All light colors can be used to make a good shade of steel by first
extracting colors by the usual process of bleaching with permanganate
of potash; if white and dirty, wash thoroughly in hot water and soap
and rinse. Prepare your bath as follows: To one gallon of luke warm
water add a small handful of starch; enter your feathers, rub them
around well in bath; after which add a small pinch of copperas and
about a tablespoonful of logwood liquor, and let remain in about one
minute; increase temperature of bath and add a few drops of diluted
violet, first removing your feathers from bath; re-enter feathers and
let remain about one minute, or until your feathers look about four
shades darker than sample; after which take out and dry.
If found too light, return to bath and add more logwood liquor and a
few drops more violet, and should you find them altogether too dark for
sample, extract your color by passing them through a solution of one
teaspoonful of oxalic acid in a gallon of hot water; after which rinse
them off by passing them through a gallon of boiling water about twice,
when you will find your color reduced four or five shades. The oxalic
acid renders the feathers a bright yellow.
Boiling water will draw off the logwood and bring out your shade of
drab in as much milder form; then proceed to mix a new drab bath the
same as per recipe, only using more caution not to get it too dark;
enter feathers, bring to shade, using a drop of violet to brighten up
color. Be careful in drying not to use starch that has previously been
used on a color where acid was used to develop.
[Illustration: STEEL--page 45.]
[Illustration: ARMY BLUE--page 59.]
[Illustration: PURPLE--page 60.]
[Illustration: MAROON--page 51.]