Madder Red Lake

Name: Reut Ullman and Tenzin Dongchung
Date and Time:

2017.10.09, 12:50pm

Location: 260 Chandler
Subject: Making Madder

We were provided with a sheet of instructions to follow, to create (to engineer) madder. We were also provided with madder root.


Instructions:

Ingredients
-2g coarsely ground madder root
-Polyester netting bag (or cheesecloth or something similar)
-60ml water
-1.3g potash alum
-1.2 potassium carbonate
-120ml water
-Water to wash

Procedure
-Enclose madder in a polyester netting bag large enough to allow the plant material to move freely and water to penetrate it
-Soak overnight in 60ml water in 100ml or larger beaker
-After soaking, heat solution to 70° C and extract dye at this temperature for 30 min
-Remove bag
-If necessary, filter while still hot through folded filter papers
-Add 1.3g potash alum to warm solution and heat to 80° C
-Meanwhile, make up solution of 1.2 g. potassium carbonate in 120ml water in 250ml beaker
-Add dyestuff solution to this alkaline solution very slowly, stirring constantly
-Check pH (should be about 6)
-Leave to settle overnight
-Next day, filter pigment and wash with water until filtrate is clear
-Filter to remove all liquid and allow to dry


We began the experiment by placing a prepared beaker with a day-old soaked cheese cloth madder root filled bag on top of a hotplate, dial turned to ’1.5’. We then placed a glass mercury thermometer to monitor the temperature of the contents of the beaker, until it reached 70 C, as per instructions. Meanwhile, we poked at the stuffed baggy of madder root, to release more juice. We observed a coating of film on the surface of the liquid, probably residue to be filtered out. The heated solution emitted a strong bitter-like odour. The colour was maroon.



The hotplate dial was lowered to ‘1.5’ at 12:55 pm, reaching the desired 70 C at 1:00 pm, at which point we took the beaker off the hotplate, removed the cheesecloth filled madder root bag, to discard.

In a separate beaker, we mixed 1.2 grams of potassium carbonate with 120 mL of water, until the former was dissolved. We set this beaker aside.


We returned the beaker with the liquid madder juices to the hotplate, added 1.3 g of potash alum, stirred, and once more inserted the thermometer until the internal temperature of the solution reached 80 C. Once the thermometer read 80 C, we slowly poured the contents of the dissolved potassium carbonate beaker into the liquid madder solution, and observed the foaming and change of colour, a lightening, from maroon red to rust red. We continued to mix the solution, and checked the pH level, which read at 6. We covered the beaker with a see-through tape or film, for the madder to settle overnight.

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Name: Reut Ullman and Tenzin Dongchung
Date and Time:

2017.10.10, 6:00pm

Location:260 Chandler
Subject: Draining Madder

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We returned the next day to the lab, and found our madder nice and settled, with a diaphanous but visible mass of solid particles on the beaker floor, separated in colour and texture from the surrounding liquid. We took another beaker, on top of which we placed a strainer with filtered coffee paper, and proceeded slowly to strain the contents of our madder beaker, at 6:20 pm. The filtration process was painfully slow, and we let the solution sit comfortably, checking on it every 45 min or so, to see if more water was to be added. We were to filter the madder until the liquid residue was to be clear, like water. Between 6:20 pm and 9:45 pm, we ran our madder through two rounds of water filtration, discarding the orangish liquid each time. At 9:45 pm, the last filtration cycle, the liquid residue dripped clear. Hazza!

Name: Tenzin Dongchung and Reut Ullman
Date and Time:

2016.10.13, 10.10am

Location: 260 Chandler
Subject: Grinding Madder


By Friday morning, the filtration was clear. The madder substrate was dry and looks like the desert floor that cracks without water. The color looks dark and maroon-ish. Carefully, I rubbed the filter paper to get the powder. I noticed that depending on how fine the powder is, there is variation in the shade of color. I took the powder and ground it in a mortar and pestle. Then I placed my madder lake in 3 small containers.


The first sample I took, I added two drops of egg white. Jo suggested adding same amount of binding medium as the amount of madder lake. Then, I mulled it to let the madder integrate with the egg white. Since it dries very fast, I painted on a small chart with egg white lake madder sample. I was surprised to find that it was difficult to paint with this paint. Pamela said that it is hard to make big brush strokes with this paint and therefore historically in paintings that used this paint, one would notice small brush strokes.



I followed a similar procedure with egg yolk and lastly with linseed oil. The linseed oil one was much smoother.

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Name: (Also the name of your working partner)
Date and Time:

2016.[Month].[Day], [hh]:[mm][am/pm]

Location:
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Name: (Also the name of your working partner)
Date and Time:

2016.[Month].[Day], [hh]:[mm][am/pm]

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ASPECTS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN MAKING FIELD NOTES

• note time
• note (changing) conditions in the room
• note temperature of ingredients to be processed (e.g. cold from fridge, room temperature etc.)
• document materials, equipment, and processes in writing and with photographs
• notes on ingredients and equipment (where did you get them? issues of authenticity)
• note precisely the scales and temperatures you used (please indicate how you interpreted imprecise recipe instruction)
• see also our informal template for recipe reconstructions

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