Cochineal Dyes?

[Bugbear]

Keep seeing "cochineal dyes" come up in history discussions.
Do you mean from the cactus bug, Dactylopius coccus, or is this historically referring to something else?
Just wondering.

[Steve Ashton]

Here is a wiki link on Cochineal dyes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal

[MacBean]

Isn't the commerce of rare dyes amazing? I read at the University in Dublin that the Book of Kells used lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, though a web search suggests that this probably isn't true. Nevertheless, commerce in natural pigments was (and still is) an important trade.

[tulloch]

Yes, 'natural' coloring for red foods like little chocolates covered with colorful coating - melt in the mouth! Saw them used for dying of wool at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts.

[Bugbear]

Ok, thanks, just wanted to make sure the "cochineal" in all the historical discussions on the forum meant the same thing; I'm never sure about anything historical.
* Picture removed *
Those are the Opuntia ficus-indica or "Indian Fig" cacti that are often used as a host.

[piperdbh]

If you had been around in the 1700s, Ted, you could have made a fortune raising cochineal bugs and selling them to dye uniform coats.

Thanks for posting that picture. I had almost forgotten what you look like.

[Bugbear]

As far as I know, piperdbh, there are none on my cacti. I know a lot of artists who would like to have a supply of the cochineal bugs, though, as well as several other natural dyes. Indigo comes to mind.

[AKScott]

I had to email my sister because I didn't remember. Christmas 2008 I flew down to Cali, the airline lost my luggage, I was two weeks in California with my carry on. I bought some plain white tshirts, my sister the textile wizard had some cochineal bugs, and we got to work.

We used a grinder with a vertical plunger to grind up the bugs. I can't remember if I got mine at Williams Sonoma or Sur le table, neither are showing the unit as current product. Check Target for salt/ pepper mills before you buy.

With the the ground bugs in the bottom of a stock pot with 2 inches of water we brought the dye to a simmer and submerged one of my new plain white shirts for 20 minutes or so.

Two years later (100% cotton) it looks like this. It was never "red" or "purple", but once upon a time it was pretty dark for pink.

[Bugbear]

Guess you could make cochineal red hose that way.

[AKScott]

You might look for the right sea shell at the same time. It took me a few google tries to find it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrian_purple