fibreunder review
silk
One dye-chemistry series (Imada, 2002) counts silk, together with wool and leather, among the natural polyamide (protein) fibres and covers it in the same chapter on dyes for polyamide fibres as nylon. Kaken's explainer pages on acid and reactive dyes also list silk, alongside wool, among the fibres those dyes can dye.
Theme: Bonding
Claims and evidence (23)
The limitations noted for some sources are recorded in Japanese only — see the Japanese edition.
reactive dye is applicable to silkcontextual
Lists cellulosic fibres (cotton, linen, rayon etc.), wool and silk as dyeable.
Source: 反応染料 （一般財団法人カケンテストセンター） ・本文「…に染色可能」 ・institutional summary ・ checked against the source by AI
institutional summary ・ 
checked against the source by AIStates that reactive dyes are also used to dye silk.
Source: 染色技術者のための染料化学（その3）2. 反応染料 （今田邦彦, 2002） ・P119-P120 §2.1 ・textbook ・ checked against the source by AI
textbook ・ acid mordant dye is applicable to silkcontextual
Lists wool, silk and nylon as dyeable.
Source: 酸性媒染染料 （一般財団法人カケンテストセンター） ・本文「…に染色可能」 ・institutional summary ・ checked against the source by AI
acid dye is applicable to silkcontextual
Lists wool, silk, nylon and polyurethane as dyeable.
Source: 酸性染料 （一般財団法人カケンテストセンター） ・本文「…に染色可能」 ・institutional summary ・ checked against the source by AI
soda ash (sodium carbonate) is applicable to silkcontextual
Scope: Accounts of wool differ by source (Dharma's soda ash product page recommends acid dye instead, while the tie-dye instructions page says wool can be soda-ash dyed with half the amount and a 4-6 hour cure limit)
Says it can also be used with silk but not other protein fibres such as wool.
Source: What is soda ash, and what's it for in dyeing? （Paula E. Burch, 2015） ・"What is soda ash used for?" ・practitioner's record ・ checked against the source by AI
practitioner's record ・ Says soda ash can fix fibre reactive dyes on silk when heat-setting is not an option, with caution: presoak just before dyeing and cure only 4–6 hours; wool tends to feel brittle, so acid dyes with heat are better.
Source: Soda Ash Fixer (product page) （Dharma Trading Co.） ・絹・毛についての注意 ・manufacturer statement ・ checked against the source by AI
manufacturer statement ・ Says soda ash is very hard on silk and wool: use half as much and cure no more than 4–6 hours, or use the vinegar/microwave method instead.
Source: Tie-Dye Instructions （Dharma Trading Co.） ・絹・毛のタイダイの段落 ・manufacturer statement ・ checked against the source by AI
reactive dye ・property ― silkcontextual
Scope: Dharma fibre reactive dyes
Says colours may shift on silk: blue does not combine well with silk, so mixes with blue shift toward the other colours (black to brown or maroon, purple to raspberry, forest green to chartreuse).
Source: Dharma's Fiber Reactive MX Dyes FAQ （Dharma Trading Co.） ・絹についての回答 ・manufacturer statement ・ checked against the source by AI
Says fibre reactive colours shift on protein fibres and a true black cannot be obtained.
Source: Tie-Dye Instructions （Dharma Trading Co.） ・絹・毛のタイダイの段落 ・manufacturer statement ・ checked against the source by AI
post-dyeing colour-fixing agent is applicable to silkcontextual
Scope: regarding products carried by Miki Senryoten
Lists 'Silk Fix 3A' as a dye-fixing agent (colour-fixing agent) for silk.
Source: 色止剤（染料固着剤）｜助剤・薬品｜販売商品 （三木染料店） ・「シルクフィックス３Ａ」の項 ・manufacturer statement ・ checked against the source by AI
Condensed tannin is applicable to silkpreliminary
Scope: silk-dyeing tests comparing low-molecular-weight tannin (ethyl-acetate extract), high-molecular-weight tannin (50%-acetone extract), the whole Sharinbai liquor, and a catechin solution
Measured tannin uptake on silk was 6.3 mg/g for the low-molecular-weight tannin solution, 5.6 mg/g for the high-molecular-weight solution, 8.5 mg/g for the whole Sharinbai liquor, and 9.9 mg/g for a catechin solution; the authors attribute the liquor's higher uptake to non-tannin substances also being taken up.
Source: 業務報告書 平成16年度（鹿児島県大島紬技術指導センター）所収「シャリンバイ液中のタンニンについて」（松永一彦・山下宜良） （松永一彦・山下宜良（鹿児島県大島紬技術指導センター）, 2004） ・P54-55 表4（各種溶液で絹糸を染色した時のタンニンの染着性） ・experimental ・ checked against the source by AI
experimental ・ cellulosic fibres differs from silkcontextual
Scope: Cotton and silk, per the author's experience
States that cotton and silk differ considerably in colour even with the same dye and mordant, speculating this may be because protein and cellulose present different surfaces.
Source: 代表的な媒染剤 -色素に配位する金属イオンたち （市場染色工房） ・本文「でも同じ染料と媒染剤でも」の段落 ・practitioner's record ・ checked against the source by AI
silk ・found inYoshinogari Historical Park's 'Yayoi Museum' pages state that some of the silk cloth excavated from jar-coffin burials at the Yoshinogari site, Saga Prefecture, was confirmed to have been dyed with shell purple or Japanese madder.contextual
Scope: jar-coffin burials at the Yoshinogari site, Saga Prefecture
States that some of the silk cloth was also confirmed to have been dyed with shell purple or Japanese madder.
Source: 第4章 弥生時代の生活 3．身なり－上位身分の人の服装（弥生ミュージアム） （吉野ヶ里歴史公園, 不明（公式サイト内コンテンツ、取得日2026-09-22時点の掲載内容）） ・「3．身なり－上位身分の人の服装」ページ本文 ・institutional summary ・ checked against the source by AI
silk ・propertyThe parks pages state that Yoshinogari has yielded a finely woven, translucent silk called sukime-ginu not found at other sites, a weave common in ancient silks from the central China region, suggesting exchange with that area.contextual
Scope: Yoshinogari site, Saga Prefecture
States that Yoshinogari has yielded a finely woven, translucent silk called sukime-ginu found at no other site, a weave common among ancient silks from central China that suggests exchange with that region.
Source: 第4章 弥生時代の生活 3．身なり－上位身分の人の服装（弥生ミュージアム） （吉野ヶ里歴史公園, 不明（公式サイト内コンテンツ、取得日2026-09-22時点の掲載内容）） ・「3．身なり－上位身分の人の服装」ページ本文 ・institutional summary ・ checked against the source by AI
wool differs from silkobservation
Scope: an uncontrolled participant experiment at the workshop (rayon, silk, wool)
States that a participant, curious how the dye colour varies by material, dyed rayon, silk and wool together and found the resulting colours to be quite different from each other.
Source: アカニシ貝紫染めワークショップの報告 （tezomeya（草木染めの天然色工房、店主）, 2019） ・記事本文、参加者の実験布の描写部分 ・practitioner's record ・ checked against the source by AI
silk ・propertyA visit report describes two reconstructed Yayoi-period costumes on display at Yoshinogari Historical Park, made by textile scholar Nunome Junro based on pigment identification of the excavated fibres: one with warp dyed with Japanese madder and weft with Kaimurasaki, the other with both warp and weft dyed with Japanese madder.contextual
Scope: exhibit at Yoshinogari Historical Park, as recorded by a visitor
Describes two reconstructed Yayoi costumes made by Nunome Junro: one with warp dyed with Japanese madder and weft with Kaimurasaki, the other with both warp and weft in Japanese madder, built to match pigment identification results from the excavated fibre fragments.
Source: 貝紫を染めるアカニシ漁 ～大分県中津干潟での体験報告～ （tezomeya（草木染めの天然色工房、店主）, 2019） ・記事本文、吉野ヶ里歴史公園見学の場面 ・practitioner's record ・ checked against the source by AI
Kyo-kuro-montsuki-zome (Kyoto black formal-wear dyeing) requires silkcontextual
Specifies, under materials, that the fabric must be a silk weave.
Source: 京黒紋付染（伝統工芸 青山スクエア） （一般財団法人伝統的工芸品産業振興協会） ・「原材料」節 ・institutional summary ・ checked against the source by AI
Chinese cork tree is used in silkcontextual
Berberine, hydroxyberberine and jatrorrhizine identified the dye as Chinese cork tree bark; together with the silk fibre, this points to possible import from China.
Source: Changes in the production materials of Burmese textiles in the nineteenth century—dyes, mordants and fibres of Karen garments from the British Museum's collection （(npj Heritage Science論文。著者名は本文取得範囲に無いため空欄), 2023） ・'This was identified as the dye extracted from the bark of the Chinese cork tree (Phellodendron chinense)...The presence of silk and the Chinese cork tree dye supports a possible import of these threads from China'の段落 ・analytical ・ checked against the source by AI
analytical ・ cotton differs from silkcontextual
T2 is mostly cotton, but the bright pink and bright yellow supplementary wefts are silk, dyed with lac dye and Chinese cork tree dye respectively.
Source: Changes in the production materials of Burmese textiles in the nineteenth century—dyes, mordants and fibres of Karen garments from the British Museum's collection （(npj Heritage Science論文。著者名は本文取得範囲に無いため空欄), 2023） ・'T2 was also confirmed to be made of cotton except for the bright pink and bright yellow supplementary wefts, which were made of silk'の一文 ・analytical ・ checked against the source by AI
silk differs from cottoncontextual
Silk suits red dyes but is damaged by indigo's chemistry (hence red as a high-status colour); cotton is poorly suited to red (often pinkish-brown) but suits indigo well (hence blue as everyday workwear colour).
Source: Burma Calling: Deep Dive into Dye （Kalinko） ・'Silk takes on red dyes very well, but is attacked by the chemicals in indigo, hence why red is historically the colour of high status...Cotton, on the other hand, is less friendly with red...but loves blue'の段落 ・practitioner's record ・ checked against the source by AI
Kente (Asante/Ewe strip-woven cloth) requires silkcontextual
Records that in the 1730s an envoy of a Danish trader observed King Opokuware's court, where the king brought silk taffeta and multicoloured materials that artisans unravelled and mixed with cotton to obtain many colours.
Source: Asante Kente Cloth （Duncan Clarke (Adire African Textiles)） ・本文2段落目("One of the first accounts of Asante royal silk weaving comes from the 1730s...") ・historical record ・ checked against the source by AI
historical record ・ silk ・why it fell out of useThe same account states that since the early 20th century natural silk has been mostly replaced by artificial rayon fibre, which Asante weavers adopted as a substitute for the more expensive silk once it became commercially available, by at least the 1930s-40s.contextual
Scope: Asante kente weaving
States natural silk has mostly been replaced by rayon since the early 20th century, adopted as a substitute for silk by at least the 1930s-40s.
Source: Asante Kente Cloth （Duncan Clarke (Adire African Textiles)） ・本文2段落目末尾、および本文5段落目("the vast majority are woven of rayon, which was adopted by Asante weavers as a substitute...at least by the 1930s/40s") ・practitioner's record ・ checked against the source by AI
silk ・requiresImmersion dyeing of silk is classified by recipe into neutral-bath and acid-bath dyeing, both mainly using direct or acid dyes (including 1:2 metal-complex acid dyes); the article states neutral-bath dyeing (no acid added) is mainly used for fabric, while acid-bath dyeing (acidified with ammonium sulfate or acetate) is mainly used for yarn.contextual
Scope: Immersion dyeing of silk with direct or acid dyes
Describes the neutral-bath vs. acid-bath distinction and their typical uses (fabric vs. yarn).
Source: 絹繊維の加工技術−精練、浸染、捺染、整理（仕上）− （今井健（京都市産業技術研究所繊維技術センター）, 2007） ・3.浸染（本文1〜2段落目） ・textbook ・ checked against the source by AI
silk ・propertyThe article states that colourfastness is generally better with an acid bath than a neutral bath, but acid-bath dyeing of fabric is often avoided because it tends to cause abrasion (fraying) in practice; to offset this, a post-dyeing treatment called 'acid-pass' or 'acid-reeling' is sometimes used.contextual
Scope: Silk immersion dyeing, acid bath vs. neutral bath
Describes the fastness advantage and abrasion drawback of acid-bath dyeing, and the acid-pass/acid-reeling countermeasure.
Source: 絹繊維の加工技術−精練、浸染、捺染、整理（仕上）− （今井健（京都市産業技術研究所繊維技術センター）, 2007） ・3.浸染（本文11〜12段落目） ・textbook ・ checked against the source by AI
silk contains Fibroincontextual
Gives the general compositional breakdown of raw silk, citing earlier literature.
Source: Investigation of the Structural Changes in Silk Due to Tin Weighting （Ibrahim Elrefaey, Hend Mahgoub, Chiara Vettorazzo, Marjan Marinšek, Anton Meden, Andrej Jamnik, Matija Tomšič, Matija Strlič, 2024） ・Introduction 第1段落 ・textbook ・ checked against the source by AI
Food tar colors (food coloring) is applicable to silkcontextual
Scope: In the context of home dyeing
Lists silk alongside wool as a fibre that can be dyed.
Source: Using Food Coloring as a Textile Dye for Protein Fibers （Paula E. Burch, 2008） ・本文「They can be used to dye protein fibers only: that is, wool, silk...」 ・practitioner's record ・ checked against the source by AI
silk differs from cottonpreliminary
Scope: Silk and cotton dyed with onion-skin extract (skin at 100% owf): dyeing 85 °C 30 min, mordanting 20 min at room temperature, metal at 1, 3 and 5% owf, both pre- and post-mordanting. Ion-exchanged distilled water, reagent-grade salts. Colour measured as CIE L*a*b* with a spectrophotometer and integrating sphere.
The abstract states ΔE* of silk was higher than that of cotton and was affected by fibre structure and dye-bath pH.
Source: たまねぎ外皮で染色した染色布の色相 （鈴木恒夫、小林優子, 2002） ・抄録（p.63）；3-1 色差（pp.64-65）；Fig.1 ・experimental ・ read by AI (not yet checked)
read by AI (not yet checked)