WANTED - The best way to dye clothing black?

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[Phexxie]
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WANTED - The best way to dye clothing black?

Post by [Phexxie] » Fri Nov 19, 2010 10:13 am

i have a pair of pants that i adore the cut of, but sadly theyre camo patterned and i dont wear camo these days!

i really want to get more wear out of them, so ive decided to embark on a dying adventure!

ive dyed things black in the past, but ive always found that the colour has faded quickly, or barely taken at all. i understand that with camo, the pattern may still show a little but ideally i would like to get rid of it as much as possible

the pants are a green/light brown camo, heavy cotton material and VERY well worn but still with plenty of life in them.... once i get round to sewing up the hole in the crotch anyway >_<

what would be the best type of dye to use? water temp? how tong to dye for best results and future washing!
i dont mind ordering dye online if i have to :)
when i have asked at my local haberdashery/craft shop, they always just look confused and hand me a small pot of Dylon... which looks like it wouldnt dye so much as a sock

help VERY much appreciated!

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MrsEss
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Re: WANTED - The best way to dye clothing black?

Post by MrsEss » Fri Nov 19, 2010 10:34 am

The tiny posts are for hand dying. You can get an all in one (no need to add extra salt) machine dye now from dylon, it's about a fiver..........wilkinsons & boyes are the 2 local to me that stock it. you just put it in the machine with your clothes & set the wash away.

however, most dyes will only adhere really well to cotton, so it depends on what fabric you're dying & the thread used to sew your pants will very likely not change colour at all.

standard cotton trousers should be fine with a normal dylon dye. if it doubt, use 2 packets of dye.
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Neon Black
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Re: WANTED - The best way to dye clothing black?

Post by Neon Black » Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:20 pm

Washing machine dyes are the easiest (Dylon make them, you can get them from Wilkinsons etc as Sarah said above). I've used them for jeans, curtains and throws and always had good results with little fading even after years.

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Miss Liberty
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Re: WANTED - The best way to dye clothing black?

Post by Miss Liberty » Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:27 pm

I don't know if you have RIT dye in the UK, but I have used this before to give new life to faded black clothing with much success. I get mine in the grocery stores.

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iamdolleyes
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Re: WANTED - The best way to dye clothing black?

Post by iamdolleyes » Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:35 pm

those tiny dylon pots are more than enough to dye a single pair of pants. its super concentrated, believe me. Any type of dye you buy will tell you how much fabric (in weight) that amount will dye. If your pants truly are cotton you won't need to go online to buy anything specific. just follow the directions exactly. I imagine the website for the dylon (and whatever else you find around you) should have all that information on it before you purchase, so you can decide which one seems like less of a pain in the butt. I tend to use a giant pot on my stove to dye single items of clothing, and have never done the washing machine one before, but they are both just fine.

It's unlikely that the thread will dye, its usually poly blend in commercial clothes, but I bet that will look pretty cool (contrast stitching)

dharma trading co (usa company, sorry) has dye for just about every type of fabric. you could at least read about what you may need to use there, and then do a hunt for it on your side of the pond
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[Phexxie]
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Re: WANTED - The best way to dye clothing black?

Post by [Phexxie] » Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:34 am

thanks for the tips girls :)
having had a proper look at the pants, it seems that the manufacturers didnt think it important to include a label stating the exact material of their garments... go figure >_<
it feels like cotton, it looks like cotton, its probably something completely different lol

think i might just grab a Dylon machine dye and give it a whirl, then if that doesnt work out too well ill look into something else :)

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Re: WANTED - The best way to dye clothing black?

Post by PirateQueen » Sun Nov 21, 2010 1:14 am

I recommend the Dylon all in one machine one also. I've dyed jeans black with it before lots of times and they've come out a really good, deep black that doesn't fade at all! I usually get mine in Tesco (they stock it in the laundry section in the bigger stores) for about £3.50 I think!

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Re: WANTED - The best way to dye clothing black?

Post by Aricyn » Sun Nov 21, 2010 9:18 am

I would use a fibre reactive dye like procion MX as it will last longer and be a better colour vibrance, tho it is more expensive than rit and dylon types
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