Iron liquor is very useful: as mordant for fabric, to weather wood and dye leather naturally black. Iron liquor is easy to make at home and really cheap. In this tutorial I’ll show you how to make DIY iron liquor.

You’ll need:

• 2 parts water
• 1 part vinegar
• rusty iron pieces (nails, screws …) or steel wool
• glass jar

Put all ingredient into a jar. Cover it loosely with a lid. Let the iron liquor stand for some days or weeks.

The solution will darken over time and there may be some rusty spots on the glass.

You can use iron liquor over and over again. If the solution gets to weak, add more iron pieces.

Iron liquor can be used as mordant or modifier in natural dyeing. It can also be used to dye natural tanned leather black, and for staining wood for a silvery weathered look.

You can paint tannin-rich wood like oak directly with iron liquor. Other wood is painted with a strong brew of black tea before iron liquor is applied.