Organic Oak Gall Extract

Colours:
A range of beiges, and yellows with alum. Iron takes it towards grey & a blue black

Ingredients:

GOTS certified organic Oak Gall Extract (Quercus Infectoria)

InFO/ABOUT:

The oak gall is formed when a Gall Wasp lays its lava in the bud of the tree, and the tree reacts by growing a tissue around it, protecting the wasp and itself symbiotically.
Once the wasp has hatched out of the gall, it can be plucked from the tree, which no longer needs it, and ground down into a powder.

The Oak tree itself is surely one of our most beloved, quintessentially English plants. Revered for his strong, ancient and wise demeanor, a keeper of truth, bestower of safety and inspiring bravery. The Q. infectoria, is a small oak rarely reaching over 6 feet and therefore more of a shrub than a tree. Indigenous to Asia Minor and Persia.

Herbal and traditional uses:

Traditionally used by natural dyers for mordanting cellulose fibres before dyeing. These days it can be used alone or with an alum mordant for even deeper depths of colour.

Oak galls have been used for tanning leather across the globe for centuries and as far back as the ancient Sumerian culture, with cuneiform tablets dating 3000-2000 B.C containing writing of their use.

In the British Isles, our traditional writing inks were made with oak gall and iron and applied with quills or later dipping pens (Find the recipe in my “Botanical Dyes” book or “Ink-Making Workshop” video tutorial and try it yourself).
Gallnuts from Q. infectoria oak contain the highest naturally occurring level of tannin: 50-75%. Compared with 15-20% of the English Oaks.

Medicinally they are used for their astringent and warming qualities.

Recipe:

8-10% WOF

Put the required amount of powder in a bowl, add a few drops of hot water to make a paste, then add more water gradually until you have the required amount for your dye bath. Bring to a simmer for 30-60 mins to extract into the water. Strain and add your pre-wetted fibres. Heat for 30- 60 mins until the desired depth of colour is acquired. Leave to saturate overnight for deeper shades. Remove and wash, rinse, air dry.

For further info on mordaning and dyeing instructions for cellulose and protein fibres please refer to my Botanical Dyes book or the Mordanting Cellulose + Protein Fibres Video Workshop

Have a few extra items to dye lighter shades in your exhaust bath as there will be plenty of dye still available after the first batch for several more.

Fastness:

High colour fastness

Mordants/Modifiers:

Oak gall + No mordant = Beige
Oak gall followed by alum = Yellows
Oak gall with 5% Iron after mordant = Greys/blacks

Ph sensitivity:

Very stable

ORIGIN:

Sourced from India.
Produced using systems approved by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS 4.0)

Extraction Technique:

Ground to a powder and extracted in water.

Transport:

Air courier from India to UK
Shipped from Botanical Inks in Devon via Royal Mail

Packaging:

Packaged in a 100% compostable zip lock paper pouch and put inside a biodegradable corn starch mailer bag - safe for health and environment.