Alum Powder For Marbling

To make enough alum for several dozen sheets of paper stir 1 tbsp 15 ml alum into 1 cups 360 ml warm water until completely dissolved at least two minutes.

Alum powder for marbling.

Alum safety depends on multiple factors. You will need to cover your paper with alum in order for the design to transfer from the water to the paper without getting washed away. Also sometimes referred to as potassium aluminum sulfate. Alum is a mordant meaning it causes color to set on the paper.

It acts as a color binder or mordant fixing the colors to the paper permanently if alum is not applied to the paper before marbling most of the color will rinse off. Mix 1 tablespoon of the powdery alum per one cup of water and then thoroughly wet the surface of your paper. Alum is a powdered presoak used to treat fabric or for marbling. Al 2 so 4 3 k 2 so 4 24h 2 o this product looses 18 h 2 o at 92 5 o c and becomes anhydrous at 200 o c.

It is sold in a dry crystal form and is soluble in water. It makes the colours adhere to the paper. Alum is also used with some natural dyes as a mordant. Without a mordant the pigments will slide off the paper.

Marbling paper in the ebru turkish style requir. A white crystalline compound used in solution for coating paper prior to marbling for setting dyes on fabrics and other applications. Alum or potassium aluminum sulfate is a chemical often used as a food preservative. You may apply the alum with a brush sponge or a spray bottle.

Alum in powder left and lump right form. The reasons behind this i have not been able to find out but it. Any form of aluminum sulfate could be called alum including toxic versions of the chemical however the type of alum you find used for pickling and in deodorant is potassium alum kal so 4 2 12h 2 o. It ensures that designs transfer clearly to fabric or paper surfaces.

Without it the marbling will be faint and blurry. Alum aluminum sulphate every sheet of paper to be marbled must be coated with alum. Alum is used in the fabric marbling process as a pre mordant to make marbling paints stick and is also used as one of the safer chemicals to pre mordant fabric in preparation for natural dyeing. Buy pure aluminum sulfate from an art supply store or online.

Sodium aluminum sulfate is a type of alum that is used in commercial baking powder. This video demonstrates the recipes and techniques necessary for aluming paper in preparation for marbling. It forms cubic or octahedral crystals that are. Marbling on tragacanth does not requore alum but the paper must be dampened slighly to accept the colour.