I use a knife and cut a full circle around the nut, then twist and one side easily pops off.. then I use a spoon to scoop the nut out of the other side. It’s quick and simple with less mess
A few tips for people trying for the first time, as much info I’ve found is unnecessarily labor intensive and can turn people away after giving it a shot. Work in an area outside where a bit of splatter won’t ruin anything nearby and cleanup needs will be minimal or unnecessary. Wear rubber gloves & remove the hulls from the shells with a pair of pliers = easy work. Some people boil the walnuts, but that’s waaaaaay too much unnecessary work, imho. My dye method: I lay out cotton t-shirts and such on a thick piece of cardboard, then use the broken up bits of husks to make free-form designs, & rolling around the shells on the material for additional designs. Let work dry at least overnight, then put in a bucket of cool/cold water. Still using gloves, “squeeze & drop” the material repeatedly, then pour o ff this water (into another bucket, if you want to use this “first rinse” water as a lighter background color for other projects). Keep rinsing the dyed material with fresh water until it runs mostly clean. From this point forward always hand wash these items, rather than tossing them in clothes washer with other clothes, as they WILL run and stain everything else in the wash!
Thanks for the tips! 🙏. I’ve dyed wool in the past with walnut hulls, and it was a lot of work to get the hulls off. I used a hammer. I then boiled the husks for awhile, then added my clean wool. The wool turned out beautiful! Gorgeous colors of brown! 😍
@@susangrande8142 Don’t mention it. I hope you got something useful from my post. You know Fall is on the way when people start thinking about black walnut dye. Personally, I just do a couple of t-shirts every year and try to make them unique.
I made up a walnut hull dye bath 2 weeks ago, and last week dyed around 2 lbs. of wool with it. Here’s how I did it, and it was easy, just some work: (I wore heavy duty rubber gloves. Walnuts stain! And this is not for someone who is easily grossed out, as you may see:) Working outside, I knocked the green hulls off maybe 1-1/2 gallons of walnuts with a rubber mallet. Most nuts took 2-3 blows to get the hull off, and it was more effective than using a regular hammer. Some of them had maggots in them. I scooped/ knocked as many of them out as I could, and put the hulls into an old pillow case. When I thought I had enough husks in there, I poured maybe 2-3 gallons of water into my big dye pot, which is an old enamelware canner that holds 5 gallons. I left it on my porch, covered with its lid, for 1-1/2 weeks. I poked the pillowcase maybe once-twice a day, to make sure all the husks were in the water. I carefully hung the open end of the pillowcase just outside the rim of the pot. Then I asked my strong husband to carry the pot inside for me and put it on the largest burner of my cooktop. I very gradually raised the heat, because I’m a chicken. The dye bath is kinda stinky; there’s definitely a bit of rotting vegetation smell in it. I simmered the hulls (still inside the pillowcase) for an hour, and then removed the pillowcase and walnut hulls. It’s an excellent straining system! Be very careful to not let the pillowcase drip onto your kitchen. I recommend having a glass or plastic pan or big bowl to catch the drips. Then I carefully placed the wet, clean wool locks into the dyebath, gently pressing them down with my old slotted spoon. I reallly filled the pot. Every so often I would press the wool down, as the (lowly) simmering dyebath would get steam bubbles into the wool. I kept the pot on medium heat the whole time. After an hour or so, I turned the burner off, and just let it cool down. Next morning I asked hubby to carry my heavy pot to my work space. That’s where I carefully rinsed off the wool, and laid it out to dry. I did this over a few days, as I was curious as to how much more color the wool would take on if it continued to sit in the dyebath. (My conclusion is that it was a negligible amount.) I now have several shades of beautiful brown Romney locks to flick and spin for a sweater! 😍🥳
I don't think the warm water acts as the mordant. Rather, it helps the fiber receive the dye. What makes the dye substantial (not needing any additional mordant) is the tannin present in the walnut
Alicia B. You are right. Water is not a mordant. It simply helps sink the fibers/fabric being dyed to the bottom of the pot/bucket and soak up the dye. Walnuts will dye black if the dye liquor is heated during the dye process, especially if iron sulfate is used as a mordant. It will also be color/lightfast if a mordant is used first.
It’s probably time to start collecting walnuts now. They’ve started to fall from trees around me, in zone 5. 👍 I’m considering dyeing more wool with some.
@susangrande8142 Yup you can also see the squirrels sitting in thr tree and chipping away the husk... 😆 ... wr also have a alot of Sumac Berries in the area near the walnut trees... maybe make some spice or tea
Thank you for this . very informative! do you find that after some washing the dye releases? does it need some sort of fixative like ammonia ( I know some historic peoples used urine.. ) or vinegar?
mordants should be used for a more permanent and long lasting color, the type of material that you are dying will determine the type of mordant you should use. Be cautious because some mordants are toxic. Alum is considered one of the most safest--- you can find this in the grocery store. look up mordants on the internet to find how to use them and for the material you are using.
FYI, that "weed" Goldenrod is just as valuable as black walnut, could even perhaps argue moreso, and black walnut is amazing. May wanna look into that before you discount that also valuable plant ally.
Adding vinegar seems like a really useless addition. The reason why one would add vinegar is to increase the acidity because mold likes neutral to alkaline conditions walnuts are already so acidic that I don't think anything could grow in them to begin with. If anything I would put a couple of drops of clove oil or a couple of cloves. Maybe some alcohol
I use a knife and cut a full circle around the nut, then twist and one side easily pops off.. then I use a spoon to scoop the nut out of the other side. It’s quick and simple with less mess
Thank you for that tip--- I will try that!
I put mine underneath the wheels of my car and run over them 😅 true story
A few tips for people trying for the first time, as much info I’ve found is unnecessarily labor intensive and can turn people away after giving it a shot.
Work in an area outside where a bit of splatter won’t ruin anything nearby and cleanup needs will be minimal or unnecessary.
Wear rubber gloves & remove the hulls from the shells with a pair of pliers = easy work.
Some people boil the walnuts, but that’s waaaaaay too much unnecessary work, imho.
My dye method: I lay out cotton t-shirts and such on a thick piece of cardboard, then use the broken up bits of husks to make free-form designs, & rolling around the shells on the material for additional designs.
Let work dry at least overnight, then put in a bucket of cool/cold water. Still using gloves, “squeeze & drop” the material repeatedly, then pour o ff this water (into another bucket, if you want to use this “first rinse” water as a lighter background color for other projects).
Keep rinsing the dyed material with fresh water until it runs mostly clean.
From this point forward always hand wash these items, rather than tossing them in clothes washer with other clothes, as they WILL run and stain everything else in the wash!
Thanks for the tips! 🙏. I’ve dyed wool in the past with walnut hulls, and it was a lot of work to get the hulls off. I used a hammer. I then boiled the husks for awhile, then added my clean wool. The wool turned out beautiful! Gorgeous colors of brown! 😍
@@susangrande8142 Don’t mention it. I hope you got something useful from my post. You know Fall is on the way when people start thinking about black walnut dye. Personally, I just do a couple of t-shirts every year and try to make them unique.
Thank youuuu!! All these UA-cam videos are intimidating lol love your quick take
I made up a walnut hull dye bath 2 weeks ago, and last week dyed around 2 lbs. of wool with it. Here’s how I did it, and it was easy, just some work: (I wore heavy duty rubber gloves. Walnuts stain! And this is not for someone who is easily grossed out, as you may see:) Working outside, I knocked the green hulls off maybe 1-1/2 gallons of walnuts with a rubber mallet. Most nuts took 2-3 blows to get the hull off, and it was more effective than using a regular hammer. Some of them had maggots in them. I scooped/ knocked as many of them out as I could, and put the hulls into an old pillow case. When I thought I had enough husks in there, I poured maybe 2-3 gallons of water into my big dye pot, which is an old enamelware canner that holds 5 gallons. I left it on my porch, covered with its lid, for 1-1/2 weeks. I poked the pillowcase maybe once-twice a day, to make sure all the husks were in the water. I carefully hung the open end of the pillowcase just outside the rim of the pot.
Then I asked my strong husband to carry the pot inside for me and put it on the largest burner of my cooktop. I very gradually raised the heat, because I’m a chicken. The dye bath is kinda stinky; there’s definitely a bit of rotting vegetation smell in it.
I simmered the hulls (still inside the pillowcase) for an hour, and then removed the pillowcase and walnut hulls. It’s an excellent straining system! Be very careful to not let the pillowcase drip onto your kitchen. I recommend having a glass or plastic pan or big bowl to catch the drips. Then I carefully placed the wet, clean wool locks into the dyebath, gently pressing them down with my old slotted spoon. I reallly filled the pot. Every so often I would press the wool down, as the (lowly) simmering dyebath would get steam bubbles into the wool. I kept the pot on medium heat the whole time. After an hour or so, I turned the burner off, and just let it cool down. Next morning I asked hubby to carry my heavy pot to my work space. That’s where I carefully rinsed off the wool, and laid it out to dry. I did this over a few days, as I was curious as to how much more color the wool would take on if it continued to sit in the dyebath. (My conclusion is that it was a negligible amount.) I now have several shades of beautiful brown Romney locks to flick and spin for a sweater! 😍🥳
I don't think the warm water acts as the mordant. Rather, it helps the fiber receive the dye. What makes the dye substantial (not needing any additional mordant) is the tannin present in the walnut
thanks for that info!
Alicia B. You are right. Water is not a mordant. It simply helps sink the fibers/fabric being dyed to the bottom of the pot/bucket and soak up the dye. Walnuts will dye black if the dye liquor is heated during the dye process, especially if iron sulfate is used as a mordant. It will also be color/lightfast if a mordant is used first.
@@rowanspiritwalker6667 ok, thx for the tips !
I just put mine in stock pot.....let them cook awhile.....works great
Awesome. A lot here that I didn't know. Thank you. I've also known people to use this dye for rawhide for their drums.
I may try that!
It turns hide into leather if you soak it
This is very helpful! Thank you!
I found a tree near my house to on a trail... I'm exited to collect them this summer
It’s probably time to start collecting walnuts now. They’ve started to fall from trees around me, in zone 5. 👍 I’m considering dyeing more wool with some.
@susangrande8142 Yup you can also see the squirrels sitting in thr tree and chipping away the husk... 😆 ... wr also have a alot of Sumac Berries in the area near the walnut trees... maybe make some spice or tea
flat concrete and a plank of wood works really well
I'm giving this is go. I want to bottle the dye to keep it for a while. Should I add anything in to preserve it? Thank you for the great video!
at 11:31 he talks about how to prepare the dye to preserve it!
@@mxaidanwood2703 thanks! I totally missed it. I ended up adding a little vodka in my batch 😁
Elderly lady told her family did this and it was best and last a long time
the high tannins in the walnuts will act as a mordant and set the color
Can you leave the nut in when dying?
Black Walnut is also an amazing remedy for athlete's foot when nothing else works.
just have to make sure you wear socks after the treatment!
Donald Porta, my bad -- I should have said -- make an extract of the black walnut and use that on the athlete's foot.
Ever considered behaving like an adult overgrown turd?
@@berthayellowfinch5471 an extract? Like boiling the nut?
@@berthayellowfinch5471 can you explain how precisly please? Thank you
Is it the same way when stain wood?
yes
Do you think if you dried the husks they could be used for dye at a later time?
yes I do exactly that!
@@donaldporta Not sure what I would use it for but I’m going to dry some to have on hand for later
Always wear gloves I didn't and it dyed and caused burns on my hands.
yes--- good practice!
Thank you for this . very informative! do you find that after some washing the dye releases? does it need some sort of fixative like ammonia ( I know some historic peoples used urine.. ) or vinegar?
mordants should be used for a more permanent and long lasting color, the type of material that you are dying will determine the type of mordant you should use. Be cautious because some mordants are toxic. Alum is considered one of the most safest--- you can find this in the grocery store. look up mordants on the internet to find how to use them and for the material you are using.
Can we use this for hair dye
some people do, not sure how it doesn't dye the skin?
Doesn't the solution start fermenting when you leave them in the cold water for too long?
yes, for long term use this method; ua-cam.com/video/2oA8dhQZvmQ/v-deo.html
Alright, thanks for the answer
Pretty sure that's how you make wood stain
Thanks for the info! Do you know if its ok to use black walnuts found with larvae in the hull? Should you just boil them anyways?
larvae won't affect the dye
FYI, that "weed" Goldenrod is just as valuable as black walnut, could even perhaps argue moreso, and black walnut is amazing. May wanna look into that before you discount that also valuable plant ally.
thank you
I guess the reason why the worms come up is because it's💜toxic.
Where can I get the black walnut for dye in India?
Indiamart
Sir any chemical use in it?
No
@@donaldporta thanks for your help and support for internet explorer.
Neat man.
Has anybody dyed their hair with it ??
It causes chemical burns to skin, so I hope not!
Thank u for teaching yes I'll get safety glasses thank u for teaching yea Adonai utube
Adding vinegar seems like a really useless addition. The reason why one would add vinegar is to increase the acidity because mold likes neutral to alkaline conditions walnuts are already so acidic that I don't think anything could grow in them to begin with. If anything I would put a couple of drops of clove oil or a couple of cloves. Maybe some alcohol
mold does grow on walnuts and the die water.
hair....