I took what I thought to be the potassium permanganate and started experimenting on wet and dry canvas with varying solution strengths and was mystified that it wasn’t purple but put it down the powder’s age . . . on the outside, we all fade somewhat however I was even more surprised when it stayed the same on exposure
All these years I thought I had a small jar with potassium permanganate in it but apparently I don’t . . . if it is, something very strange has happened to it as it should start as a purple solution then oxidize and turn brown. My mother used to use it when I was a kid to touch up the toes of our scuffed brown leather shoes so I would age the contents at more than 60 years. Instead, it could be some other oxide, perhaps from when I was doing some pottery.
If anyone has any idea what it could be, please let me know. I love the colour as it is . . . somewhere between Payne’s grey and indigo.
Experiments are a lot of fun but what have I used here?
Wendy @ Late Start Studio
Now for some fade tests. . . .
late start studio 
you could send a small sample off to a scientific lab to be tested?
I thought of that but probably won’t . . . my budget isn’t that healthy.
how bizarre! But pretty 🙂 And you’re sure it was pot perm? Having never kept any dye/chemical that long, who knows what you might get???
I’m not sure at all now and in fact I think I might have been labouring under an illusion for years . . . all sorts of illusions!
Ooo no idea who that’s very pretty
Love it! See moon, sky, tree… I am missing the outdoors…
It was certainly fun making all those marks.
😀
Certainly pleasing to the eye.
And proving to be light-fast as well!
I’m wondering if what you are looking for might be logwood dye. someone had been using it and I looked it up- seems it is used to dye animal traps so you can find it cheap via sporting goods store. I love it when things I need are at places like a hardware or sports store. the fabric dye people boost the prices.
I’ve seen quotes as low as $3 for a pound, subtract the possible shipping costs by finding a local store with it. it seems rather versitile. I’m thinking iron/rust as a mordent is what makes it turn black. “http://www.wildcolours.co.uk/html/logwood_dyeing.html”
wode starts pale green and oxidizes to blue
and has proven to be colorfast and impervious to UV rays making it great for anything from house paint to airplanes.
Thanks . . . I haven’t heard of logwood. I’ll see if it’s available in New Zealand.
uh that could be a challenge. black walnut hulls makes a good brown- & avocado skins- but I don’t know which color for sure.