jwiltx
FNG
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2024
- Messages
- 29
I've only seen one other post about dyeing hunting gear to modify it, and decided to dive headfirst into it, never having dyed anything. My backstory with this is that I have Sitka Stratus bibs and jacket, but I can't LEGALLY use my hood when I'm hunting on public land to keep my head warm, so I wanted to change that. I decided to buy a hood from another member on here and dye it, so I could keep my original one as is and change it out as needed. All in all, it wasn't a difficult process, and not that time consuming either. I tried to dye it using the other method I'd seen--acetone mixed with some of the dye and scrubbing it in with a brush. You can see what was left after rinsing on the bottom of the hood. The top shows you the original color of the hood, for comparison (Optifade Elevated)
1) Buy the dye. I picked up two different dyes for synthetic fabric (I don't know exactly what the fabric is, but I know it's not natural fibers)...iDye Poly Orange and Ritt Dyemore Tangerine. I ended up using the iDye Poly which is a powder dye with a "color booster" liquid packet.
2) Mix it up. The instructions say to use a stainless pot. That's what I used, and after cleaning it with soap and water, there was zero residue (so you don't make your wife mad). I was aiming for a hunters orange, but the dye solution came out almost looking like tomato soup. Don't get discouraged. Make sure that whatever you're dyeing has bee saturated with water before adding it to the dye. Whatever container you use, make sure you've got enough room to submerge the entire piece and give room to stir it.
3) Add the piece of clothing and follow the directions. They say that the first 10 minutes are critical, and that you stir frequently. I didn't get any pictures of the process, but picture the jacket hood sitting in tomato soup. In all honesty, I don't think the color changed at all after the first 10 minutes, but I kept mine in for 60 minutes total.
4) After that's done, you're supposed to rinse it. I did, until the water was mostly clear coming off it. Now here is the part that usually makes spouses mad...you've got to dry it out. Thankfully, I've got the Texas heat on my side, so I didn't have to use the dryer until the garment was dry. Supposedly it needs heat to fully set the color, so with it being summer right now, you could probably do the same.
5) I took it one step further and after drying it outside for 24 hrs, I rinsed it again with a little detergent, and did that until the liquid came off clear. Then it was back outside to dry for the most part, and thankfully, our dryer has a rack that you can put inside it to dry things like shoes, so I put it on the rack (again, to keep the spouse happy), and put it on medium for about an hour and 20 min.
After that, here's the final product.
It's not perfect, but it'll keep me happy, and the Game Warden satisfied. I treated it with DWR and going to keep my head toasty this fall. Hope this helps someone, and feel free to reach out if you've got any questions.
1) Buy the dye. I picked up two different dyes for synthetic fabric (I don't know exactly what the fabric is, but I know it's not natural fibers)...iDye Poly Orange and Ritt Dyemore Tangerine. I ended up using the iDye Poly which is a powder dye with a "color booster" liquid packet.
2) Mix it up. The instructions say to use a stainless pot. That's what I used, and after cleaning it with soap and water, there was zero residue (so you don't make your wife mad). I was aiming for a hunters orange, but the dye solution came out almost looking like tomato soup. Don't get discouraged. Make sure that whatever you're dyeing has bee saturated with water before adding it to the dye. Whatever container you use, make sure you've got enough room to submerge the entire piece and give room to stir it.
3) Add the piece of clothing and follow the directions. They say that the first 10 minutes are critical, and that you stir frequently. I didn't get any pictures of the process, but picture the jacket hood sitting in tomato soup. In all honesty, I don't think the color changed at all after the first 10 minutes, but I kept mine in for 60 minutes total.
4) After that's done, you're supposed to rinse it. I did, until the water was mostly clear coming off it. Now here is the part that usually makes spouses mad...you've got to dry it out. Thankfully, I've got the Texas heat on my side, so I didn't have to use the dryer until the garment was dry. Supposedly it needs heat to fully set the color, so with it being summer right now, you could probably do the same.
5) I took it one step further and after drying it outside for 24 hrs, I rinsed it again with a little detergent, and did that until the liquid came off clear. Then it was back outside to dry for the most part, and thankfully, our dryer has a rack that you can put inside it to dry things like shoes, so I put it on the rack (again, to keep the spouse happy), and put it on medium for about an hour and 20 min.
After that, here's the final product.
It's not perfect, but it'll keep me happy, and the Game Warden satisfied. I treated it with DWR and going to keep my head toasty this fall. Hope this helps someone, and feel free to reach out if you've got any questions.
