Thorny acacia
lat. Acacia nilotica
€4.56
Thorny acacia (Latin: Acacia nilotica) natural dye is extracted from the heartwood of the Acacia nilotica tree. Indigenous to Asia, it has been utilized for centuries in countries like India and China to produce magnificent brown, terracotta, and earthy shades. This dye boasts both washfast and lightfast qualities and is rich in tannins. The color spectrum it offers is extensive, ranging from orange to peach, brown, black, or reddish-brown, influenced by factors such as pH, temperature, water quality, mordants, and timing. While similar to the more popular cutch, I have found that thorny acacia is easier to use when aiming for deep dark colors. Notably, its provided brown tones tend to lean more towards a reddish hue.
Name: thorny acacia
Latin name: Acacia nilotica, Vachellia Nilotica
Other names: Babul, Thorn mimosa, Egyptian acacia, Gum arabic tree, gum arabic tree, Sant tree, Kiker, Prickly acacia
Type: mordant dye, no-mordant dye
Part of plant used:
Colorants: various red-brown tannins that belong in the catechic tannins class
Main colors: various shades of brown
Other colors: terracotta, peach, orange, cinnamon, brick, deep purple, and similar earthy shades
Purpose: natural dye for textiles, leather, wood, candles, and other natural materials. Can be used for making botanical inks, pastels, watercolors, printing paste, etc.
Dyeing with thorny acacia:
Use 15-30 % WOF. You can use less for lighter shades and a bit more for darker shades.
Add acacia powder to the dye bath and stir well.
Raise temperature to 70-90°C and simmer from 1 to 3 hours, depending on the desired colors. Let it cool. Longer simmering produces deeper, darker colors.
Strain through a fine cloth to keep small particles out of the dye bath.
Fibers, whether pre-mordanted or unmordanted, should be soaked in water for at least 30 minutes before adding to the dye solution. Acacia gives more pink and red tones to white unmordanted fibers while alum mordanted fibers take up more brownish tones. Fibers mordanted with iron dye in a gorgeous deep brown with a hint of purple.
Immerse fibers in the acacia solution and simmer for 40-60 minutes or longer, depending on the desired shade. Allow the solution to cool. You may simmer and soak longer if you wish to get deep, dark tones.
Experiment with additional iron mordant, pH variations, or soak in a soda ash solution to get more shades.