To make sure that all the instructions for the madder dyers influence test are as accurate as possible, and easy to understand, there's a little test run taking place. Thankfully, the Most Patient of All Husbands has taken on the task, so I have the benefit of getting the stuff tested by a non-dyer.
The instruction test is simulating the real thing - so there's Erlangen tap water being used instead of de-ionised water (but at least I filled it into a bottle that once held de-ionised...) and the madder is some that I harvested (and then steamed, and then cut it up and dried some, and then ground it and dried it some more) and the alum is ammonia alum and not potassium alum... but for testing the how-to, it will all do.
The madder has been soaking, and it looks a promising deep red:
Next will come the mordanting, and then the dyeing, and then I'll fix up the experiment protocol with the missing info and necessary corrections, and then... off it will go to the volunteers. Hooray!