaphosphate. The active ingredient in "Calgon" Use as a water softener in hard water areas.

 

Methyl Cel M112
Methylcellulose. Clear efficient base for floating colors when marbling. Once mixed, it can last up to four months.

 

Modified Basic Dyes
Exeptionally brilliant dyes, known as Astrazones, capable of dyeing acetate and acrylic fibre.

 

Momme
A Japanese weight equal to 3.75 grams which is applied to a piece of fabric measuring 25 yards by 1.49 inches (an area of 1.035 square yards) Thus a 1 momme silk would weigh 3.62 grams per square yard. An 8 momme silk would weigh about 1 oz per square yard. Habutai is woven from 2.5 to 60 momme. China silk is commonly in the 8 to 14 momme range. Momme is abreviated by 'mm'.

 

Naphtol AS
Product of Beta Naphtol, the coupling compound with which the cloth is is first impregnated. The colour is subsequently formed on the cloth after printing or submersing with the second component; a Fast Colour Salt.

 

Nonionic
All compounds and chemicals have an electrical rating for compatibility purposes. A nonionic agent has no electrical charge and will blend with either cationic or anionic agents.

 

Oxgall
Liquid added to marbling colors that tend to sink into the Carrageen base. Add two to three drops until colors float properly.

 

Pad Batch Dying
A Process whereby material is saturated with a liquor made from Reactive Dye, Salt, and Alkalai. The material is allowed to sit in a sealed container for a predetermined time to "React". The material is then hot washed and rinsed and an aftertreat is applied.

 

Paddle Dyeing
A process of dyeing textiles in a machine that gently move the goods using paddles similar to a paddle wheel on a boat. This is a slow process, but there is extremely little abrasion on the goods.