Let's turn Money into a Mordant: Experimenting with Dyeing with Copper

[@alekfelis]

"What you can't buy with money, you can dye with money." Goblin's proverb

[@linr8260]

Oh the bright side, those orangey yellows? Gorgeous. That was a *very* potent onion soup

[@NiciHughes]

Made my 9 year old son get out of bed to listen to you talk about the smell of metal on your hands (bleugh!) So now he knows I'm not the only freak - thank you!!

[@yarndemon]

In 2007 I experimented with dyeing wool with copper USA pennies. First they had to be pre-1981 coins because that was when they had more copper in them. I put them in a large jar and added ammonia to it. DO NOT DO THIS STEP INSIDE!!! Then I let it set for a long while - actually I forgot about it, so it was a couple of months later. The liquid had turned a rich blue color. I used the liquid to dye wool mordanted with alum and got a beautiful green with it. It’s funny because I used pennies and the color I got was close to dollar bills. 😂

[@bagladysendtheferalspinner3761]

If you pick up some citric acid powder (usually sold with homemade wine making supplies), you can make a stronger acid solution as a mordant or way to draw off the copper etc.

[@Dollcan]

Love your experiments. I always learn from you.

[@afoxgloveshandiwork]

I commend your dedication! Those yellows and oranges are so stunning even though it wasn’t what you were going for.

[@She10b]

Thank you for letting us tag along on your fiber adventures. I for one need inspiration to try things I have never done before and not worry so much about making mistakes, we learn from those experiences too. It is a journey.

[@DeniseODaniels]

oh its so beautiful . i keep my pennies and moss and whatever inside as i heat it all up. i let it sit for days on end. oh how beautiful all your newly dyed wool is..its Beautiful.

[@Loxalair]

Maybe sand the surface of the wire? Whenever we worked with any sort of metal wire in chem class, we sanded the surface to remove any protective oxidation coating or junk. My apologies to your hands for the metal smell, but it could work. I should try this though, I have so many canadian pennies that are now useless copper

[@Pine-m6h]

(Please excuse any misspellings) I'm pretty sure you need more oxygen? The stuff that actually gets disolved in the vinegar is oxidized copper, the blue stuff. Try leaving the wire with some vinegar, but not fully cover it. The moisture and acid should expidite the oxidation. Mix and flip it around a bunch, if you can (every few days) to get a more even exposure to the acid and vinegar. Once the copper is sufficiantly blue, cover it with vinegar, and let the oxidized stuff disolve. Think of how you need rusted iron for an iron sulotion. It's kind of the same. If you want to cut some corners, you can fill a jar about half way with vinegar, then stick unbent wire up so only about half of it is submerged. Flip every once in a while. That way you get to oxidize and disolve at the same time. Good luck! I really hope you don't give up on this.

[@bradleyelders7904]

I've had success mixing a copper mordant/modifier solution by soaking copper wire in a mixture of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. On its own, the vinegar can only react with the copper that is already oxidized, which means it only dissolves the outer layer of copper. That's where the hydrogen peroxide comes in, it will donate spare oxygen to the reaction and oxidize the copper so it can form copper acetate (there are more specific processes to follow on the internet of course, I'm not a chemist). You can of course speed the process up by heating it, but as always follow good safety procedures, eg. make sure your pot/vessel is big enough to allow for expansion and do this all outside to avoid fumes.

[@MonicaLea]

I have some solid copper fittings sitting in a solution of about 2/3 vinegar and 1/3 water for 3 months and it is just barely tinted blue. You can only tell if you hold it up to something white.

[@charlot-temisery]

okay but the best part of your experiment here is that if you'd used onion juice to extract the copper, it might have been more successful. because the best acid for extracting copper is sulfuric acid.

[@Thejokefactor]

I'm not fully through the video yet but I just want to explain why the copper extraction is likely so light in colour. Household vinegar is usually 7% so there isn't as much acid actually in the solution to react with the copper.

[@kristalburns3490]

Might there be some kind of weird finish on the wire? You could take a piece of sand paper to the wire wad and sand it a little and try again. Later of course but definantly worth another shot.

[@annieo54]

You truly make me smile! I have some clue when the coins turned the floof brownish because I’d seen two different people use nails and the other steel wool to dye wool…and both had the same reaction as yours…but the rest? I was eager to see what transpired! I remember one person in quest of green saved and used avocado peel…it didn’t go well😂 Love your videos!

[@lindsaytod21]

I tried with coins and diluted vinegar and the solution took nearly 6 weeks to turn blue. Haven't used it yet as I have gone off the boil, but I might have a go now.

[@Suzco123]

I now feel vindicated.. the smell of metal is real! 🥴 I am now teetering so much more dangerously above the natural dye rabbit hole than ever before. I love seeing the experimental process and the failures, which arent failures because we learn from them.... Im not sure what we've learned yet but i hecka feel more knowledgeable than before I watched your dyeing shenanigans 😂 Cant wait for part 2!!

[@kimdegener3854]

Even though things didn't go as expected, your wool is beautiful. I've only just dabbled in natural dyes, and I'm frequently surprised, lol. I think this is one of these things that's as much art as science. Love your experiments.

[@sophieinspired]

I do think it‘s very interesting! even if you didn’t archieve what you seeked out. and all the different colors you got have a common base and pair very well together. Seeing them all together at the end I was like uuuuhhhh this looks like it could (/should? 👀) be spun together into such an interesting yarn. Maybe a gradient, maybe twisted? I don’t know but please do show me! 🧶💖 also totally on board if you want to make this a new life mission 😂 (aka regular series) we will not be defeated by the copper!

[@BlackPixelDustt]

Cool experiment. You did get a variety of different colors, so something was happening with the metals. I echo the idea to use citric acid. It's much stronger than vinegar. I would recommend buying a small bag of copper and one of iron from a dyer supplier to compare the wool dyed with these with the wool dyed with your own methods. That way, it may be easier to compare and see what you are extracting., If you want to use the coins and wire still. The fiber came out nice colors though. Would be interested to see if you are going to spin with them.

[@alexvanderpol1]

I'm sorry you didn't get the colors you wanted, but it still looks like you had fun, and the colors you got where still pretty cool!

[@kirradactyl]

I came to comments to find chemistry nerds and was not disappointed

[@flatbatterymakes2495]

I am no science brain at all, I'm just fascinated by this whole vlog though... Could it be to do with the strength or acidity of the vinegar, or even the type? I've wanted to play with dyeing as parr for the course of being a yarn addict but now I gotta play with the variables on this! I mean, I won't be able to until next spring because I won't have the time or space. but until then I will have to live vicariously through you...

[@ingebraun582]

Hi, Very cool video, like it so much. I ve another idea. Perhaps you dye with another material than onions. I know onions as a dying material which do nt need a mortand (same as dying with walnut) I ve also have some useless coins...and love to do some experiments.. Perhaps i find another dying material in my stuff to make an Experiment... Nevertheless your onion dyed wool has brilliant famous colors. I m lookkng forward to see what they will change in after spinning and knitting..

[@alexandralaske9415]

the colors all go great together. Doesn't all that vinegar attack the fibers? I achieved the most beautiful and strong green with the deep-rooted reed flowers. I'm waiting impatiently for them to bloom again

[@racheloverturf3508]

I kinda wonder how the wool will age

[@eiszapfenkobold]

side topic hot take - you should spend your coin for them to take it in and change the system into only electric card payment in the future. ;)

[@DAYBROK3]

if you want green dye your floof yellow and then overdye it with blue. if can get it copper pipe is good as you can use it to shibori material. no it shouldnt be green, it should be a yellow as both iron and copper are more modifiers than mordent though you can use them as such, they are not dyes so unless you have odd plant material (a plant called tansey in english) it should only be the colour you dye. the olive green is yellow "saddened" by iron, copper brightens things or makes them "happier"

[@saraht855]

My A-level chemistry brain is telling me that the bright blue solutions were always copper sulphate, which is made by dissolving copper in sulphuric acid. Vinegar is acetic acid so it's making a different solution. I tried to see if there was any easy acid solvents for sulphuric acid but it seemed to be all batteries and super corrosive. Interestingly, the reason that onions make you cry is because the sulphur compounds in them create sulphuric acid in your eye, so i don't know if a little slice of onion in your solution would give you enough to get a stronger blue colour (very rough guess, the acetic acid may be way stronger and it would do nothing) but that might be why you're not getting the stronger blue shade?

[@elena---c1558]

maybe if you use stronger vinegar, and cut the copper into smaller pieces so ther will be more surface area? You could also try leaving it for like 4-6 months or something

[@marthaturner3866]

I never got it to turn with vinegar. I do have a lovely blue from ammonia but as ammonia destroys wool I only use a tablespoon as an after dip but do not use heat

[@etienne6916]

oh no hahaha xD at least there was some color change xD in Wild Colors it says copper turns yellow to green and ochre to brown, maybe something in the onion makes it change to brown? even tho the page on onion mentions green haha xD I also heard the red onion skins turn green... she also uses copper pipes, you might get better results? can't wait to see the second part of this :P

[@palustrine]

chaos science!!!! :D

[@CrumbleMcRumble]

Did you try copper wire for electrical purposes, or copper for plumbing? If the copper wire is the stuff from craft stores, maybe it is much less copper. Just a thought!

[@louvegouroute]

i tried this, and it was clearly more efficient leaving the closed jar in the sun in summer… for a few weeks… (it fell and i never got to use it, alas -_- ) also: very little vinegar, BIG chunks of copper. i won't suggest that you actually 'cook' vinegar+commer inside (sounds like a bad idea!) but… you'll need waaayyyy more time, and some warmth could also help- maybe near a heater, or another source of regular warmth in your home? i remember being disappointed by the results 'sans' heat, just like you, and not wanting to use a stronger acid (way too much for squirmish me) i adjusted the thing with the proportions and putting it in the sun, but now after a quick search i can't find a source suggesting to do this :/

[@Pine-m6h]

Heat should speed up the chemical reactions, it makes a lot of sense. The sun does sounds ideal, alas, it is winter. Hopefully she sees this comment, I think it could help a lot.

[@sabimidz]

Just a thought, I have no knowledge about dyeing!. Buuuut maybe you need copper that has been in the elements and have the green stuff on it?? 🤷

[@bnhietala]

I love the way that darker one came out. I can't wait to see what you're doing with it!