Gambir Extract
Shepherd Textiles Gambir Extract Natural Dye is made from the leaves and branches of uncaria gambir, a shrubby evergreen native to Malaysia and the Indonesian islands. The tree is especially rich in dark catechu tannins, and when the leaves are steamed they release a thick paste that is collected and concentrated down to Gambir Extract. It is dried into hard, thumb-size pieces - please note that it will arrive as mix of hard chunks and smaller sand-size pieces, rather than as a fine powder. However, the chunks will dissolve in warm water.
Gambir gives fantastic mahogany brown shades with a copper mordant and dark gray-browns with iron - use at 20% weight-of-fabric (WOF) for dark colors and 5-10% for lighter browns. Unlike many other natural dyes, it is dyed by the “stuffing and saddening” method (also known as “post-mordanting). Build a dyebath with 20% WOF of Gambir Extract, simmer the unmordanted fibers for an hour, allow to cool, and then transfer to a separate mordanting bath and simmer for another 20 minutes. Use 4% copper for mahogany, or 4% iron for gray-brown. For more details, check out our Guide to Dyeing with Gambir Extract.
Product of Indonesia.
Shepherd Textiles Gambir Extract Natural Dye is made from the leaves and branches of uncaria gambir, a shrubby evergreen native to Malaysia and the Indonesian islands. The tree is especially rich in dark catechu tannins, and when the leaves are steamed they release a thick paste that is collected and concentrated down to Gambir Extract. It is dried into hard, thumb-size pieces - please note that it will arrive as mix of hard chunks and smaller sand-size pieces, rather than as a fine powder. However, the chunks will dissolve in warm water.
Gambir gives fantastic mahogany brown shades with a copper mordant and dark gray-browns with iron - use at 20% weight-of-fabric (WOF) for dark colors and 5-10% for lighter browns. Unlike many other natural dyes, it is dyed by the “stuffing and saddening” method (also known as “post-mordanting). Build a dyebath with 20% WOF of Gambir Extract, simmer the unmordanted fibers for an hour, allow to cool, and then transfer to a separate mordanting bath and simmer for another 20 minutes. Use 4% copper for mahogany, or 4% iron for gray-brown. For more details, check out our Guide to Dyeing with Gambir Extract.
Product of Indonesia.
Shepherd Textiles Gambir Extract Natural Dye is made from the leaves and branches of uncaria gambir, a shrubby evergreen native to Malaysia and the Indonesian islands. The tree is especially rich in dark catechu tannins, and when the leaves are steamed they release a thick paste that is collected and concentrated down to Gambir Extract. It is dried into hard, thumb-size pieces - please note that it will arrive as mix of hard chunks and smaller sand-size pieces, rather than as a fine powder. However, the chunks will dissolve in warm water.
Gambir gives fantastic mahogany brown shades with a copper mordant and dark gray-browns with iron - use at 20% weight-of-fabric (WOF) for dark colors and 5-10% for lighter browns. Unlike many other natural dyes, it is dyed by the “stuffing and saddening” method (also known as “post-mordanting). Build a dyebath with 20% WOF of Gambir Extract, simmer the unmordanted fibers for an hour, allow to cool, and then transfer to a separate mordanting bath and simmer for another 20 minutes. Use 4% copper for mahogany, or 4% iron for gray-brown. For more details, check out our Guide to Dyeing with Gambir Extract.
Product of Indonesia.
