Making a Long Term Vat

Q: I would like to have a large, permanent, natural indigo vat that I can upkeep and maintain. I’ve been buying kits but I don’t want to keep creating so much waste emptying and starting fresh every time the vat is exhausted. Do you have any input about what kind of vat is best? Or any pointers? I haven’t used your kit yet, but I am thinking of getting one - is it possible to use that as my base?

A: I’d recommend the ferrous vat (what’s in my kit and on my website) for a longer term vat. It is easy to maintain. Just make sure you AVOID THE SEDIMENT which will build up at the bottom of the vat over time as you sharpen it to maintain it. I’ve made Frankenstein’s monster style vats in the past (part fructose, part iron, part thiox). You can kind of just blend them together at will! The vat from my kit could certainly act as a starter. You’ll just have to dispose when you build up too much sediment to be able to dye what you want to dye cleanly and easily. If you’re going big, I recommend sourcing a steel 55 gallon drum. Though the investment in indigo and ingredients is much more in the beginning, they are actually much easier to use and maintain at that scale than a little 5 gallon guy.