Mordanted, naturally dyed wool and silk

Mordanted, Natural-Dyed Wool and Silk Fabrics... 

The mordanting process had a profound effect on the shade and depth of shade of the natural-dyed wool and silk. This result was expected because the metal ions used in mordanting complex with the dye on the fiber (9). Copper, chromium, and iron mordants gave the greatest color changes. The morphology and chemical structure of the protein fiber also affect the nature of the interaction between the dye... 

To gain a better understanding of the effect of protein fiber type, dye, and mordant on sunlight and burial weathering processes, we dyed wool and silk with three phenolic dyes (found as major components in natural dye mixtures extracted from various plant sources) and post-mordanted samples of the dyed fabrics with five representative metal salts. We then exposed the unmordanted and the dyed-mordanted samples to simulated sunlight or soil burial and measured the differences in the color and tensile properties that resulted from these treatments. 

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