Formulation of an organic solution for odour removal in rubber-gum resist technique

Abstract

The rubber-gum resist technique is a modern fabric colouration technique in the world of resisting fabric dyeing production. This innovative technique is an improvement upon the wax-resist method which makes use of polyvinyl acetate, latex and ammonia as constituents of its resist agent. The rubber-gum resist technique which provides a good printable effect in design registration also has an excellent advantage in rendering complex or minute details of a design with less difficulty. The setback of this technique which happens to be the challenge at the degumming stage factored into the choice of research design in the execution of the project. A series of explorations were conducted using organic fruit juices for the formulation of the solution that can remove the unpleasant smell from the dyed product as a result of the use of turpentine in the degumming process. The study adopted the qualitative research method which employed the descriptive and exploratory research design. The scope of the study covered the local rubber gum resist dyeing producers in the Kumasi metropolis. The findings of the explorations conducted have proven that the major challenge in the rubber-gum resist technique which happens to be the unpleasant smell deposited in the fabric due to the degumming process has been resolved using organic fruit juices. For the rubber-gum resist technique to live in the limelight, it is recommended that the results of this study should be incorporated into the practice of the rubber-gum resist technique in Ghana. Also, the introduction of resist fabric-dyeing art educational curriculum should make it a point to include the rubber-gum resist technique at the senior high schools through to the tertiary level to promote the practice of this innovative art discipline. Fusing this innovative technique into our textile educational system will help students to explore and gain much knowledge in the practice of the rubber-gum resist technique and will also serve as a source of employment.