dyeing with food colouring

In the new Spin Off magazine is an article about dyeing with food
colours. I had some sitting around from the time that Skye and her Mother
were here, and did some dyeing this afternoon.

I liked working with the little bottles, putting the colour in the dye
bath drop by drop. Not messy and no weighing dry dye powders. I dyed
wool roving, 100 gram at the time. It was easy to do, and it was quickly
done as well. By putting the washed wool (not rinsed) in the dye bath
with some vinegar added, you simmered it for about 30 minutes untill the
bath was excaused.

I do find the colours a bit harsh but that is the same for dyeing with
Kool aid. I blended red and blue and did get a nice soft purple.

I have a question for our Chemists....LOL in the group.

I have always been a bit concerned about chemical dyes, and the use of
them in our homes. This afternoon I looked at the food colouring box to
see what was in there. The key word is: Proplene Glycol. I typed it in
the Google box, and was overwelmed by the answers. I ended up with a 25
page document. Most of it goes straight over my head. This had all to do
with the use of Proplene Glycol, in medicine for domestic animals.

What do you guys know about this stuf. I have a feeling that it is not as
harmles as it is brought or bought or thought.....take your pick.....LOL

Els

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I have always been a bit concerned about chemical dyes, and the use of
them in our homes. This afternoon I looked at the food colouring box to
see what was in there. The key word is: Proplene Glycol.

This is not a problematic substance. Propylene Glycol is an extremely
benign substance that's sort of a cousin to glycerin and sorbitol, and
is in the same chemical family as sugars and alcohols. It has humectant
qualities -- that is, it can help something retain moisture, just like
glycerin. It can also help things dissolve in water and lower the
freezing point of water, sort of like an alcohol. Nothing strange or
sinister. It has full Food and Drug Administration approval for use in
foods and cosmetics. (It's on the FDA "GRAS" list, that is, "Generally
Regarded As Safe", i.e. non-toxic). It has been shown to cause a small
incidence of skin and eye irritation in some people. And a small
percentage of people are allergic to it.

People are often scared off when a name sounds "chemical" and
unfamiliar, but this does not mean something is automatically toxic. Nor
does a familiar name, like borax, mean that a substance is harmless.

You will find inflammatory web sites claiming that propylene glycol is
used in antifreeze, for instance, and must therefore be poison. Yes, it
is used in non-toxic antifreezes that have been formulated specifically
for people with children or pets who do not wish to have standard toxic
antifreeze in the house. Water is also another substance commonly found
in antifreezes. That doesn't mean it's poisonous!

For the best information on what we've got in the products around our
house, check the "Household Products Database" published by the National
Library of Medicine. It's got the most objective, non-inflammatory, and
frankly most useful information of any other site I've found on the web:

http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/

What do you guys know about this stuf. I have a feeling that it is not as
harmles as it is brought or bought or thought.....take your pick.....LOL

Again, Propylene Glycol is not problematic. Contrary to popular
paranoia, the big food companies do not have any interest in poisoning
American consumers and bringing large class-action lawsuits against
them. Toxic food coloring just isn't going to be a marketable product.

Elaine Benfatto
elaine at urbanspinner dot com
Cambridge, Mass, USA

In article , Elaine
Benfatto wrote:

I have always been a bit concerned about chemical dyes, and the use of
them in our homes. This afternoon I looked at the food colouring box to
see what was in there. The key word is: Proplene Glycol.

This is not a problematic substance. Propylene Glycol is an extremely
benign substance that's sort of a cousin to glycerin and sorbitol, and
is in the same chemical family as sugars and alcohols. It has humectant
qualities -- that is, it can help something retain moisture, just like
glycerin. It can also help things dissolve in water and lower the
freezing point of water, sort of like an alcohol. Nothing strange or
sinister. It has full Food and Drug Administration approval for use in
foods and cosmetics. (It's on the FDA "GRAS" list, that is, "Generally
Regarded As Safe", i.e. non-toxic). It has been shown to cause a small
incidence of skin and eye irritation in some people. And a small
percentage of people are allergic to it.

People are often scared off when a name sounds "chemical" and
unfamiliar, but this does not mean something is automatically toxic. Nor
does a familiar name, like borax, mean that a substance is harmless.

You will find inflammatory web sites claiming that propylene glycol is
used in antifreeze, for instance, and must therefore be poison. Yes, it
is used in non-toxic antifreezes that have been formulated specifically
for people with children or pets who do not wish to have standard toxic
antifreeze in the house. Water is also another substance commonly found
in antifreezes. That doesn't mean it's poisonous!

For the best information on what we've got in the products around our
house, check the "Household Products Database" published by the National
Library of Medicine. It's got the most objective, non-inflammatory, and
frankly most useful information of any other site I've found on the web:

http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/

What do you guys know about this stuf. I have a feeling that it is not as
harmles as it is brought or bought or thought.....take your pick.....LOL

Again, Propylene Glycol is not problematic. Contrary to popular
paranoia, the big food companies do not have any interest in poisoning
American consumers and bringing large class-action lawsuits against
them. Toxic food coloring just isn't going to be a marketable product.

Elaine Benfatto
elaine at urbanspinner dot com
Cambridge, Mass, USA

Dear Elaine thank you for your very in depth explanation. I asked for
help, because the 24 page paper on this chemical, that I found on the
internet, was slightly over my head. I knew that someone (like you) would
simplify it for me.

Thank you, I will use food coloring more often now that I know that it is
nearly harmless.....LOL. So far no skin irritations. I have never used
food coloring in foods for many different reasons. However I have used it
often in the dying of paper.....heavy paper towels and rice paper. This
is the first time I have used it for dyeing wool. Since chemical dyes and
natural dyes often have added chemicals, that can be harmful, to set the
dyes, I was wondering about the contents of the food coloring, that was
making (as stated in the Spinn Off article, the food coloring light fast.

Learned something again, also will take note of the "Household Products
Database"

Els

PS: Not all foods and food additives, even though they have been cleared
by the US and or Canadian governments are not always as save as they
seem......Chemicals used in gardening for instance.

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hate spam not welcome

I was wondering about the contents of the food coloring, that was
making (as stated in the Spinn Off article, the food coloring light fast.

Actually, lightfastness is not the result of adding a chemical to a dye.

The dye itself -- the molecule that absorbs/reflecs light, which our
eyes read as color -- is either stable or unstable when exposed to light
energy. It's simply a physical property of that particular dye, probably
based on the shape of the molecule and how willingly it reacts with
other substances in the environment, like air, humidity, etc.

As for food colorings, they are actually acid dyes in the same family as
all our standard textile dyes, but they get their colors exclusively
from molecules that have been shown to be non-toxic. Some food coloring
is light- and wash-fast, and some will quickly fade. Again, this is like
many other dye families.

PS: Not all foods and food additives, even though they have been cleared
by the US and or Canadian governments are not always as save as they
seem......Chemicals used in gardening for instance.

True, but I can tell you that after the big "Red No. 2" scare in the
1970s (does anyone else but me remember that?) the FDA came down very,
very hard on colorants used in food, and the agency has not relaxed its
concern about their safety over the past 30 years. Food dyes are some of
the most heavily regulated ingredients I know about. Of the hundreds of
colors out there, only a handful -- around 12-15 -- are still allowed to
be taken internally in the U.S. Some others are permitted for use in
cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. But the rest are simply prohibited from
use in or on the human body. And even those that are approved must be
manufactured under extremely strict conditions and batch-certified
before they are released to the market.

I've been researching food dyes for the past few months, contacting
manufacturers and such, and it's really been an eye-opener. Both how
many there are, and how few we actually have access to!

Elaine Benfatto
elaine at urbanspinner dot com
Cambridge, Mass, USA

Hi Elaine,

Yes, I remember the scare with the Red no. 2. Even though I don't dye anything
your explanations were great.

Hugs,

Nora

In article , Elaine
Benfatto wrote:

Elaine, Glad that you have been studying food dyes. You certainly have
many answers for me. I am just wary in todays processed food setup, there
are more and more chemicals added. More and more there seem to be
reactions to the use of these long term additives. More and more warnings
are coming from all sides. Mothers with new babies are warned about all
kinds of do's and don'ts. Listening and reading about these I just wanted
to know a bit more about this, before I was going to use it with larger
groups. Also keeping in mind that we use a septic field and use well
water. One is constandly pushed with one's nose on the fact that you do
have to be smart and careful about the use of chemicals at all times.

I do have the book, Colour; Travels throught the Paintbox, by Victoria
Finlay sitting in the pile of books to be read. I am sure it will explain
lots. In a meantime thank you for all your input. I now have to go back
and do lots more reading about acid dyes, mordants and its use and about

Els

I was wondering about the contents of the food coloring, that was
making (as stated in the Spinn Off article, the food coloring light fast.

Actually, lightfastness is not the result of adding a chemical to a dye.

The dye itself -- the molecule that absorbs/reflecs light, which our
eyes read as color -- is either stable or unstable when exposed to light
energy. It's simply a physical property of that particular dye, probably
based on the shape of the molecule and how willingly it reacts with
other substances in the environment, like air, humidity, etc.

As for food colorings, they are actually acid dyes in the same family as
all our standard textile dyes, but they get their colors exclusively
from molecules that have been shown to be non-toxic. Some food coloring
is light- and wash-fast, and some will quickly fade. Again, this is like
many other dye families.

PS: Not all foods and food additives, even though they have been cleared
by the US and or Canadian governments are not always as save as they
seem......Chemicals used in gardening for instance.

True, but I can tell you that after the big "Red No. 2" scare in the
1970s (does anyone else but me remember that?) the FDA came down very,
very hard on colorants used in food, and the agency has not relaxed its
concern about their safety over the past 30 years. Food dyes are some of
the most heavily regulated ingredients I know about. Of the hundreds of
colors out there, only a handful -- around 12-15 -- are still allowed to
be taken internally in the U.S. Some others are permitted for use in
cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. But the rest are simply prohibited from
use in or on the human body. And even those that are approved must be
manufactured under extremely strict conditions and batch-certified
before they are released to the market.

I've been researching food dyes for the past few months, contacting
manufacturers and such, and it's really been an eye-opener. Both how
many there are, and how few we actually have access to!

Elaine Benfatto
elaine at urbanspinner dot com
Cambridge, Mass, USA

--
hate spam not welcome

In article ,
(NoraBalcer) wrote:

Hi Elaine,

Yes, I remember the scare with the Red no. 2. Even though I don't dye anything
your explanations were great.

Hugs,

Nora

Elaine and Nora I think that most of us do remember the red dye scare. I
never would have used dyes to colour food anyway, but after that, even
less. I was so perplexed at the time we came to Canada, that you bought
margarine with a dye bubble inside it to dye your margarine to that
horrible dark yellow colour. In a meantime we have gone on to use butter
and from butter back to Becel and now to neither......Sigh....Moan....

Els

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hate spam not welcome

| On Sun, 27 Jun 2004 19:53:50 -0700, (Els van Dam) wrote:

I do find the colours a bit harsh but that is the same for dyeing with
Kool aid. I blended red and blue and did get a nice soft purple.

Just a suggestion, but if you want to soften these harsh colors, remember
your color wheel and add just a drop or two of the complementary color, or
one drop each of the primary components of it, more often.

These are dyes, so for greatest accuracy it will be the wheel of cyan -
magenta - yellow primaries rather than the old red - blue - yellow pigment
wheel we learned as school kids.

Helen "Halla" Fleischer, Fantasy & Fiber Artist
http://home.covad.net/~drgandalf/halla/
Balticon Art Program Coordinator http://www.balticon.org

In article ,
wrote:

| On Sun, 27 Jun 2004 19:53:50 -0700, (Els
van Dam) wrote:

I do find the colours a bit harsh but that is the same for dyeing with
Kool aid. I blended red and blue and did get a nice soft purple.

Just a suggestion, but if you want to soften these harsh colors, remember
your color wheel and add just a drop or two of the complementary color, or
one drop each of the primary components of it, more often.

These are dyes, so for greatest accuracy it will be the wheel of cyan -
magenta - yellow primaries rather than the old red - blue - yellow pigment
wheel we learned as school kids.

Helen

Thanks Helen, That is what I did, but you realy have to sample there as
well, so you do get the correct mix. I have bought more food colouring,
or is it coloring. Will play in my old crock pot with small amounds and
keep notes.

Els

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hate spam not welcome

On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 20:27:12 -0700, (Els
van Dam) wrote:

Elaine, Glad that you have been studying food dyes. You certainly have
many answers for me. I am just wary in todays processed food setup, there
are more and more chemicals added. More and more there seem to be
reactions to the use of these long term additives. More and more warnings
are coming from all sides. Mothers with new babies are warned about all
kinds of do's and don'ts. Listening and reading about these I just wanted
to know a bit more about this, before I was going to use it with larger
groups. Also keeping in mind that we use a septic field and use well
water. One is constandly pushed with one's nose on the fact that you do
have to be smart and careful about the use of chemicals at all times.

I do have the book, Colour; Travels throught the Paintbox, by Victoria
Finlay sitting in the pile of books to be read. I am sure it will explain
lots. In a meantime thank you for all your input. I now have to go back
and do lots more reading about acid dyes, mordants and its use and about

Els


Els, I asked my DH about it, and he agrees completely with Elaine.
Only it should read propYlene glycol. It can cause kidney problems
when you drink it in large quantities, or irritate the skin when pure.
But then I don't think you are planning to drink your anti-freeze, are
you? And even then it is less dangourous than normal alcohol.

You will love the book of Victoria Finlay. Perfect summer reading,
you can travel in your head without leaving your house, and in the
mean time learn a lot about the dyes.

Ria



With love from belgium
Ria

riavdv at pandora dot be