Tie Dyeing of Cotton With Reactive Dye

Theory

The process of tie-dyeing consists of folding, twisting, and pleating the fabric of a garment before binding it with string or rubber bands, followed by the application of dye. It is the modern term used to describe a number of resist dyeing techniques and the resulting dyed products of these processes. Unlike regular resist-dyeing techniques, modern tie-dyeing is characterized by the use of bright, saturated primary colors and bold patterns.

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Objectives

To know about tie dyeing.
To know about the process of tie-dyeing.
To know about the techniques of tie-dyeing
To know about different patterns of tie-dyeing.

Apparatus

Beaker
Glass rod
Dye pot
Sample fabric
Weight balancer
String or rubber band etc.

Recipe

Chemicals / Parameters	Required Amount
Reactive Dye	2%
Salt	30 g/L
Soda Ash	7 g/L
Wetting Agent	1g/L
Sequestering Agent	1g/L
Anti-foaming Agent	1g/L
pH	10 -12
Temperature	60℃
Time	40–60 mins
M:L	1:20
Sample Weight	5 gm

Calculation

Sample fabric = 5 gm

So, Total liquor = (5 ✕ 20) = 100 ml

Dye:

100 gm fabric needed 2 gm of dye

So, 5 gm of fabric needed (2 ✕ 5) / 100 = 0.1 gm of dye

Chemicals:

Salt = (30 ✕ 100) / 1000 = 3 gm

Soda ash = (7 ✕ 100) / 1000 = 0.7 gm

Wetting agent = (1 ✕ 100) / 1000 = 0.1 ml

Sequestering agent = (1 ✕ 100) / 1000 = 0.1 gm

Anti-foaming agent = (1 ✕ 100) / 1000 = 0.1 ml

Total chemicals = (0.1 + 0.1) = 0.2 ml

Required fresh water = (100 – 0.2) = 99.8 ml

Working Procedure

Sample fabric is weighted and taken 5 gm.
Chemicals are calculated and taken as the required amount in the dye pot.
Freshwater is added as required.
Sample fabric is taken and tied it with ropes, string, or rubber bands. (Tie process can be done in two methods. One is to roll up the fabric and then tie it up every few inches across the roll. Another process is to lay the fabric flat and pinch it in the center, picking it up like a handkerchief. Tie it where it was pinched and then in several more places going out towards the edges.)
Dipped the fabric in a dye pot and dyed it for 40 – 60 minutes at 60℃.
After dyeing, rinsed it and washed the fabric.
After washing, dried the fabric.
Thus, tie-dyeing is done.

Tie Dyed Fabric Sample

Dyeing Curve

Precautions

The sample should be weighted perfectly.
Must be careful when taking the required chemicals and water.
Sample fabric must be tied carefully.
Careful about the dyeing time and temperature.
Rinsing and washing should be done carefully.

Conclusion

We used reactive dye in the lab for tie-dyeing. Different patterns could be made with tie-dyeing including spiral, mandala, and peace signs. Multiple bold-colored fabric production is also possible with tie-dyeing.

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