Explore discharge printing with the Fibrecrafts Dischargeable and Illuminating Acid dyes.
Dischargeable Acid Dyes and Illuminating Acid Dyes increase the range of patterning and effects available to the artist. The dyes work like this; the dischargeable acid dyes have a low resistance to bleaching and are easily removed from fabric with a discharge paste while the illuminating dyes have a high resistance to bleaching.
Fabrics can be painted or dyed with the dischargeable dyes which are readily removed with discharge paste and illuminating dye can be combined with the discharge paste to replace the original colour. You can learn more about how to print with discharge dyes from our Blog post.
| ALWAYS TEST FABRICS BEFORE APPLYING DISCHARGE PASTE: | |
| DISCHARGE PASTE RECIPE 1:
Dissolve 5g Thiourea Dioxide and 5g Soda Ash in 250ml hot water. Allow to cool and pour into a studio blender. Add 20g Indalca PA3R thickener and mix in the blender until smooth. Removes some synthetic dyes, especially Procion MX, from cellulose fibres (i.e. cotton, linen and viscose). |
DISCHARGE PASTE RECIPE 2:
Mix 150g Formasol to 200ml water to a smooth cream. Mix 60g Indalca PA3R thickener into 600ml water and mix in a studio blender to make a stock paste. Combine the solutions and stir. Removes dyes from fabrics (some Procion MX dye colours do not discharge and some give a simple colour change). |
| The discharge paste is applied using a printing block, paint brush or through a printing screen with a stencil and allowed to dry thoroughly. Cover with a paper towel and steam iron on a hot setting for 30-60 seconds in a well ventilated room, and preferably wearing a mask. Check to see if the colour has discharged and then soak for 20 minutes in a solution of citric acid (5g per litre of water) to neutralise and then rinse in a solution of synthrapol (half teaspoon to 5 litres water) to remove any remaining chemicals or back staining. | |
Acid Dyes
Acid Dyes
Auxiliaries for Botanical Printing
Discharge Dyeing