Welcome to AikiWeb Aikido Information
AikiWeb: The Source for Aikido Information
AikiWeb's principal purpose is to serve the Internet community as a repository and dissemination point for aikido information.

Sections
home
aikido articles
columns

Discussions
forums
aikiblogs

Databases
dojo search
seminars
image gallery
supplies
links directory

Reviews
book reviews
video reviews
dvd reviews
equip. reviews

News
submit
archive

Miscellaneous
newsletter
rss feeds
polls
about

Follow us on



Home > AikiWeb Aikido Forums
Go Back   AikiWeb Aikido Forums > Supplies

Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history, humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced features available, you will need to register first. Registration is absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 01-09-2009, 10:20 AM   #1
BobW
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 4
Offline
Indigo hakama

Hi all,

I recently purchased a used indigo-dyed (well, it's blue anyway) cotton hakama. It has an e-bogu label.

Anyway, I don't know how long the previous owner had it, or whether he ever washed it (he certainly didn't fold it) but the blue was coming off on my hands just from holding it, so I chucked it in the wash. After about 5 washes it was still leaving a blue mark if I rubbed it on my hand, so I decided to soak it overnight. After all that, I still woke up to a bath tub full of dark blue water, so now it's back in the wash.

So far I've washed it a couple of times with soap, and soaked it for 8 hours in plain, cool water. I've read about soaking them in vinegar but I didn't have any so I may try that next, but the plan is to use this hakama on real tatami, and I can't risk leaving stains.

Never having owned indigo or cotton hakama before, can anyone give me some advice?
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2009, 11:05 AM   #2
Ron Tisdale
Dojo: Doshinkan dojo in Roxborough, Pa
Location: Phila. Pa
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,615
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

Follow the links on this post:
http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showpo...11&postcount=2
Best,
Ron

Ron Tisdale
-----------------------
"The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind."
St. Bonaventure (ca. 1221-1274)
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2009, 11:07 AM   #3
Voitokas
 
Voitokas's Avatar
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 376
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

Even having washed it until the water is clear, it will smudge tatami blue for a few months. I'd try to wear it on plastic tatami for fifty or so training sessions before I wore it on real tatami, just to wear any loose indigo off the knees and hips... sorry not to have better advice!

I am not an expert
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2009, 11:10 AM   #4
BobW
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 4
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

Thanks Ron, but I don't see anything in any of those links that describes how to prevent or stop the bleeding.

Also, I should let you know that I'm not wearing this hakama for martial arts, but for tea. I bought it to wear at practice instead of my formal hakama. For tea obviously the majority of the time you're sitting on or sliding around the tatami on your knees, so I'm not going to be able to wear it if there's any chance of leaving blue streaks on my teacher's tea room floor.

Last edited by BobW : 01-09-2009 at 11:13 AM.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2009, 11:11 AM   #5
Ron Tisdale
Dojo: Doshinkan dojo in Roxborough, Pa
Location: Phila. Pa
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,615
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

Wash it. A lot...Follow the link to Carol's article, and it explains why.


Ron Tisdale
-----------------------
"The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind."
St. Bonaventure (ca. 1221-1274)
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2009, 10:34 PM   #6
mikegeorge
Location: Anchorage, AK
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 3
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

You might try soaking in a vinegar and water solution (not sure of the ratio). The vinegar will help set the color.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2009, 10:35 PM   #7
Voitokas
 
Voitokas's Avatar
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 376
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

I think it might be better to buy another practise hakama in polyester than to risk smurfing your sensei's tatami...

I am not an expert
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2009, 12:10 AM   #8
BobW
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 4
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

Quote:
Jeremy Morrison wrote: View Post
I think it might be better to buy another practise hakama in polyester than to risk smurfing your sensei's tatami...
...or just not wear hakama, I guess.

Well, here's the update. After about 10 washings and an overnight soaking, I was still getting blue streaks off the hakama when wet, but unfortunately all those washings without using one of those bags have worn away the corners of the koshi-ita. It's not too obvious (a bit of dark blue paint will cover it), but I'm glad I made that mistake on a cheap used hakama... Anyway, it's currently hanging to dry and we'll see what happens when it's done. Maybe the dye won't come off when it isn't wet.

Amazingly, it's really maintained its pleats through all this, and they'll be incredibly easy to iron. What a difference from my other hakama, which loses its pleats if you look at it funny.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2009, 11:46 AM   #9
Carol Shifflett
Location: PA
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 53
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

Quote:
Bob Wimbles wrote: View Post
Well, here's the update. After about 10 washings and an overnight soaking, I was still getting blue streaks off the hakama when wet . . . Amazingly, it's really maintained its pleats through all this, and they'll be incredibly easy to iron. What a difference from my other hakama, which loses its pleats if you look at it funny.
What you're experiencing is called "crocking," insoluble grains of indigo are flaking out of your garment. Why so severe? Your update holds the "Aha!" piece of the puzzle.

You do not have a pure cotton hakama because pure cotton does NOT hold pleats. Wrinkles, yes. Pleats no. Permanent press pleats require a synthetic like polyester (which you can permanently pleat at home) or a resin finish (applied in manufacturing).

Either option has even less hope of holding onto indigo than does cotton. You can test your fabric by burning a few threads. Cotton should ash like a candle-wick. Anything that looks like hard melted plastic means there's something else in there.

I would give up that hakama as a bad job. If it isn't returnable after all the washing, then I would throw it in the washer with a box of RIT color remover and see what's under the blue chalk. I don't think RIT will take the color out of dyed polyester; it should only remove the indigo. But I'm not sure -- test first on a scrap or inside seam.

And never again waste your money on modern indigo-dyed hakama (unless, perhaps, it's from Mali where they still do indigo dyeing the old-fashioned way!)

Cheers!
Carol
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2009, 01:51 PM   #10
BobW
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 4
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

Meh, for $10 I'm not that concerned. But the hakama does have a label that states it's 100% cotton, and I'm reasonably sure that's what it is, although possibly it has some kind of coating. The pleats aren't permapress, by the way, but as I said, they held remarkably well.

Anyway, I've ironed and folded it and put it away for now. They may come in useful some day, but all things considered I think I'm better off going with polyester (on the cheaper side) or silk (on the super expensive side) in future.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2009, 04:28 PM   #11
Erick Mead
 
Erick Mead's Avatar
Dojo: Big Green Drum (W. Florida Aikikai)
Location: West Florida
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,619
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

If you are adventurous -- you can try dyeing your own.

http://www.aurorasilk.com/info/indigo_tutorial.shtml

Cordially,

Erick Mead
一隻狗可久里馬房但他也不是馬的.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-11-2009, 06:56 AM   #12
Carol Shifflett
Location: PA
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 53
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

Quote:
Bob Wimbles wrote: View Post
Meh, for $10 I'm not that concerned. But the hakama does have a label that states it's 100% cotton, and I'm reasonably sure that's what it is, although possibly it has some kind of coating. The pleats aren't permapress, by the way, but as I said, they held remarkably well.
A coating is an excellent possibility. The fabric may have started out as 100% cotton, but "pure" cotton it ain't, otherwise those pleats would NOT have remained through all this.

Meanwhile, in response to the desperate person who contacted me offline per "How do I make permanent press hakama pleats at home???" with offer of firstborn son . . . (Unnecessary! Really!! )

If your hak is cotton/polyester blend (10% or more poly is best) lay out your pleats exactly as you want them (this is permanent!) And do a test spot before you start.
-- Steam press pleats smooth and flat.
-- Mix 2 tablespoons white vinegar in a cup of water.
-- Wet the pleat edges with sponge and vinegar solution (I suggest you do each one individually) and steam press dry.

This treatment will NOT work on a cotton hakama. For cotton or hemp, you'll have to return to tradition--stitching your backpleats. Until very recently Japanese fabrics were never more than 13"-14" wide, the width of a hand loom. Thus a hakama was made of multiple panels, the seams between them hidden in the back pleats. And fronts might be stabilized with rice paste.
You can emulate this by topstitching the inside (valley) pleats. Use a narrow zig-zag stitch (a straight stitch will pucker). Just the back half of the pleats "permanentized" will make folding enormously easier. I suspect it might be possible to line the backs of the outside pleats (mountain pleats) with lightweight iron-on polyester stabilizer with the vinegar and steam treatment, but I've never tried it.

Cheers!
Carol
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-13-2009, 03:57 AM   #13
Howard Popkin
Dojo: www.pbjjc.com
Location: Long Island, NY
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 700
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

It will never stop, its the Terminator of dyes. I bought one in Japan. Ruined my tatami, countless Gi tops, and a Maytag Dryer which I had to scrub with steel wool and bleach to get the blue out.

Buying a polyester one was the best advice I have heard. The Blue ones are really made for Kendo - They wear gloves, their entire uniform is blue and the floor is wood. No problems.

Best of luck !

Howard
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-14-2009, 03:01 PM   #14
Ethan Weisgard
Dojo: Copenhagen Aiki Shuren Dojo
Location: Copenhagen
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 178
Denmark
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

I have had many Iwata indigo cotton hakama, and yes, they have bled like crazy, but after a whole lotta washing, they have behaved themselves quite well. And I do mean a whole lotta washing! Is it because people have used other brands? Or has Iwata been adding more color to the hakama?

Some of my students have bought Iwata hakama recently and they are in the process of the 1000 washes (well, not quite but still..). I am interested to see if they will prevail in getting all the excess coloring out. And the tatami has been smurfed, but they were able to wash it off with some liquid cleanser and a lot of elbow grease. We use the vinyl coated sports tatami in our dojo, so it wasn't too hard to wash off.

I heard at one point that Hombu Dojo had forbidden the use of indigo hakama due to the smurfing of their traditional surfaced tatami. But recently I saw several Japanese sempai wearing them. The mats seemed ok.
I have been using a polyester blue hakama for the past few years, more because it folds nicely and is easy to travel with. I love the indigo hakama - especially when they start to fade a bit.

In aiki,

Ethan Weisgard

Last edited by Ethan Weisgard : 01-14-2009 at 03:04 PM.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2009, 12:22 AM   #15
Voitokas
 
Voitokas's Avatar
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 376
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

Mine is from Tozando - I soaked it overnight and only washed it about ten or so times. There was a little smurfing for a week or so after that, but I cleaned it up with kohai

I am not an expert
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2009, 07:24 AM   #16
Richard Sanchez
Location: SE Asia
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 25
Malaysia
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

I bought mine at a Tokyo MA store 11 years ago, (can't remember the store name) but I remember the price UD$200 . The guy who sold it to me said to soak it in heavily salted water for a day and then after that only rinse in water. Which I did and have.

I've had no problems with the color bleeding but the creases fell out after the salt soak and never returned. Its my favorite by a long shot but compared to the sharply creased polyester crowd I look like a ragbag.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2009, 07:40 PM   #17
Cady Goldfield
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,035
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

Quote:
Howard Popkin wrote: View Post
It will never stop, its the Terminator of dyes. I bought one in Japan. Ruined my tatami, countless Gi tops, and a Maytag Dryer which I had to scrub with steel wool and bleach to get the blue out.

Buying a polyester one was the best advice I have heard. The Blue ones are really made for Kendo - They wear gloves, their entire uniform is blue and the floor is wood. No problems.

Best of luck !

Howard
You didn't address the issue of underwear and skin in contact with said hakama. Streams of indigo-blue water used to go down the drain when I'd shower after class.

I have to admit that I always hated wearing a hakama, but I do have a sentimental attachment to, and miss, my old indigo-blue cotton one (it went missing a couple of years ago ) despite its constant "smurfing" of me and mine that went unabated for 6 or 7 years even after several washings.

Carol's vinegar suggestion reminds me of an old dye-fixing formula that works on most colors: the amount of vinegar she mentioned, plus the addition of a half teaspoon of cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. I used to use that when I did tie-dying back in the 19(mumbles...mumbles)s.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-15-2009, 09:09 PM   #18
Fred Little
Dojo: NJIT Budokai
Location: State Line NJ/NY
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 641
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

The traditional indigo-dyeing process is more efficacious, but the reasons by which it has fallen out of favor are clear as well.

Go to the lower right hand column on page 195 and read on.

Best,

FL
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-16-2009, 06:51 PM   #19
Cady Goldfield
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,035
United_States
Offline
Wink Re: Indigo hakama

Quote:
Fred Little wrote: View Post
The traditional indigo-dyeing process is more efficacious, but the reasons by which it has fallen out of favor are clear as well.

Go to the lower right hand column on page 195 and read on.

Best,

FL
"I'm sorry that you are not happy with urindigo-dyed hakama, sir."

I wonder whether the use of vinegar, etc. was the result of desperate alchemy to find a substitute for the original "active ingredient" in indigo dye-fixing? Though I can't think of a better excuse to give one's spouse for downing a six-pack every day before going to work.

"But honey, I'm just stocking up on dye-fixer!"
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-17-2009, 02:56 AM   #20
Carol Shifflett
Location: PA
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 53
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

Quote:
Cady Goldfield wrote: View Post
You didn't address the issue of underwear and skin in contact with said hakama. Streams of indigo-blue water used to go down the drain when I'd shower after class.
And that, folks, is the origin of the Blue Men of Mali/Sahara (and the inspiration for the desert dwellers of Frank Herbert's "Dune").

Quote:
Carol's vinegar suggestion reminds me of an old dye-fixing formula that works on most colors: the amount of vinegar she mentioned, plus the addition of a half teaspoon of cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. I used to use that when I did tie-dying back in the 19(mumbles...mumbles)s.
Whoa! To clarify, my vinegar comment was not per fixing indigo dye -- it was per fixing polyester pleats. As far as I can tell (and judging from many anguished smurf postings) the vinegar soak to somehow "fix" indigo just doesn't work. It might have been a treatment for the fabric itself, much like back in the 19(mumble. . . mumble) before the days of newfangled pH-balanced shampoos, we used to final rinse hair with a weak solution of vinegar (for brunettes) or .lemon juice (for blondes) to neutralize the alkalinity of the soap (Prell! Yowza!). In none of these cases did the acid have anything to do with the color.

Cheers!
Carol
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-17-2009, 04:27 PM   #21
Cady Goldfield
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,035
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

Hey Carol,
You're likely right that the vinegar's role is more of a fabric conditioner. But, the salt and cream of tartar definitely were required in the recipe as fixatives for the dye itself.

Prell! I remember using it after gym class. No matter how much I rinsed, it still left my hair standing on end.
  Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2009, 04:30 PM   #22
Cady Goldfield
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,035
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

As an addendum to the above ---

Dye-fixing won't really work on a heavily-dyed item until it's been washed at least a couple of times, in my experience. Items such as these cotton indigo-dyed hakama tend to be so saturated with dye that they dry with a lot of residue on them. You have to remove some of it first through washing, then you can apply the dye-fixitive process. And hope for the best.
  Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2009, 03:29 PM   #23
Cady Goldfield
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,035
United_States
Offline
Re: Indigo hakama

I am revisiting this old thread because I was going through a borrowed book on plant-dyeing last night and found this information on fixing plant dyes. While the book discusses wool, the process should work for cotton, linen and natural blends. Wool is naturally absorbant, though, and may be more so than the plant fibers. But for fixing indigo in an already dyed hakama, it might just work well. Caveat dye-or.

This method involves using alum (potassium aluminum sulfate -- potash) with cream of tartar (potassium acid tartare). For each pound of wool or fabric, use 1 oz. cream of tartar, 3-4 oz. alum and 4 gallons of water, which must be soft or distilled -- not hard water (the minerals in hard water will affect the mix).

You dissolve the cream of tartar and alum in the water, heat and stir. Wet the fabric thoroughly in warm water and squeeze out the excess. Then place the wool in the simmering brew, bringing up the heat to a slow boil. Then reduce the heat and let the batch simmer for an hour, adding water as needed to keep it from boiling off. Let it stand and cool, then squeeze it dry (you can roll it in old towels).

If the fabric feels tacky, you can rinse it.

There was another method, used by colonial Americans, which used a solution of rusty nails and vinegar, but the alum and cream of tartar is probably a better way.
  Reply With Quote

Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Wearing Hakama Shouri (Steve) General 92 11-20-2014 09:32 AM
Hakama FAQ DaveO Humor 24 11-02-2004 05:22 PM
Hakama or no hakama. nmarques General 40 06-13-2002 06:57 PM
Indigo Hakama Ken Supplies 3 05-12-2001 08:51 AM
Hakama Length and Colour Ken General 30 05-04-2001 01:23 PM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:19 PM.



vBulletin Copyright © 2000-2024 Jelsoft Enterprises Limited
----------
Copyright 1997-2024 AikiWeb and its Authors, All Rights Reserved.
----------
For questions and comments about this website:
Send E-mail
plainlaid-picaresque outchasing-protistan explicantia-altarage seaford-stellionate