Barrow, John [Hrsg.]: Dictionarium Polygraphicum: Or, The Whole Body of Arts Regularly Digested: Illustrated with Fifty-six Copper-Plates. In Two Volumes (Band 2) (London, 1758)

I N D 25

There are feveral forts of Indigo; the beft is that called Ser-
qui/Te, after the name of a village where it is prepared.

We chufe it in flat pieces of a moderate thicknefs, pretty hard,
clean, light enough to fwim in the water, inflammable, of a fine
blue colour, marked a little on the infide with filver ftreaks* and
appearing reddifh when rubbed on the nail.

Indigo is ufed by painters, who grind it and mix it with white,
to make a blue colour; for, without that mixture, it would paint
blackifh.

It is alfo mixed with yellow, to make a green colour. It is
alfo ufed by dyers.

To prepare for the INDIGO dye. You muft firft have the
ground of a dye, which is to be put into the kettle, and made as
warm as you can bear it; and afterwards prepare a ley of pot-
afhes.

The kettle muft be firft filled with water and made to boil,
then the pot-afhes are to be put in ; boil them, and then put in
a bowl-full of bran, and three handfuls of madder ; boil them all
for a quarter of an hour ; then remove the fire, and pound the
Indigo in a mortar to an impalpable powder, and pour fome of
the ley upon it. Let it ftand to fettle, and then pour fome of the
Indigo dye into the blue dye copper, and proceed thus, till the
proper quantity of Indigo is turned into the dye; then beat what
remains a fecond time, and let it ftand to fettle, and pour the
ley into the blue copper, repeating this till you have turned a pro-
per quantity of Indigo to ley, which muft all be poured into the
copper ; then you muft proceed to dye your fluffs, &c.

The Indigo dye. Allow to every quarter of a pound of Indigo
a pound and a half of pot-afhes, a quarter of a pound of mad-
der, and three handfuls of wheaten bran ; boil thefe for feven or
eight minutes, and then let it ftand to fettle ; pour off the clear
part of the fuds or liquor, and pound the Indigo very fine, and
mix it with a fufHcient quantity of frefh woad, or ftale Indigo;
and then pour the fuds upon it, and let it boil for twenty-four
hours, and it will be ready to dye withal.

To prepare the dye copper. Firft throw in a pint of wheaten
bran, next to that the woad, and after that two pounds of mad-
der ; then fill the copper with water, and make it boil for three
hours; then pour it off into the vat, and Jet it ftand till it is of a
due confiftence ; then boil the copper full of water, and pour it
into the dye fuds, and cover it up warm ; let it ftand two hours
to fettle, and look upon it every hour, till it becomes blue.

Then, according to the quantity of ftuffs to be dyed, put in
three or four pounds of Indigo, and three pound of pot alhes; let
it ftand to fettle and dye with this liquor, taking care always to
ftir it 3 cover it clofe, and let it ftand two hours after every time

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