Jet Black in quantity?

[deb]

Want to get a big batch of Jet Black. I had to place an order with The Big D yesterday anyway, so I ordered some of the primaries to augment my collection of itty bitty jars, but they say their jet black isn't recommended for tie dyeing, just vat dyeing, and I didn't really want a green, blue, or blue-purple cast to my blacks when I'm tie dyeing so I passed on their other blacks.

It seems kind of annoying to have to get a large Jet Black from elsewhere for tie-dyeing, and none of my local craft stores have jars bigger than the tiny 2-ounce ones. I'm just starting to use black in my tie dyeing at all anyway - I've been so happy just working with colors and patterns - but now that I feel more confident with it, and I have a better feel for the concentration I'll need, now that I want the 8-ounce jar, I can't seem to find it unless I do a whole new order with someone else (and have a whole other shipping charge  ).

Mostly a vent, but where does everyone else get their Jet Black in big jars?

[pburch]

Don't confuse Dharma's "Jet Black" with the "Jet Black" made by anyone else. It's a proprietary mixture, so it's not the same as any dye sold under the same descriptive name elsewhere. There's no particular similarity between Jacquard's Jet Black and Dharma's Jet Black. They are two completely different black mixtures. Jacquard's Warm Black used to be identical to Dharma's New Black, though there have been enough changes in dye formulas since then that this might no longer be true. Jacquard's Jet Black has no identical equivalent at Dharma or ProChem, and Dharma's Jet Black has no identical equivalent at ProChem or Jacquard.

I like Dharma's "New Black" the best of the premixed blacks. It doesn't separate out significantly in tie-dye, for me, though it does in low water immersion dyeing. Always use a lot more dye powder when mixing blacks. I don't like Dharma's Jet Black very much because it looks brownish to me. I prefer a bluer black. They look crisper and newer.

There is no such thing as an unmixed pure black in the Procion line. If you want a black that will not separate out into other colors under any circumstances, buy Colour Index reactive black 5. This is not a Procion dye but instead a Remazol. You can use it with the same recipes as Procion dye, as long as you make sure it has a nice warm place to react. In the US, you can buy this from PRO Chemical & Dye as their Liquid Reactive Black LR604.

Also see:

• Using Black!
• Is there any "true" black dye?
• Black Dyes: mixtures and single-color blacks

Paula

[went back later to fix broken link]

[zeppenwolf]

...but they say their jet black isn't recommended for tie dyeing, just vat dyeing, and I didn't really want a green, blue, or blue-purple cast to my blacks when I'm tie dyeing so I passed on their other blacks.

I'm not sure of the specifics now, but in their descriptions of their blacks, there's somewhere that they recommend Half of This One, Half of That One for a really nice black...

I followed that advice, and I have to say my black came out as black as you could ever dream of wanting a black to be.

Since it rhymes, I'll have to say that it's kind of like "crack"-- once you try a little bit, you're hooked.  (Seriously, stay with me here).  Once I saw how utterly, unspeakably black it came out, there was no turning back-- I will never, ever, ever settle for a lesser black.  The *real* thing is just so awesome, there are no words for it, (and what would an image on your screen prove?), it's something you have to see for yourself to understand.  Unfortunately, just like crack, (I guess) it's really expensive.  The powder disappears really, really fast...