Thank you so much for all of your information, and SHARING it!


How hard is your water? That's always my first question with alginate problems, because alginate interacts with calcium ions in water to make a gel, which is much thicker than you want and very difficult to remove. I've had alginate gel in my dye bottles even though my water is not very hard at all; there was enough calcium in the water or in the dye, to cause a problem. However, since you are using PRO Paste F, you are already using some water softener, which included in ProChem's print paste mixes. (The water softener is sodium hexametaphosphate, sold by ProChem as "Metaphos".) It's possible that you would benefit from using more of the water softener, but it's not likely, unless your water is very hard.

If the problem is not caused by calcium ions, it's likely to be a physical problem, in which the alginate is merely stuck in the fiber. An answer I've seen recommended for its effectiveness, for removing alginate from heavy silk that's been treated with Procion MX dyes and ammonium sulfate and then steamed, is to soak the silk in very hot water to which you have added plain salt, half a cup per gallon of water, stirring occasionally. If this does not work, try heating the water with the silk in it to a simmer (don't exceed 185°F). After the alginate has come off of the fabric, rinse out the salt water.

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