Iron In Well Water: A Modifying Agent

Anyone who dyes goods with plant matter will likely have heard of or would have used iron as a mordant and/ or a modifier.

Iron is described as making colors darker, and more dingy. For example, it can turn the light green produced by nettle into a darker, olive green.

But what about iron in well water?

The other day, I saw a lovely, magenta thistle in bloom and wondered- as most natural- minded dyers would- if I could extract that wonderful color from the flower in order to use it on some yarn.

I had not read about using thistle flowers for dye stock but I cut some flower (where the flower “meets” the green of the bud) anyhow because, well… that’s the kind of thing that I do…

I boiled some tap (well) water in the microwave and put the petals into the water. Almost immediately, the water began changing color. About an hour later, the water was an olive green/ gray color with a hint of pinkish- purple iridescence- not at all ugly but, also, not at all what I expected!

I tried to figure out what could have happened and then remembered that I had been using rain water in all of my recent extractions due to the fact that my well water is high in iron. Could iron have played such a big role in my thistle flower extraction?

There was only one way to find out…

Today, I repeated the same experiment only I used rain water. The thistle color was slower to extract but, within an hour, the water was a pinkie- peachie color- subtle, but there.

No gray, no green… just a barely- there pinkish tinge.

In all honesty, there is no way to prove- with 100% certainty- that iron is responsible for the difference in color. However, knowing what I know about iron as a modifier, assuming the iron is responsible is a safe bet. Moreover, my Chemist husband agrees with me- which, in my mind, adds some credence to my theory.

Lesson learned: the iron in my well water will most likely alter the results of my dye stock and finished product; it isn’t a myth or a wives tale; it’s the truth. Of course, the amount of iron in water also plays a role in the color changes one can expect as a result of using well water; when in doubt, get your water tested. if there are iron stains in your sink or tub, though, you can be assured that there is some iron in your water.

Update: Later last night, I poured a bit of the pink liquid into some (boiling) well water (half and half) and a change in color was noted almost immediately.

I have to wonder what effects, if any, could be produced using the dye extracted in the iron- rich well water on multi- fiber preparations... Think about it: different fibers take dye differently; thus it might be entirely possible to get a yarn (or fiber from which to spin yarn) with greenish, purplish, and pinkish colors. As with all things related to spinning and dyeing, the possibilities are truly endless!

Above: pink thistle petals in rain water; the color is delightful!

Above: from left to right: well water extraction; thistle in rain water added to well water (50%/ 50%); rain water extraction