Soda Ash and paint/wood finishes?

[mysticmountainsmama]

I'd like to try folding wet stuff. I am thinking of soaking in soda ash, wringing in the washer and folding on my kitchen table or freezer. Should I go to the trouble of protecting these surfaces from the soda ash solution? I notice a white residue where it dries out on the stainless steel sink and kitcken counter, is it harmful to any of these surfaces? Paula mentioned it was corrosive to aluminum.and I always wear gloves...Thanks

[tiedyejudy]

You mentioned folding on your kitchen table, but didn't specify the material the table is made out of.  If it is wood, I would avoid using it as a folding surface when the garment has been pre-soaked in soda ash.  Wood is porous, and even if it has a finish such as polyurethane, you could damage the surface.  I have used a folding camp table before when i was folding after soaking, and I always took care to thoroughly wash off the surface when I was done with clean water and a rag.    

Judy

[mysticmountainsmama]

Yes, I will protect the wooden table. After all the hours my husband spent refinishing it I'd be in big trouble if I wrecked it. I told him the problem and he's gone to get a 3' x 3' piece of thin plexiglass that's been around!!!It's still new, has a solid white protective plastic sheeting on it so I'm going to try it out when the baby goes to bed...I think it may be the perfect thing to allow me to keep tying in the house with kids around or in bed and just go to 'work' in the studio for dying. Thanks for your help Kathy
It can be complicated but it's the best job I've EVER had!

[Snugglebug]

I have an old vinyl tablecloth with the felt type backing.  It's easy enough to fold up and store in my project cabinet and very easy to clean up.  If I get side tracked before I'm done (which is often), I fold the tablecloth up with the shirts still in it and leave my little package for later when the kids aren't at each others throats  

[pburch]

I think it saves a lot of trouble to fold a garment with only plain water, then, after tying, to dump it in a bucket of soda ash solution to soak. I already use more soda ash than is strictly needed (1 cup per gallon, or 250 ml per 4 liters), so adding a little extra water already in the shirt does no harm.

I don't like folding with gloves on, as the string always catches the end of my glove's fingers, and I won't touch soda ash without gloves.

Paula

[ecilA]

FWIW, I prefer to use the ash soak prior to folding method and have a folding table that is not harmed by ashed items.  I (of temperamental skin) also...fold these ashed items with bare hands and have never had a problem from it.

[steve]

It's not the end of the world to handle soda soaked fabric, in my opinion, but I find that it dries my skin quite a bit and leads to hangnails etc. I seem to get that slick soapy feeling to my hands that I associate with caustic materials drawing the fat from my skin to turn it into soap. Just my preference--I'm sure everyone is different!

Steve

[John]

It's not the end of the world to handle soda soaked fabric, in my opinion, but I find that it dries my skin quite a bit and leads to hangnails etc. I seem to get that slick soapy feeling to my hands that I associate with caustic materials drawing the fat from my skin to turn it into soap. Just my preference--I'm sure everyone is different!

Steve

I ash stuff before the fold. It works well and if I so choose to fold it dry I'll even throw the ashed stuff into the dryer and then fold.

[ecilA]

I actually did try using gloves while folding and ended up with a blister from the glove rubbing back and forth on my finger but prefer not to have my wet dyes as wet as they come out of a bucket of soda soak and so...fold and tie bare (handed lol).

John posts about drying ashed items and I feel the need to mention that raggedy fibers on items like old sheets, could conceivably catch on fire in a hot enough dryer, so a word of caution on that.

Alice

[mysticmountainsmama]

Great info, thanks all! I started off gloved but just had to try without bacause it was so difficult, I would maybe need better gloves. I have been working on the plexiglass but must have gotten something on the table (I'm so messy! ) and there wasn't a mark. Paula uses 1 cup/gallon Soda Ash and I only use 1/2 with great results. My hands are a little dry and eczema has flared up on the left one between my fingers so....I'll be the first one here wearing one glove! I did pretty well by applying lotion right after I washed my hands.

[John]

After a while I would expect the paint or stain to wear off the table, plexi seems a good way to deal with that but you may also want something handy to sop up those spills...

[tiedyejudy]

I must have super sensitive skin... it gets very dry, and cracks, so if I expose it to soda ash I experience a lot of stinging where the soda ash gets into the cracks.  That is why I pre-tie before soaking in soda ash, then squeeze out excess solution and rack dry for a day or two.  I never handle wet soda soaked garments without gloves, 'cause I'm not into pain!  

Judy

[ecilA]

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do!  I totally understand that.

I did want to mention that the soda ash degrades the fabric and the longer you leave fabric wet with ash water the shorter the eventual lifetime of your piece will be.  Dry ashed items don't seem to suffer the same though I would not be suprised to learn that there was still damage done to fabric left treated for long periods of time.

I'd avoid heading into the 48 hour zone for goods you plan to sell (courtesy to customer, you want them to have a product that holds up for years of enjoyment right?) because it seems (in my experience) to be across the line of noticeable advanced detereoration.

[mysticmountainsmama]

I've gone back to folding dry, then soaking. I tried the wet fold but it was too hard with gloves, too drying without --and the results were only noticably different to me when I did a 'scrunch' so I may start doing those after the soak....What are the advantages to you? I am starting to do more production and would like to decide on the steps in my process and then just repeat them but now I am doing alot of experimenting to find my 'way' of doing it

[tiedyejudy]

I've gone back to folding dry, then soaking. I tried the wet fold but it was too hard with gloves, too drying without --and the results were only noticably different to me when I did a 'scrunch' so I may start doing those after the soak....What are the advantages to you? I am starting to do more production and would like to decide on the steps in my process and then just repeat them but now I am doing alot of experimenting to find my 'way' of doing it

I used to fold everything dry, but after I got Michael's DVD, I switched to dampening my shirt with water, wringing out, folding, then soda/soaking.  I fold the dampened shirt without gloves, but remove and squeeze out excess soda ash with gloves.  I also air-dry for a day or so before dyeing.  The advantage to this is I get crisper designs when I fold damp, and by air-drying after soda/soaking, my dyes don't dilute as much as if I dye right after I remove from the soda ash.

Judy