OD dye on UCP stuff

[Sheikh Al Stranghi]

What would happen if you dyed UCP equipment OD with a nylon dye? Would it turn solid green or, if you use only a little, would it help to camouflage better?

[Mein Teil]

It depends on the color you're trying to dye and what kind of dye you are using. You can't dye black. You will just have to experiment with colors. I changed a sand colored vest to coyote by using a pinch of red with brown dye and it worked very well. It even dyed the zipper and the buckles permenantly.

Here's a tip if you're using Rit brand dye in the washing machine with hot water:

To help achieve a more intense color, stir 1 cup white vinegar into dye bath after the fabric has been in the dye bath for 5 minutes. Tough cordura nylon may need 1/2 the wieght of the fabric being dyed in salt added to the bath. I wouldn't dip any longer than 5 minutes at a time until you get the color you want. Leaving it in too long can eat the fabric.

[Bro Jangles]

Read on here some troops were washing their ACUs with Shoe polish to give them a darker color.

[Sheikh Al Stranghi]

as I said, OD...

[Mein Teil]

as I said, OD...

I thinK I gave you enough information for what ever color you wish to use, for what ever it's worth it's a professional re-dye method. That's how it's done unless you want to color your balls when you sweat.

[Soldat_Américain]

There was a guy on here awhile ago that had dyed his ACUs...but I think that thread is two years old and he was shouted down.

[Mein Teil]

There was a guy on here awhile ago that had dyed his ACUs...but I think that thread is two years old and he was shouted down.

The problem with re-dying anything except white is that the dye is actually tinting the original color and it can turn out wierd. You can't get rid of patterns like digital or woodland etc., they are there to stay and what ever dye you're adding is going to tint each color. It can look like vomit and sometimes the dye ruins the durabilty of the fabric and after a few washes it falls apart. It's better in most cases to just buy what you want. In my case it was an old vest that I paid nothing for and luckily it all worked out well. Dye it at your own risk.

FYI Sheikh, this is what I'm talking about: ( http://www.ritdye.com/ )

[LineDoggie]

Actual Nylon Dye is Acidic. On cloth it could as Meintell says compromise the durability of the cloth.

[MikeSierra151]

+1 for Rit dye.

I turned a Protech FLC from tan to a ODish color similar to WW2 OD webbing.

[Mein Teil]

Actual Nylon Dye is Acidic. On cloth it could as Meintell says compromise the durability of the cloth.

Rit by itself is a non acidic dye, that's why if you want to dye nylon you add salt and vinegar. People do some wild stuff with that concoction like dying frisbees, toys and model cars, you name it almost anything can be dye'd. The trick is when you're dying a uniform or any clothing, to look at the blend and see if it has nylon or a synthetic in it. If it does then your dye needs to be acidic otherwise it won't stay. Have fun

[Special-K]

I have dyed a number of sets of ACU's in UPC using Rit dye, and I have generally had good results. While I didn't play around much with a lot of the greens, I did find that tan, or tan mixed with a little bit of dark brown, gave pretty good results.


On the extreme left you can see a little bit of UCP dyed with one of the greens. On the upper left is Multicam, in the middle is UCP dyed with Tan - I think this is the one that works best. On the lower right is UCP with tan and a little dark brown. You can also see on the right a some unaltered UCP and 6-color 'chocolate chip' desert.


This pic is the same as the one above, just zoomed out a little. The colors are different, but I don't remember exactly how I changed the settings on the camera - it's been a while since I took these.


Back to the other color setting:


Different arraignment and the other color setting:


And another:





I hope these are at least somewhat helpful. I know the initial question was about nylon gear and green dye, but I don't have any examples of that to show. However, these may give an idea of what can be accomplished.

If anyone has any questions or would like me to post more pics, I will be happy to accommodate. I have a number of pics of different patterns in different times of the year that I can post.





-K

[Risc_Terilia]

Works better with the 100% cotton repro acu's. They dye the colour shown on the dye packet.

[Rattfink]

Well you weren't going to make it much worse. I think it is an improvement.