SAFFLOWER STRAW (KĀHĪ) COLOUR DYE RECIPES
Yellow safflower is used for obtaining kāhī colour according to several sources for example in Resaleh-ye Joharrieh (15th century), Resāleh Dar Bayān-e Kāğaḏ Morakkab va Ḥall-e Alvān (15th century), Resālih Dar Bayān-e Ṭarīqeh-ye Sāḵtan-e Morakkab va Kāğaḏ-e Alvān (16th century), Resāleh-ye khošnevīsī (18th century), Resāleh Dar Bayān-e Rang Kardan-e Kāğaḏ (19th century), and Resāleh Dar Maʿrefat-e Kāğaḏ-e Alvān (19th century).
The first three sources, Resaleh-ye Joharrieh (837 AH/1433 A.D.) and Resāleh Dar Bayān-e Kāğaḏ Morakkab va Ḥall-e Alvān both in 15th century, Resālih Dar Bayān-e Ṭarīqeh-ye Sāḵtan-e Morakkab va Kāğaḏ-e Alvān in 16th century, briefly describe the technique exactly in the same way by using the first yellow extract of safflower to obtain kāhī paper as follows:
قدری از آن زردآب که از گل معصفر گرفته باشند نیک صافی سازند و کاغذ بدان رنگ کنند و در آفتاب خشک گردانند
Take some yellow extract obtained from safflower, filter it, dye the paper, and let it dry in the sunlight.
The fourth and fifth recipes, Resāleh-ye khošnevīsī (1120 A.H./1708 A.D.) in 18th century, and Resāleh Dar Bayān-e Rang Kardan-e Kāğaḏ in19th century, have been described in more details advising to store the first yellow extract of safflower for the time of dyeing paper, and wash the paper after the dyeing and before drying:
از زردآبهٔ گل معصفر که اوٌل مرتبه برآمده باشد در کوزه کرده نگاه دارد تا در وقت رنگ کردن کاغذ به کار برد. صورت رنگ کردن کاهی، کاغذ را اول مرتبه در ظرف زردآب به نوعی که در رنگهای دیگر مذکور شد بخواباند، بعد از آن کاغذ را بدر آورد و در ظرف آب بشوید و بر طناب بیندازد که خشک شود.
Store the initial yellow extract of safflower, obtained during the first extraction, in an earthen pot (kuzeh) for later use in coloring papers. To produce straw-colored paper (kāhī), immerse the paper in the safflower extract, following the same method as mentioned for other colors. Subsequently, take it out, wash it in a water container, and hang it on a rope to dry.
The final recipe Resāleh Dar Maʿrefat-e Kāğaḏ-e Alvān (19th century) has been described briefly advising to filter the yellow extract of safflower followed by dyeing paper and drying:
قدری آبِ معصفر که گرفته باشند نیکوصاف سازد، و کاغذ بر ان رنگ کند، و در آفتاب خشک کند
Filter some safflower extract and dye paper with it followed by drying it under the sun.
Experiment:
Begin by taking 5g of dried safflower petals and grinding them thoroughly with a pestle and mortar or an electric blender. Transfer the ground petals to a muslin cloth, tightly closing it to form a sac. Wash the sac with cold water until all the yellow colorant is extracted. Alternatively, if you only want to extract the yellow safflower, soak it in cold water in a glass container until all water-soluble components are extracted. Filter the mixture to obtain a straw-colored (kāhī) dye. Depending on the desired concentration of the straw color, use more cold water to soak the ground safflower. Dip the paper in long enough to achieve the desired straw shade of color. Then, take it out and dip it in pure water. Finally, take it out and let it dry in the shade.