Analysis of The Process of Indigo Dyeing Products

Abstract

This article is part of a research on the comparison of indigo products from Thailand, China and Japan. The researcher has studied the theoretical concepts used in conducting the research, including local knowledge, participation within and outside the community, and inherit knowledge and creating new technicians. One of the research processes is the production process as one of the objectives for data analysis and synthesis.

The study found that indigo is a wisdom that has been around for more than 2000 years by bringing in local plants that give indigo such as indigo tree, boeng tree and hom. The process of producing indigo dye products can be divided as follows;

The manufacturing process for indigo-dyed products in Thailand consists of indigo tree, indigo material, fibers, and ready-to-wear fabrics. Manufacturing methods 1) Preparing indigo 2) Preparing lye and acid (indigo feeding) 3) Indigo dyeing by production process. Indigo-dyed products in Thailand, China and Japan are different due to many factors causing differences in quality, style and of products. The production process is complicated with the use of similar raw materials. But with the environment, soil, sky and air, as well as some types of raw materials are different and each area pays attention to the details of different steps, for example, China places emphasis on the re-dyeing process and the use of red comes into the mix to achieve intensity. Thailand attaches great importance to the process of making the alkaline water that is mixed with the raw materials very much. Due to the inability to control the production process consistently, it therefore pays great attention to indigo feeding. Finally, Japan, with its climate change, cold, hot and sea breeze, therefore pays attention to the raw material that is indigo. Due to the cold climate, it chooses to use dried indigo as the raw material for the production of Japanese indigo dyes.