No one around in PR seems to carry RIT. The only one I could find was Tintex, powder version. I need to dye my pads and belt (both are white). My original plan was to use the recipe in the elbow pads thread, but the recipe calls for black RIT (liquid).
Does anyone knows how does powder Tintex differs from liquid RIT? Will it do the trick? For dyeing knee pads and belt, which method would render better results: washing machine or sink/bucket?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions/recommendations
I actually had the same problem (not with the names but the liquid) and I just eyeballed it from the powder form to measure to dye my uniform. Im sure Tintex is like the copycat version of RIT so its probably the same if not better
I did manage to find some RIT, but it was in powder… I think I’ll go with a guesstimate as well
I think I’ll be using a whole RIT black powder pack to dye the belt and pads. Which method would render better results: washing machine or sink/bucket?
I dyed my elbow pads and belt with RIT powder using the bucket method, and I’m quite pleased with how they came out. (If I had pics on my hard drive of my gear I’d post them, but I haven’t loaded them yet). I don’t recall how many packages of dye I used for each one (I dyed the belt and pads separate) but I’m sure it was no more than two, if even that. A lot of people seem to have trouble getting the padded part of the elbow pads to take dye, so as I was dyeing mine I made sure to squeeze them and squish them while they were submerged to get as much dye through the fabric as possible. I’m not totally sure how much it helped, but they looked good to me when they came out. Good luck!
I am also gonna try this method as well. Your saying I should get 2 packs of the dye for both the belt and pads? I have 1..might have to go get another..or just take back the powder and get liquid..since it costs a little more than getting the liquid. I think anyways..I should go check if it is or not.
I think one pack will be more than enough. I was checking the site and it seems liquid is just more concentrated. According to their website, you would use 1 package of RIT powder or 1/2 bottle of RIT liquid dye and 3 gallons of hot water for each pound of fabric.
I just got back from the grocery store “ralphs”(its a so cal chain i think) and they sell RIT dyes in the aisle with all the bodywashes, foot care stuff, feminine care, ointments etc. so check your local grocery store first lol!
to think i could have gone 300 yards and bought the stuff rather than drive for 20 mins. ugghh
ahh..well i did go buy an extra pack just in case. Also looked at the back of the liquid one and found that you have to do the washer method or sink. I would rather do the bucket,so I just bought an extra one.
So if i were to do both my belt and pads in one (can you do that?) would I need one whole pack..or what should I try?
I’d do one whole pack, if you’re dyeing belts and pads, and maybe use a little less water. When I dyed mine, I actually just boiled water, which might explain why I had such easy success getting the elbow pads to take the dye. Like Kind said, the hotter you can get the water, the better. I didn’t fill the bucket entirely either, I just made sure I had plenty of room to submerge them. And I wouldn’t worry too much about using excess dye, bear in mind everything will be a few shades lighter once it dries. I remember when I took my flightsuit out of the washer after dyeing it, I was totally disappointed with it…I took it outside to air dry, came back in to check some more dye recipes, and when I returned to it an hour or two later, it was fully dried, and looked perfect!
I’ll definitely go with the bucket method. Vinnie did it to both his pads and belt in one go and came out great! He left them for about two hours. I didn’t have a chance to do it today… kept working on my trap build! Hehehe! I am going to give it a try tomorrow and will post pics!
Ahh okay. so you boil some water and just pour it in a bucket and then add the dye? I think I could manage that. You said a little less water..you mean less than 3 gallons or 2 cups?
Well suppose i could try myself and see if I can get it right. I will try boiling water first..
what i did exactly was turn my hot water heater up all the way for about 30min, then filled my sink about 3/4 of the way, dumped in close to half a bottle of black dye, a little laundry detergent and about 1/4cup of salt and let the belt and pads soak for about 2 hours, stirring and dunking the belt and pads every 20 mins or so.
Hey Vinny, is there any benefit for adding laundry detergent to the mix? And, did you hand wash them afterward, or dunk them in the washing machine for a full cycle?
i dont know what the benefit of detergent is, but it is called for in the powder recipe so i used it. Its supposed to be just t a tablespoon when using a washing machine, so i adjusted accordingly and used just a dash.
i took them out of the dye bath and ran them under the cold faucet water, wringing and wringing until the water ran clear. it will take quite a bit of rinsing and wringing to get all the dye out of them. same with the belt.
ohh..lolz! Maybe i should try that..just have to figure out how I can up the water heater..why can’t i just use the hottest water possible from the sink?
I think though it would be easier for me to do it in a bucket cause the sink is used mainly for dishes…dunno if it will affect itand my mom says she wants me to do it in a bucket.
I’ll be using one of those big Home Depot buckets. They run for $2.34 so it if it gets ruined no harm done!!! A little bit of bleach and it’ll be just as new!
