Black Walnut Husk Dye

Just a short post to show what can be done with black walnut husks.

Here's a couple of Linden spoons before th' dyeing process.

And then after.

 

To make th' dye/stain i saved a bunch of husks from th' summer- Then when i was ready for it i simply boiled then in a large pot for about two hours, strain and voila! 

While th' husks were boiling i dropped th' spoons and a pair of linen pants in there for th' last hour. 

For th' spoons i simply let them dry then oiled them up, for th' pants i washed them in th' bathtub real good- and so much brown came out of them you'd never believe there could be any left, but alas, they are a nice dark brown. Walnut husks have enough tannins in them to act as a mordant, so they are a good place to start experimenting with natural dyes. I've also tanned a squirrel hide with them, but that's another story. 

 

Cheers

~Rico