Which style were the screen used uniforms? 100% cotton, or the poly-cotton nomex?
Will the nomex/poly-cotton suits even take dye?
Thanks,
Russ
Neither suits were Nomex.
The first suits were cotton Viet Nam-era flightsuits that were overdyed to a warm grey color and the suits in GB2 were made by a company called Flightsuits Ltd. with studio supplied fabric - a cotton herrringbone material.
I’ve tried to dye Nomex and it doesn’t take dye very well. Cotton blend fabrics yield better results.
Darrin
Thanks for that. Now I know which style to look for. I didn’t think the nomex would dye very well. If at all. Darn nylon. 
Russ
Okay, what’s a good location to find a cotton suit in tan without cutting out a kidney first?
Most of them on ePay are nomex.
Russ
I bought one from here for a friend (though that was a year ago, so they may not have the same suits anymore). The suit was fantastic. It’s a poly-cotton blend, 65% cotton 35% polyester. But the texture was surprising. It felt like denim. It felt different from my suit which is also the same percentage poly-cotton. On mine, the polyester properties are more apparent instead of the cotton. Also, it’s the correct Vietnam-era style. It had the correct inner strap, an exposed metal zipper, and the fabric strip they had on the zippers in the films. It also took the dye amazingly. It came out so close to the films in colour you wouldn’t believe it.
My only complaint about it is a small one. They use a really cheap velcro on the suits. It literally disintegrates in the first wash. So if you order it, have extra velcro on hand to replace it.
Chris
Wow..I think I paid $50 for mine at a local army / navy supply store. It worked out just fine but didnt have the correct zipper. I am also uncertain of the quality. I would have thought it would have been a little bit thicker, however, I do not have another suit to compare it to.
What color velcro did you add after the fact?
Green? Grey? Black?
Russ
Jeez…remember guys, don’t be afraid to haggle with the store clerks. If you’re a frequent customer to the store that can really help also, and always be friendly and polite. Don’t be afraid to ask if they can take less than the tag price, especially if it’s a used suit. I paid $25 for my suit brand new simply by asking “What’s the best you could do?” It pays to ask questions!
Now if I can only get him to come down a bit on that A.L.I.C.E. frame… 
I think I added white velcro, before I put it in the dye bath. It didn’t dye the exact same colour, but it was close enough.
Chris
The best thing to do when dying is to remove the soft portion of the velcro as it absorbs the colour like nobody’s business. What I did after that was dip it in the dye bath for about 30 seconds or so, until the colour matched my suit. The hook part of the velcro is generally plastic and doesn’t take the colour as easily so no need to take it off.
Thanks for all the tips everyone!
Russ