11-13-2005, 10:33 PM
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#1 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: North attleboro, MA
Posts: 1,817
| Dying equipment
It was only a matter of time before this thread make an appearance.
So, dying equipment. How do I do it and what can be done?
I assume my jacket and knickers can be dyed, tho they're FIE so I dunno if that makes a difference. The fabric is pretty smooth, would the dye not hold well?
Also, is it possible to dye a sabre lame without affective the conductivity? I thought I read somewhere a while back about dying a lame whereby the dye didnt stick to the metal threads and as a result it retained full conductivity.
This is an uhlmann lame btw.
I assume any methods used to dye my lame would also work on my mask bib. I have an LP x-change mask so the bib is removeable.
But would the dye sock into the foam padding? How do I avoid this?
If you're curious, my reasoning is this. Since the FIE approved the new rules about colored uniforms, as soon as these changes are adopted by the USFA I plan to dye my whole uniform maroon, maybe with some kind of accent. (Go UMass). I want to be as complete as possible and do it right the first time.
Any guidance is welcome 
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11-13-2005, 10:46 PM
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#2 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: New Jersey
Posts: 1,063
| RIT dye is some strong stuff, I'm sure that'll turn your whites a solid maroon.
As for the lame... I don't think it would maintain conductivity, although you could test it with an old lame or maybe just a small area on the back by the stamps so it's inconspicuous. Dye maybe a 1 inch square and then grab a multimeter and see if it's still conductive.
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Andrew
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11-13-2005, 10:52 PM
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#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: West Lafayette, IN
Posts: 294
| Hmm, my experience has been that it takes an extra effort to get the darker colors on certain materials (like the stuff used to make your uniform 1600N resistant). I once tried to dye a jacket a royal blue and the best that I could get was a baby blue. It can be a good way to ruin your equipment.
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11-13-2005, 10:59 PM
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#4 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: North attleboro, MA
Posts: 1,817
| Hm.
Well that shouldn't be so bad, my FIE knickers are paneled, so most of it should take to the dye well. The jacket seems like it would behaive as you suggested, it's a very slick material. However,fencing sabre I only really have to worry about whether it's feasible to get my lame dyed. I hope so.
Thanks for the input guys. I checked out RIT dye and plan to do more research on it soon.
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"Their interpretation is, however, refuted most elegantly by your system of radioactive atom + amplifier + charge of gun powder + cat in a box"
-Albert Einstein, in a letter to Erwin Schrödinger
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11-13-2005, 11:00 PM
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#5 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Haydenville, MA
Posts: 1,563
| I would suspect that you shouldn't have to worry about the lame, since the die shouldn't stick to the metal. Perhaps you should wipe it off afterwards to make sure no dye residue sticks, but other than that, I think it should be fine. | |
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11-13-2005, 11:49 PM
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#6 | | Curmudgeon-in-Chief
Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Somewhere in your nightmares!
Posts: 23,164
| The RIT dye instructions also call for dissolving the stuff in HOT water. Possibly not good for some uniforms, probably not at ALL good for lames.
Synthetic materials tend not to take home-use dyes well. This I know from the days before every sort of clothing was available in black, my favorite color. ( Often I got gray, or pale purple, if the material wasn't 100% cotton. ) Are the base threads in lames cotton, or synthetic? I don't know...
Apart from those caveats, dye oughtn't coat the metallic overwrap of threads.
However, beware, I am going to start carrying a water pistol filled with RIT Dye Remover around to tournaments, and surreptitiously squirting brightly-colored gear. Possibly even writing rude words with the stuff....  | |
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11-14-2005, 12:07 AM
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#7 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bay Area
Posts: 4,561
| I wasn't aware that I had a dye company...
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11-14-2005, 02:17 AM
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#8 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Los Angeles
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| Quote: |
Originally Posted by RITFencing I wasn't aware that I had a dye company... |
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11-14-2005, 07:28 AM
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#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 5,511
| Maroon? Ewww. I'm no inq, but white/off white looks best.
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11-14-2005, 03:18 PM
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#10 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: North attleboro, MA
Posts: 1,817
| The dye has to be dissolved in hot water, but does anyone know if the water needs to be hot while it's being used to dye things?
P.s. maroon is amazing. Head to toe. Like the green knight, only maroon.....
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"Their interpretation is, however, refuted most elegantly by your system of radioactive atom + amplifier + charge of gun powder + cat in a box"
-Albert Einstein, in a letter to Erwin Schrödinger
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11-14-2005, 06:53 PM
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#11 | | Have Blazer, Will Travel
Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 10,037
| Quote: |
Originally Posted by RITFencing I wasn't aware that I had a dye company... | If Inq gets his way you won't. | |
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11-14-2005, 07:54 PM
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#12 | | Curmudgeon-in-Chief
Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Somewhere in your nightmares!
Posts: 23,164
| Quote: |
Originally Posted by RITFencing I wasn't aware that I had a dye company... | Yes. It's called Madder, Inc. All it's customers dye horribly. | |
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11-14-2005, 07:58 PM
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#13 | | Curmudgeon-in-Chief
Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Somewhere in your nightmares!
Posts: 23,164
| Quote: |
Originally Posted by whtouche The dye has to be dissolved in hot water, but does anyone know if the water needs to be hot while it's being used to dye things?
P.s. maroon is amazing. Head to toe. Like the green knight, only maroon..... | Or as Bugs Bunny said, "What a maroon".  ( I couldn't resist. ) | |
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11-14-2005, 09:37 PM
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#14 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Alberta, Canada
Posts: 363
| Well, if your equipment dyes, you should give it a decent burial. After performing organ transplants. (Grip, etc.) But then, I may be just wierd.
Seriously, synthetic fibres don't dye well. Also, some of the fixing agents and prewashing chemicals (not to mention the dys themselves.) are NOT good for many synthetics. It can cause them to degrade rapidly. One other thing is that dying an already sewed garment a uniform color is difficult. The dyes penetrate multiple layers (like seams) differently from plane fabric. This is a problem for very intense (dark) dyes like black and navy blue. In tie-dye this isn't a problem. However, I think that a tie-dye uniform would be silly. But that may be just me.
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