Dyeing jumpsuit report

[Jessica 0]

I have a used RW suit that's in pretty good shape and fits like a dream, but was the ugliest combination of colors that God allowed.
So a while back I started thinking about dumping a box of Rit black dye in the washer with it, but a little research convinced me that would probably make it even uglier (a feat that would surely have signaled the imminent apocolypse). Apparently spandex and nylon are hard fabrics to dye.
Anyway, I finally found some acid-based dye that claims to color anything, including nylon. I ordered a big 8 oz. jar of it. Dharma Trading, the company I ordered from, is really cool. I'd use them again.
So...first we tried the washing machine method. BAH. It came out dingy and gross. The color hardly took at all. I cried.
So then we tried the stovetop, using the biggest pot I've got -- I think it's 8 quarts. That worked pretty well, but all we could really fit in the pot was the forearms.
A bigger pot was key, I decided, so I went to the K-Mart that's closing down here in town and got this huge enamel behemoth pot (I think it has to be 15 or 20 gallons) for $7. Yay! I took it home, dumped in some dye and enough water to cover the entire jumpsuit, and boiled the whole mess for 30 minutes. Then I rinsed it in the sink and sneaked it down the apartment complex laundry room and washed and dried it, hahahah!
So now, my hands are pitch black from the knuckles down, and my fingertips are all blistered (wear rubber gloves, d'oh), but my jumpsuit looks SHARP. The color didn't take quite as well as it could have in a couple of places, but it's still definitely black. I think the spandex might have shrunk the tiniest tad, but that's not bad.
So that's my experience. If you want to try this and have any questions, feel free to PM me.
It's not a freestyle routine, it's a SIT!

[PhreeZone 20]

Really glad to hear that the suit turned out totaly black.... Lesson learned with black acid dye: clean up right away since it does stain everything....
If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will....

[rgoper 0]

won't the color alteration you made destroy the fabric of the jumpsuit prematurely? i always wondered how the "tie dye" method works. from my understanding the chemicals that are utilized have a tendency to cause the fabric(s) to deteriate prematurely. i've got an old tony i was going to do that to, but decided against it because of this reason.
Richard
"Gravity Is My Friend"

[PhreeZone 20]

If your worried about it tearing up the fabric then don't wash your jump suit, don't scrape up against anything while in your jumpsuit, don't let your rig rub against your back. Those are all abrasive to the nylon a whole lot more then dying is. If you are looking to get 5000 jumps on a jump suit then you better look for one made out of stainless steel....
I've got holes, burn marks, and a tear in my jump suit right now.... I kinda like it that way If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will....

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

Black is a good "match any gear" color, but you better rinse that rascal several times so you don't end up looking like aunt jemima. I have had things I dyed come off on me (mostly shoe dye) and it sucks.
My webpage HERE

[GrumpySmurf 0]

SO!?
Are you gonna break out the digicam and demo it for us?

[steve1 5]

I used Ritz (black) die on an old jump suit once. Some of the materials took the die well and others didn't. I wouldn't recommend this die. Steve