WHAT IS INDIGO AND WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT IT ? |
Indigo is a natural dyestuffs with blue color obtained from plants having indigoit characteristics. |
 |
FROM WHICH PLANTS IT CAN IT BE OBTAINED: It is obtained from 3 families which are Leguiminosae (Pea Family), Crusifare (Cabbage Family) and Polygoraceae (Dock Family). |
WHAT IS THE STORY THAT MAKES INDIGO SO INTERESTING: According to the claims of historians, indigo was being used widely between 2500 and 5000 B.C., because all of Egypt mummies discovered which belong to that period were covered with indigo dyed hemp cloths. The origin of natural indigo dyestuffs is Africa , India , Indonesia , China and North America . India with 1 million worker employment exported millions of tons of indigo dyestuffs to Europe in 19 th century, which introduced Europe indigo dyestuffs. Non-carcinogenic characteristics of indigo dyestuffs has given it more attraction and attention.
|
WHAT IS SYNTHETIC INDIGO: Adolf Von Baeyer explained chemical structure of synthetic indigo in 1980, but it was started to get marketed commercially 14 years later.
|
|
WHAT MAKES INDIGO DYESTUFFS SO SPECIAL: It is blue color dye used in denim fabric and the color gets lighter as the fabric is washed and moves from dark blue to ice blue. |
HOW CAN ONE UNDERSTAND A FIBER IS INDIGO DYED: It leaves dye on hand when one touches to especially dark color. When a tie taken from dyed yarn is burned and contacted with a white paper, it leaves a blue color on the paper.
|
ARE THERE OTHER DUYSTUFFS IN OTHER COLORS THAT HAVE INDIGO DUYSTUFFS CHARACTERISTICS: Unfortunately no. Dyestuffs producers have been working on the subject for years since they know that it will provide them big profits, but all research results are negative.
|
CAN WE ONLY DYE COTTON YARN WITH THIS DYESTUFF: No, but there is a very good affinity between indigo and cotton yarn. In addition, it is necessary to apply very good, even newly discovered, technical applications with other fibers.
|
HOW IS INDIGO YARN DYED: As you might have seen in China and Japan couple of years ago, it was dyed by hand (hank method) in ultra modern factories. As you might have possibly witnessed, the dying technique is possible by performing the following steps repeatedly: after fibers to be dyed are brought to hank form, they are raised up by a crane, they are plunged into dyestuffs for certain amount of time, they are kept in it sensitively and they reach to desired color after it is exposed to oxidation in the air. Dyestuff passage, milliseconds spent in air passage and amount of oxygen all have very important effect on colors and color stabilization. The smallest error causes abridge since it is inevitable and must be accepted.
|
