dye for hammock

[OldFingersGreen]

hi all

just finished making a hammock from a roll of canvas given to me by my grandmother. happy with the result (although my sewing machine skills arent great) the only problem is the colour of the fabric. its sort of a dark rusty orange, doesn't stick out too badly as it is a dark colour but as i have a DPM tarp i would much prefer a brown/black hammock.

my question is, is there any cheap dyes that work well or even better, natural dyes that i could use for this. i've heard coffee can be used and tesco value stuff is cheap as hell but im a little worried about the smell. gives a whole new meaning to "wake up and smell the coffee"!

thanks in advance!

 

[OldFingersGreen]

heres a picture of the hammock rolled up, actually looks a little darker on the photo than in real life.

 

[OldFingersGreen]

ok, i've done some research and found a list of plants that can be used for brown dye.

- Wild plum root will give a reddish or rusty brown.

- Oak bark will give a tan or oak color.

- Sumac (leaves)

- Walnut (hulls) (deep brown)(wear gloves)

- Tea Bags (light brown)

- Juniper Berries

- Coffee Grinds

- Acorns (boiled)

- Yellow dock (produces shades of brown on wool)

- Beetroot (Dark Brown With FeSO4)

- Red Leaf Buds (of many maple trees )- red-brown color when dried. Found on branches before new leaves appear only present during early spring and throughout fall.

i'd like to use oak bark but finding a dead one may prove tricky. again coffee seems the way to go but i'm just not sure about the smell. any ideas?

 

[ForgeCorvus]

Ask Toddy, the knower of many plants and their uses

I'm surprised she hasn't found this thread yet

Nice Alfa BTW, any idea how old it is (looks close on bomb-proof)

 

[Ogri the trog]

In your photo,
it seems to closely match the colour of the old pine of the table......
If its that close to a natural colour, it should blend in very well once you get outside and use it, besides, it has a story behind it now that deserves to be told amongst those who buy all their own kit - you can proudly announce that "I made this from the material that my Gran gave to me....."

ATB

Ogri the trog