NeedleCraft Plus/needlecraftplusvolume1.iso/misc/potopis/potopis.asc

Text File | 1997-01-06 | 11KB | 228 lines

          A POTT OF PISSE

          On the medieval textile uses of urine

     What did those medieval dyers and fullers use that urine for?
We use large quantities of water and our dyeing and cloth seem to
come out just fine.  Perhaps it had some ritual significance?
     Well, anyone who has ever changed an "overnight" diaper has
smelled the sharp signature of ammonia.  Was urine, fresh or old,
used simply as a source of ammonia?  Or perhaps even more
basically, just as a source of hydroxyl groups? (OH-)
     Actually, if complete recipes can be had, some call for 'old
piss' - even specifying the age - some call for fresh or 'fair
piss', and some for boiled.  Are these equivalent? No!
     Biologically, urine is the primary excretion pathway for
nitrogen.  Fresh urine from a healthy human being contains varying
concentrations of UREA (H2NCONH2) in aqueous solution plus some
uric acid ( C5H4N4O3).  fresh, healthy urine contains no nitrites,
carbohydrates, proteins or fats.





          UREA

          O
                    "
          C
                                  / \
                               H-N   N-H
                                 |   |
                                 H   H

     Urine usually contains varying concentrations of ions; sodium
(Na+), potassium (K+) and chlorides (Cl-).
     Urine may frequently become contaminated with bacteria as it
exits the body - most frequently in females, due to their anatomy.
Small amounts of protein may also be found in female voided urine
due to vaginal contamination.  This may be the reason some recipes
specify male-child urine.  (Children's first morning urine is
generally more concentrated than adults' due to the smaller bladder
and longer hours of sleep.)
     Now - aside from saltpeter manufacture - what was done with
this 'Chamber Lye'?
     Urea is an excellent wetting agent and several formulae call
for soaking yarn and cloth in urine for a period of time before
entering it into the dyebath.  A wetting agent helps the dye
penetrate and makes the color more even.  It is thus especially
important for piece dyeing.
     Boiling urine both concentrates and sterilizes it - this will
prevent the formation of ammonia, as ammonium (NH4+) is a byproduct
of bacterial metabolism.
     If ammonia is what you want, however, just let your urine sit
uncovered until the strong odor tells you it is ready.
     If you require a base, for instance, to dissolve indigo or
woad powder, an ammonia solution will do the job.
     A base (alkali) comes in handy for making felt, so you may
want some ammonia rinses as you full woolen cloth.
     An ammonia solution, as an alkaline after-rinse is also useful
for modifying color in several dyes, i.e., Mullein, Elderberry and
some of the lichen dyes.
     The classic use of chamber lye, or sig, is the Blue Pot method
of Indigo dyeing.  Woad dyeing is identical in method, since both
plants contain the same blue coloring matter - indigotin.  The
indigotin is more concentrated in the  indigo plants.
     Indigotin is soluble only in alkaline solution.  Lye or
ammonia were commonly used.  When dissolved but oxidized, a very
dark-blue-to-black solution is the result.  Reduction, the removal
of oxygen, is commonly the result of bacterial action
("fermentation") and changes the indigotin to the colorless form
('indigo white'), in which state it can bond to the fiber.
     Gervase Markham, in his The English Housewife (1615) gives no
ingredients except urine and indigo (or anil, another word for
indigo , or byse, another blue coloring agent) in his formula for
blue on wool.  Most recipes include other ingredients, presumably
for better dissolving or to increase bacterial action.
     For those who desire to experiment with a blue pot of their
own, I humbly include my own recipe.  I use a urine substitute (see
note below regarding the real thing) for my Blue Pot.




          NOPISS BLUE POT
     1 quart canning jar with ring and lid   Urea crystals
     Indigo powder - natural or synthetic    clear ammonia
(if you use natural indigo in lumps, crush it to a FINELY DIVIDED
POWDER in a mortar and pestle)
     Raisins or sugar         yeast
               or sourdough starter

          The Piss
     Mix 1 level Tablespoon urea crystals into 3 cups warm water in
the canning jar.
          The Indigo Stock Solution
     In another glass container mix about 1/8th teaspoon indigo
powder (more if natural, less if synthetic) with 1/2 cup ammonia.
Stir to dissolve.  Add more ammonia or warm slightly if needed to
dissolve.  See safety note.

          The Vat
     Prime your vat with a source of fermentable sugars and
organisms.  I used 1/2 ounce of raisins  and one tablespoon of
sourdough starter (flour and all).  (Sugar, honey , chopped dates
and potato flakes may all be used.)
     Add your dissolved indigo stock solution to the vat.  You may
use from 1 tablespoonful to the whole 1/2 cup.  Stir well and place
the now deep-blue jar, loosely covered in a warm corner of the
kitchen or dyeshed.
     Over the next few months keep it from freezing or getting too
hot, bread-rising temperatures will be best, a warm room.
     After a few days a clearer zone will appear and lots of
sediment will have accumulated.  Now stir it.  Recap loosely and
incubate again.  Repeat the stirring every day or two for several
weeks.
     When the vat is deep green with blue froth and possibly
copper-colored scum, and smells foul, start preparing your fibers
for dyeing.
     If your 1 quart jar is nearly full you may dye up to one ounce
for any natural fiber at a time.  I've used wool and linen with
good results.
          Fiber preparation
     Presoak your skeins, fibers or cloth in a mild solution of
wetting agent.  I've used both Synthrapol detergent and Simple
Green each with excellent results.  Soak as long as possible, eight
hours or more would be optimal.  Urea or urine could also be used
as a presoak.
     Warm your vat in a hot-water bath.  The ideal dyeing
temperature is between 95 and 110 degrees F.
          The Dip
     Enter your fiber without trapping any excess air, recap the
jar and let sit for four to twelve hours.  You may let the
temperature fall to ambient air temperature.
          Airing
     Now remove the fibers and hang on a line or place on a rack to
air (allow at least an hour for airing).  When the color change is
complete (you HAVE to watch this) give it an acid rinse to
counteract the pH of the vat.  This is especially important for
wool.
     Use about one tablespoon of vinegar per quart of water for the
'souring rinse'.  Soak for several hours, to allow thorough
penetration, when you are finished dyeing.  For wool that will be
re-dipped, a briefer soak is okay.  Cellulose fibers that will be
re-dipped don't need souring in between dips, just do it when you
are finished.
     If a deeper color is desired, dip again, not forgetting rinses
as above.  When completely dyed and 'soured", wash in neutral
detergent, rinse and dry as usual after any dyeing.
     Keep your vat alive by feeding it sugars and stirring to give
it oxygen at feeding time.
     You can let the vat rest and revive it weeks later with a
feeding, just don't let it freeze.
     Obviously, this is not a rapid method, but it is fast.  And
for drama at a demonstration, it can't be beaten.
     The color is comparable to a spectralite vat but tends to be
less even, so you may want to start with a small amount of indigo
and redip several times to get evener coverage.
          For Further Reading
Adrosko,Rita J.  Natural Dyes and Home Dyeing  1971 Dover
Grae, Ida  Nature's Colors   1974  Collier Books
Wickens, Hetty  Natural Dyes for Spinners and Weavers  1986  B. T.
Batsford, Ltd. London
          Sources for Dyestuffs
Earth Guild One Tingle Alley, Asheville, N.C. 28801
The Woolery 1193 Stewarts Corner Road. Genoa, N.Y. 13071
Brooks & Flynn Box 2639 Rohnert Pk., Ca. 94927-2639
Pro Chemical & Dye, Inc. P.O. Box 14, Somerset, Mass. 02726
          Safety Notes
      For those of you who want to use real urine, I strongly
recommend using your own urine, or that of someone very close to
you (your child or mate).  In any case, handle it in such a way
that others ore not exposed.
     While bacteria can be our friends, here in the twentieth
century we have to remember viruses.  Hepatitis, herpes, human
papilloma virus and even HIV are all potentially present in fresh
human urine.  So I recommend that those doing public demonstrations
or with children in the house use the synthetic pee, above.
     All other safety precautions must be observed.  Don't inhale
any powders or fumes.  Work in a well-ventilated area. Don't ingest
anything!
     Clean up spilled powders by dampening them with water.  All
wastes may be safely diluted with water and flushed into a sewer
system.
      For further guidance, see the bibliography.  If you have not
done any natural dyeing before, please read about general
procedures before tackling this project.
     The author welcomes correspondence on this subject.

          NOTES TO BBS VERSION
     The forgoing article was first published in the premier issue
of APA:1066 #1 in November 1990.  All rights are still reserved by
the author.  You are welcome to download, print and otherwise share
this article providing it is kept intact, including these notes.
You are invited to quote freely as long as credit is given.
     In the two and one-half years since writing this I've learned
a few things, and other things have changed.
     Some of the addresses I gave for supplies are no longer good.
Rather than try to keep updating them, I will refer you to
suppliers in magazines like Threads or Spin-Off and supplier lists
often downloadable from BBSs like this one.  I also recommend
reading the following as background before you get started dyeing.
Buchanan, Rita  A Weaver's Garden  1987 Interweave Press
""     guest editor of;   Dyes From Nature  1990   Brooklyn Botanic
Garden Record   1000 Washington Ave.  Brooklyn, N.Y. 11225
Liles, J. N.  The Art and Craft of Natural Dyeing  Traditional
Recipes for Modern Use  1990   The University of Tennessee Press,
Knoxville, Tn.
          ABOUT APA:1066
     APA:1066 is a collated quarterly for the purpose of discussing
Medieval technology and culture.  The APA is open to interested
participants at the collator's discretion.
     Deadlines for submissions to APA:1066 are the first of
February, May, August and November.  Interested parties are urged
to write to the current collators for a sample copy.  Aron and
Merle Insinga,  41 Dublin Road, Nashua, NH 03063-2043, USA.  Sample
copies (current or back issues) are available for $5.  This is an
amateur publication of no commercial value.
          ABOUT THE AUTHOR
     Jan Derry  34 E Ridge Road, Greenbelt, MD 20770
I am uploading this to Arachne's Web at 703-765-1288 and you may
leave a message for me there (Fibernet echo).  Or you may
snail-mail be at address above.  Happy dyeing!
  The stench of a working indigo vat is truly awesome.  It
greatly resembles having an open cesspool in the room.  Think about
this before dyeing in the food-preparation area of your abode.