Naphtol dyes

Cold water dyes for all natural fibers

Naphtol dyes are not sold in the form of a "finished dye" but in form of their components (Insoluble azo base and fast colour coupling compound) which combine on the fibre to produce a water insoluble azo dye of exeptional fastness properties

In comparison with fibre reactive dyes, Naphtols are significantly cheaper to use.

Naphtol dyes can be applied by two methods:

1. Immersion - most commonly used in batik dyeing

2. Hand painting (or spraying) - with or without thickener

The following chart of basic range shows only a very limited number of
colours that can be obtained by using combinations of Naphtol and Diazo.

NB. Colour charts ie photographs of actual dyeings on cotton, rayon and silk, and available in PDF format upon request.

NEW pricing and full list of available dyes as per June 2020.    

NAPHTOLS

AS   all purpose

BG   all purpose

BO   stronger, all purpose

BR   rich, darker

BS   - limited stock

BT   browns

D    all purpose

G    yellows

RS   - limited stock

TR   - limited stock

100g   $30.00      250g  $60.00     500g   $105.00

 

DIAZOS

Yellow GC  -  limited stock

Orange RD

Scarlet G  -  limited stock

Scarlet R

Red AL

Red 3GL

Red B

Green GT  - works best with Naphtol D & BG

100g  $20.00     250g  $40.00     500g $72.00

 

Violet B  -  very limited stock           )

Blue VBN  - same as old Blue 3B    )

Blue VRTN                                       )  priced same as for Naphtols

 

Black K     250g  $20.00

 

Dye Instructions

Cold water dyes for all natural fibres

Discovered late last century, Naphtol is principal dye used in Batik production in South East Asia. Naphtol dyes are not sold in the form of a "finished dye" but in form of their components ( insoluble azo base and fast colour coupling compound ) which combine on the fibre to produce a water insoluble azo dye of outstanding fastness properties. Naphtol are the only truly cold water dyes available to home dyers which makes them ideal for wax resist (batik) application.
They are suitable for dyeing of Cotton, Silk & Rayon.

Naphtol dyes can be applied by two methods:

1. Immersion method - most commonly used in Batik dyeing

2. Hand painting method (with or without thickener)

 

1. IMMERSION METHOD

Naphtol dyes are applied by the means of two baths. The first bath consists of "Naphtol solution" which impregnates the cloth with a chemical, which in turn reacts with the "Diazo solution " in the second bath. This reaction is instant and creates the colour. No further fixation is necessary. The whole dyeing process takes only a few minutes from start to finish. The resulting colours are fast to light, washing and bleaching.

 

NAPHTOL BATH:

1. Paste 2g (approx. 1 teaspoon) of Naphtol with small amount of Turkey Red Oil.

2. Add 1/4 litre (1 cup) of boiling water and mix well, then add 1/4 teaspoon of Caustic Soda (Lye) flakes.

3.Add enough cold water to make 1 litre.

 

DIAZO BATH:
Mix 6g (approx. 1 table spoon) of Diazo with a little cold water then add more cold water to make a total of 1 litre.

 

DYEING PROCEDURE
You'll need 3 containers - one for Naphtol , one for intermediate rinse and one for Diazo.

1. Place the cloth into the Naphtol Bath; agitate gently to ensure even penetration of the dye. Leave for 2-3 minutes.

2. Lift out the fabric and drip off over the dye bath, and then dip into a bucket of salty water (use 1 tablespoon of cooking salt per litre of water) + 1/2 teaspoon
of caustic soda (lye). This is to stop excess of Naphtol polluting the Diazo bath.

3. Then, immerse the fabric in the Diazo bath. Agitate and leave for 2 -3 minutes.

4. Rinse in cold water.
If you need a darker colour simply repeat the dyeing process

NOTE: After all dyeing is completed, immerse the fabric in soapy boiling water for a couple of minutes to eliminate excess dye and to stabilize the colour. Some Diazo e.g. Orange GC will abruptly change colour from pale red to orange in boiling water.

AFTER THE DYE BATHS HAVE BEEN PREPARED, THEY ARE GOOD FOR MANY DYEINGS WITHIN A PERIOD OF ABOUT 6 HOURS, PROVIDING THEY ARE KEPT AWAY FROM DIRECT SUNLIGHT.

 

2.  HAND PAINTING METHOD

Naphtol bath

1. Paste 2g (approx. 1 teaspoon) of Naphtol with small amount of Turkey Red Oil.

2. Add 1/4 litre (1 cup) of boiling water and mix well, then add 1/4 teaspoon of Caustic Soda (Lye) flakes.

3. Add enough cold water to make 1 litre.

4. Place the cloth into the Naphtol Bath; agitate gently to ensure even penetration of the dye. Leave for 2 -3 minutes.

5. Lift out and hang to dry away from light - best done late evening and left to dry in dark.

 

Diazo painting solution

Mix 1 tablespoon (6 gr) Diazo in 1 glass of water.
Then stretch (Naphtolated) cloth on frame and paint on or spray the Diazo solution.
Colour appears instantly and does not require any other fixation.
You can achieve multicoloured dyeing in the space of 5 minutes by applying different Diazo on the same cloth.

 

What makes Naphtol Dyes from any other dyes is:

1. Once a Diazo has been applied and a colour created, no other Diazo will react in the same spot. Meaning you can freely apply red colour next to blue - they will not mix, the edges of touching colours will be well defined.

2. Colours created by Naphtol Dyes are resistant to bleach making them ideal for use in production of hand painted tablecloth, bed sheets etc.

Hand painting method is at its best for multi coloured tie-dyeing. Naphtol Dyes are the cheapest (up to 40%) to use in comparison with Reactive Dyes (Procion, Drimarene-K, Remazol etc.).  There are thousands of colours and hues that can be created by using different combinations of Naphtol & Diazo.

 

Do not get confused with so many Naphtols:-

Naphtol G is "Yellow" Naphtol and combination with any Diazo only produces a variety yellow colour.
Naphtol BT is "Brown" Naphtol producing a variety of earthy brown colours.
Naphtol BR is "Brown" Naphtol producing a variety of reddish brown
Naphtol SR is "Black" Naphtol producing black in combination with Red B Diazo
Naphtol GR is "Green" Naphtol and is generally used in combination with Blue BB Diazo for bottle green
Naphtol ITR produces earthy/reddish colours.

Naphtols D, AS, BO, TR, OL, BS & RS will produce all other colours.
Different Naphtols produce different hues of same colour. For example:-

Orange hues with Diazo Yellow GC, Diazo Orange GC & RD
Red hues with Diazo Red RC, AL, 3GL or B
Blue hues with Diazo Blue BB, 3B or GC
Violet hues with Diazo Violet B
Green with Diazo Green BB or GT
Black with Diazo Black B, K or GT.

 

SAMPLES
When starting to use this fascinating dye, it pays to keep samples and make your own colour chart, detailing Naphtol and Diazo combinations, which should be kept for your future reference. Always dye samples of different materials together, as Naphtol will dye each fabric a slightly different shade or tone. Keep in mind that Naphtols trend to dye silk to much stronger shade in comparison with cotton. It is imperative to test strength before applying to your work as there is no remedy or possibility of removing wrong colour or shade.

FOR DISPOSAL COMBINE REMAINING NAPHTOL & DIAZO BATHS WHICH WILL NEUTRALIZE EACH OTHER.
IT IS THEN SAFE TO DISCARD.

 

Discharge dyeing with Soga Orange 29391
Commonly known as SOGA 91, when coupled with Diazo Salts produces a variety of rich chocolate browns which can be discharged (bleached back) to either white and/or series of shades of brown.

 

It enables the batik craftsman to work ( for a few stages of their batik work) in a positive rather than in negative form. The main advantage is that dark toned tjanting lines and dots are easily achieved.

The process involves dyeing the material with SOGA 91 and a Diazo solution before any wax has been applied to the cloth. The dyeing is done in a two bath method - same as in Naphtol dyeing.

DYEING

First dye bath: 5g SOGA 91 to 1 litre of water

Soga is dissolved in a small amount of hot water and than made up to a litre with more hot water. If it happens to "gum up" during pasting just add a bit of Methylated spirits. Wet the cloth and immerse in Soga bath for 5 minutes. Lift material out and allow to dry.

Second dye bath; 10g Diazo Salt to 1 litre of water (see note ***)
Immerse cloth for 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly. If the colour is not dark enough, the whole process must be repeated.

DISCHARGING-BLEACHING

First bleach bath:

5g Potassium Permanganate (condies crystals)

3 ml Hydrochloric Acid 30% or 10 ml Muriatic Acid (from hardware shops)

Dissolve Potassium Permanganate crystals in 1 litter of water and carefully add Hydrochloric acid. Wet the cloth and immerse in the solution. The longer the cloth is left in the bath, the more pronounced is the "bleach" effect. Lift out and hang it for few minutes.

Second bleach bath

15g Sodium Hydrosulphite

Dissolve in 1 littre of cold water. Here again, the length of time the material is immersed will determine the amount of bleaching If bleaching is not white enough, repeat the 2 bath again.

NB To achieve delicate and gradual successive stages of lighter tones of brown, the strength of two baths should be slightly weakened especially for the first bath. Cloth test should always be done beforehand to ensure desired amount bleaching.

*** A variety of Diazo Salts can be used to obtain shades of colour from pale reddish brown to very dark chocolate brown.

SOGA 91

5g/litre

Diazo Yellow GC 10g/litre

.

Diazo Orange GC 10g/litre

.

Diazo Scarlet R 10g/litre

.

Diazo Red 3GL 10g/litre

.

Diazo Red B 10g/litre

.

Diazo Bordeaux GP 10g/litre

.

Using proportions 2 : 5 produces only slightly paler strength of shade of above colours.

SOGA 91

$33.95 100g

Potassium permanganate

$10.95 50g

Soga 91 is the dye used in production of traditional Indonesian batiks from Yogyakarta and Surakarta region
of central Java. The colours are equivalents to those made with natural dyes used in the last century.