Forms of Indigo that Work in a Ferrous Vat Recipe

Q: I’ve been using a pre-reduced indigo vat with thiox and soda ash and I would like to stay away from the thiox. Do you know if I can use the iron vat directions with the pre-reduced indigo in place of pure indigo powder?

A: Yes, the ferrous vat recipe will work with any kind of indigo : organic, synthetic, pre-reduced, paste, dried, you name it. In all cases I recommend pasting up your indigo - shaking vigorously in a container with smooth stones or marbles and just enough water to hydrate your powder into a paste prior to adding it to the vat. You can scale the amount of indigo you use based on how strong you want your vat and what concentration of pigment you’re working with.