Here is what the book reads:
How to Dye and Stain
Dyes are made from the extracts of plants and other organic material. You must go out and collect items from the environment to make the colors you desire.
Some include: permafrost crystals, evergreen leafs, sarcoscypha fungus, russet oxide, jack-o-lantern fungus, iron oxide, and charcoal.
Once you have collected an item, one who is skilled in the art of alchemy or poison making can extract the colors. This is done by combining it with a flask of water and an empty vial. This will create the extract.
From here you must purchase resin, a medium clay jar and combine it with the extract. One, two, or three resins combined will provide a different shade of the color.
Staining your Armor:
To apply your product to a piece of fine steel plate, you must forge the armor with lacquer, the dye, and a jar of acid.
Once this process is finished you will not be able to remove the stain from your armor.
As you can see it's MUCH different than the prismatic dyes that were added later. The prismatic dyes let you change any armor piece, at any time. Cloth, leather, chain, plate, whatever. This stuff is used ONLY for fine plate AND you have to forge the dye with the fine plate. This isn't the whole change colors on a whim thing that happened in LoY.
I also found a reference to it on alla. I am sure if someone spent the time going through the different items that are required for the combines they could find more/similar comments. Notice the comment that is in may of 2001. That's Velious era. Check it:
http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/i...98892037999842