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On Dyeing with Rit Dye (Many Pix) (Page 8 of 9)
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Originally Posted By WillieTangoFox: Thanks for the write up on your procedure. Originally Posted By WillieTangoFox: Originally Posted By OlympicArmsFan: If anyone is looking for an OD/Ranger green using Rit dye here is my formula. Rit-Dye OD Green Formula Okay, here is the formula. If you follow the instructions to the letter, you will get OD Green. If you have questions feel free to ask. I did this formula about two or three years ago using liquid Rit-Dye. Here are pics of the pouches that I dyed. The chest rig is Condor. **************************************** This formula works for OD Green 100% color Match (Original formula is Moss Green. I used Taupe) Step 1 The pouches were dyed using Rit liquid dye’s, three quarts of water and one cup of vinegar. I boiled the water until it bubbled (as if I was making pasta) and then I placed my liquid dye mix in and stirred it around and then placed the pouches into the dye bath for six minutes. I agitated them the entire six minutes. Once they were done, I placed them into a bucket of cold water (straight from the tap). I then wrung them out by hand until there was no bleeding of the dye. I let them dry in the sun. The Formula used - 3 Tablespoons of Sandstone. 6 Minute dye bath. Step 2 I used three quarts of water and one cup of vinegar. I boiled my water and the placed the vinegar into it and then my liquid color mix and stirred it. I then placed the pouches into the dye bath and agitated them for 6 minutes. I placed them into a cold-water bath and wrung them out and let dry in the sun. 4 Tablespoons Apple Green 1 Tablespoon of Dark Green 2 Tablespoons of Taupe 6-minute dye bath. **************************************** This formula works for OD Green 97% color Match (Original formula is Moss Green. I used Taupe) Step 1 The pouches were dyed using Rit liquid dye’s, three quarts of water and one cup of vinegar. I boiled the water until it bubbled (as if I was making pasta) and then I placed my dye mix in and stirred it around and then placed the pouches into the dye bath for six minutes. I agitated them the entire six minutes. Once they were done, I placed them into a bucket of cold water (straight from the tap). I then wrung them out by hand until there was no bleeding of the dye. I let them dry in the sun. The Formula used - 4 Tablespoons of Taupe. 6 Minute dye bath. Step 2 I used three quarters of water and one cup of vinegar. I boiled my water and the placed the vinegar into it and then my color mix and stirred it. I then placed the pouches into the dye bath and agitated them for 6 minutes. I placed them into a cold-water bath and wrung them out and let dry in the sun. 4 Tablespoons Apple Green 1 Tablespoon of Dark Green 2 Tablespoons of Taupe 6-minute dye bath. Link to the pouches I dyed using these two formulas. The one that is more brownish I believe was a bit stained when I dyed it. https://flic.kr/p/2joimk2 Thanks for the write up on your procedure. You are welcome. As RAF states above, I did small batches. I think this dye bath could be strong enough to dye up to 10-20 mag pouches, maybe more. Colors might not be as dark as the dying process goes on with my formula. I wanted to try larger pieces of gear but didn’t have any on hand at the time. Also, uniforms will dye differently with whatever formula you use. Materials make a difference. |
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Originally Posted By OlympicArmsFan: You are welcome. As RAF states above, I did small batches. I think this dye bath could be strong enough to dye up to 10-20 mag pouches, maybe more. Colors might not be as dark as the dying process goes on with my formula. I wanted to try larger pieces of gear but didn't have any on hand at the time. Also, uniforms will dye differently with whatever formula you use. Materials make a difference. Originally Posted By OlympicArmsFan: Originally Posted By WillieTangoFox: Originally Posted By OlympicArmsFan: If anyone is looking for an OD/Ranger green using Rit dye here is my formula. Rit-Dye OD Green Formula Okay, here is the formula. If you follow the instructions to the letter, you will get OD Green. If you have questions feel free to ask. I did this formula about two or three years ago using liquid Rit-Dye. Here are pics of the pouches that I dyed. The chest rig is Condor. **************************************** This formula works for OD Green 100% color Match (Original formula is Moss Green. I used Taupe) Step 1 The pouches were dyed using Rit liquid dye's, three quarts of water and one cup of vinegar. I boiled the water until it bubbled (as if I was making pasta) and then I placed my liquid dye mix in and stirred it around and then placed the pouches into the dye bath for six minutes. I agitated them the entire six minutes. Once they were done, I placed them into a bucket of cold water (straight from the tap). I then wrung them out by hand until there was no bleeding of the dye. I let them dry in the sun. The Formula used - 3 Tablespoons of Sandstone. 6 Minute dye bath. Step 2 I used three quarts of water and one cup of vinegar. I boiled my water and the placed the vinegar into it and then my liquid color mix and stirred it. I then placed the pouches into the dye bath and agitated them for 6 minutes. I placed them into a cold-water bath and wrung them out and let dry in the sun. 4 Tablespoons Apple Green 1 Tablespoon of Dark Green 2 Tablespoons of Taupe 6-minute dye bath. **************************************** This formula works for OD Green 97% color Match (Original formula is Moss Green. I used Taupe) Step 1 The pouches were dyed using Rit liquid dye's, three quarts of water and one cup of vinegar. I boiled the water until it bubbled (as if I was making pasta) and then I placed my dye mix in and stirred it around and then placed the pouches into the dye bath for six minutes. I agitated them the entire six minutes. Once they were done, I placed them into a bucket of cold water (straight from the tap). I then wrung them out by hand until there was no bleeding of the dye. I let them dry in the sun. The Formula used - 4 Tablespoons of Taupe. 6 Minute dye bath. Step 2 I used three quarters of water and one cup of vinegar. I boiled my water and the placed the vinegar into it and then my color mix and stirred it. I then placed the pouches into the dye bath and agitated them for 6 minutes. I placed them into a cold-water bath and wrung them out and let dry in the sun. 4 Tablespoons Apple Green 1 Tablespoon of Dark Green 2 Tablespoons of Taupe 6-minute dye bath. Link to the pouches I dyed using these two formulas. The one that is more brownish I believe was a bit stained when I dyed it. https://flic.kr/p/2joimk2 Thanks for the write up on your procedure. You are welcome. As RAF states above, I did small batches. I think this dye bath could be strong enough to dye up to 10-20 mag pouches, maybe more. Colors might not be as dark as the dying process goes on with my formula. I wanted to try larger pieces of gear but didn't have any on hand at the time. Also, uniforms will dye differently with whatever formula you use. Materials make a difference. Dyeing uniforms is different from dyeing more-or-less purely nylon gear, because of the variable amounts of cotton in the cloth. Strongly suggest having a thoroughly wetted uniform item of same camo pattern right at hand to see how dark the dye is making the dyed uniform items. Since cotton cloth is often present in uniform items, perhaps adding salt as well as vinegar to the dye bath would be optimal, although I have not experimented much with this. Unlike with pure nylon gear which is pretty much "What you see is what you get" when "pulled" from the dyeing solution, cotton blend uniform clothing items are different. Suggest "pulling" such cotton blend items when their appearance, when compared to un-dyed but wetted similar item is a "little" darker than wetted, un-dyed item, since some dye will wash out. Remember, always possible to dye a little darker, but never lighter. |
 How To Dye Military Surplus FLC Vest - Cheap & Easy! |
"Smoke" or "Green"?  Vendor (Tactical Advantage) says about BAE/Eclipse items: "Ranger Green V1 is the original smoke Ranger green and Ranger Green V2 is the newer greener shade of Ranger green." IDK if any other Mfr offered these two shades of Ranger Green. |
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Originally Posted By neight: I was just wanting something that isn’t so kaki. The marine coyote brown is pretty kaki and stands out like a sore thumb here. Even this time of year. Green and brown would work year round Green camo spray paint in various stripes and swaths, with coyote as a base color, works great. You can always hit up coyote with a bit of one of the lighter green rit dyes to give it just a touch more green to it. I'd hit up any solid color with spray paint stripes and swaths to break up it's base color though. |
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Originally Posted By neight: Yeah I have a couple sports gear bags that are different sizes of mesh I figured Id use too. Just dragging my feet on spray painting it. But I have some Montana cans stuff that are great matches for pine needles and oak leaves. If you want to do any dye job, I'd do it before the spray paint. But once you do the paint, you will find it doesn't take much to break up that base color. Even just a line diagonally and a splotch or two on it will break it up alot. |
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My attempt at OD and coyote. I am going to try the coyote with some purple to reduce or mute the orange. Maybe less time and some yellow for the OD next time. The 9lAttached File Lower L original ACU Upper R an attempt at OD Upper L an attempt at Coyote Center Coyote and MC magazine pouches. The OD was 1/4 cup of sage in one gallon of water The coyote was 1/8 cup of camel, a few drops of coco brown and one gallon water. The coco brown is almost red or orange. Also dyed a desert ruck cover with the sage Attached File |
"All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. Any compromise on mere fundamentals is a surrender. For it is all give and no take." -Ghandi
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Originally Posted By JIMBEAM: My attempt at OD and coyote. I am going to try the coyote with some purple to reduce or mute the orange. Maybe less time and some yellow for the OD next time. The 9lhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/240/IMG_3873_jpeg-3501262.JPG Lower L original ACU Upper R an attempt at OD Upper L an attempt at Coyote Center Coyote and MC magazine pouches. The OD was 1/4 cup of sage in one gallon of water The coyote was 1/8 cup of camel, a few drops of coco brown and one gallon water. The coco brown is almost red or orange. Also dyed a desert ruck cover with the sage https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/240/IMG_3867_jpeg-3501264.JPG Hey, those are way better than the regular ACU. They'll look good after a little fading. You could also do a light misting of camo spray paint in a lighter green color or something. A few stripe maybe, to break it up a little. I'd try diluting it a little (less dye or more water) and adding just a touch of brown to the OD. Maybe a touch of yellow with it too. The ones i did up the post above, ended up more brown and I need to add a touch of green. You're looks like it went the opposite. Which reminds me, I need to do another dye job, I have some more ACU stuff, especially the pack straps and belts I got. |
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Dyeing is not yet an exact "science". Some materials from different mfrs "take the dye" differently. I don't need to dye items much nowadays. I suggest that when dying ACU items using 1/4 Taupe, 1/4 Dg Green, and 1/2 Apple Green dye mixture for more-or-less OD green color. Multiple ACU 40mm grenade pouches out there for cheap for testing items. These items are perfect test-items, since currently cheap and not generally useful for other purposes. REMEMBER Some things: When dyeing ACU items, the "Lighter" pixels accept the dye more than the "Darker" pixels. No matter what you do, it's Important to try to retain some sort of "difference" between the "Light" and "Dark" pixels so as to maintain "decent and reasonable" camo pattern/pixelation. Any damn fool can dye anything Black. What you see when item is removed from dye bath is what you get. Suggest that you "Pull" it sooner than later. You can always re-dye, if desired. Often possible to dye Darker, but NEVER Lighter. See above. It "may" be possible to "add" (for example) a "browish" (darker tint) to some previously dyed items. This will necessarily darken the items, so be careful, advanced dyeing stuff. Decide beforehand whether you want your ACU items to be "Brownish" tint, or "Greenish" tint. Different color dyes required. Some folks living in "snow country" might want to leave ACU gear as-is. FWIW, excellent/new condition ACU gear is going UP in price, as I predicted previously for then-common GI Desert Camo items. Full, complete, and as-new ensembles of ACU gear are soon to be "Collectors" items and priced accordingly. Individual components, in various conditions, still for sale at reasonable prices--at least for a while. This will change over time, as supplies diminish. Snooze and lose. |
| I had a number of Coyote Brown pouches and was interested in dyeing to a dark green. I found a suggestion that using a 50-50 lemon yellow rit dye mixed with the black rit dye, following all nylon procedures of course, came up with a very dark green color. It produced a very dark green color in bright light which turned nearly black in dim light or in shadows. No idea about if it will cover up camo patterns. In a way it made sense with the Rit black having a blue base to it. I don't know if you put in less black dye it may lighten the green color or not. Just what I noticed. |
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Interesting observation from the ruck sack laboratory. It seems as though this Rit Dye turned the buckles brown as well, they always stayed grey before when i dyed stuff. Attached File Attached File |
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Originally Posted By WillieTangoFox: Interesting observation from the ruck sack laboratory. It seems as though this Rit Dye turned the buckles brown as well, they always stayed grey before when i dyed stuff. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/123862/IMG_0641_jpeg-3546447.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/123862/IMG_0640_jpeg-3546448.JPG Yea, I've been quite happy with how I've been dialing in my dyeing of ACU stuff. It's almost at the point of being pretty dang good. |
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Originally Posted By marnsdorff: Yea, I've been quite happy with how I've been dialing in my dyeing of ACU stuff. It's almost at the point of being pretty dang good. Originally Posted By marnsdorff: Originally Posted By WillieTangoFox: Interesting observation from the ruck sack laboratory. It seems as though this Rit Dye turned the buckles brown as well, they always stayed grey before when i dyed stuff. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/123862/IMG_0641_jpeg-3546447.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/123862/IMG_0640_jpeg-3546448.JPG Yea, I've been quite happy with how I've been dialing in my dyeing of ACU stuff. It's almost at the point of being pretty dang good. You can get these ruck sacks for about $45 shipped with two sustainment pouches now…….. which is crazy cheap. I plan to use this frame to test the Crossfire MULE and then use as a winter ruck. |
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Originally Posted By marnsdorff: Well, it IS a MOLLE 2 ruck..... Originally Posted By marnsdorff: Originally Posted By WillieTangoFox: You can get these ruck sacks for about $45 shipped with two sustainment pouches now…….. which is crazy cheap. I plan to use this frame to test the Crossfire MULE and then use as a winter ruck. Well, it IS a MOLLE 2 ruck..... Yeah, lol. They suck. I really just wanted the frame/harness and I am sure the sustainment pouches can find use. Might mount them on my Crossfire MULE. The MOLLE ruck is just kind of a giant bag to shove a bunch of stuff into to get it from point A to point B in a vehicle………I wouldnt “ruck” with it on my back a long distance. Once you have arrived at point B, you can administratively load a smaller pack for patrolling. |
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Originally Posted By AbleArcher: Raid modded an old Air Force top and hit it with the black rit powder. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188236/1000018132-3558345.jpg Supposedly this is supposed to do really well at night. That actually looks pretty cool |
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Originally Posted By AbleArcher: Raid modded an old Air Force top and hit it with the black rit powder. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188236/1000018132-3558345.jpg Supposedly this is supposed to do really well at night. That's pretty pimp in general. |
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I got some black dye to do a Operation Eagle Claw jacket, but my test sewing did not go well on my practice jacket and i got discouraged. Maybe keep trying at it soon. Info |
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Originally Posted By WillieTangoFox: I got some black dye to do a Operation Eagle Claw jacket, but my test sewing did not go well on my practice jacket and i got discouraged. Maybe keep trying at it soon. Info Be aware that rit dye's black color is actually a deep purple. Some fabrics, it will dye purple instead of the intended black. |
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Originally Posted By marnsdorff: Be aware that rit dye's black color is actually a deep purple. Some fabrics, it will dye purple instead of the intended black. That's why I suggest Rit Taupe in lieu of Brown. |
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Did some toying around this weekend with some field pants. Haven't seen many multicam dye pics to reference, so I was willing to be a crash test dummy on it. All dyes are the Rit Dyemore. Colors are Frost Grey (FG), Peacock Green (PG), Chocolate Brown (CB) and Sandstone (SS). Brought the water to a boil then turned it down to a touch below medium heat. No bubbles. Added dish soap as instructed by the label. A heap of water wasn't used, just enough to fill the bottom of a 12" diameter pot. Maybe two inches deep.  Left was 15 mins, right was 30 mins. PG and CB. One part CB and four parts PG. Reminds me a a pseudo woodland-ish multicam.  Left was 15 mins, right was 30 mins. PG and FG. One part PG and one part FG. Kinda similar to a Vietnam OD.  Left was 15 mins, right was 30 mins. CB and FG. One part CB and two parts FG. Almost like a Fall Oak Leaf German Camo.  Left was 15 mins, right was 30 mins. CB only. Sorta just splashed some dye in. Maybe .7 oz on the high end. As one of the other posters said, Planet Mar's Camo. Almost all detail of the patterning is washed out on the 30 min and the 15 min looks almost pink in person.  Left was 15 mins, right was 30 mins. PG only. Same as the CB above, maybe .7 oz on the high end. Far from MC tropic. Very green in person.  Left was 15 mins, right was 30 mins. PG and SS. One part SS and two parts PG. This like a darker multicam. Not quite tropic though. Has more of a brown tint than the prior. Compare the loop velcro from this to the prior. More "drab-ish".  Left was 15 mins, right was 30 mins. SS only. Same as the two above, maybe .7 oz on the high end. Would say this is more of a browner multicam arid. Very little green. A lot more browns.  15 mins. SS and FG. One part FG and two parts SS. Darker shade of Multicam???  30 mins. FG only. You guessed it, maybe .7 oz on the high end. Urban Multicam??? |
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Originally Posted By Waiting4theworms: Did some toying around this weekend with some field pants. Haven't seen many multicam dye pics to reference, so I was willing to be a crash test dummy on it. All dyes are the Rit Dyemore. Colors are Frost Grey (FG), Peacock Green (PG), Chocolate Brown (CB) and Sandstone (SS). Brought the water to a boil then turned it down to a touch below medium heat. No bubbles. Added dish soap as instructed by the label. A heap of water wasn't used, just enough to fill the bottom of a 12" diameter pot. Maybe two inches deep. https://i.postimg.cc/j5QZnyrN/camo.jpg Left was 15 mins, right was 30 mins. PG and CB. One part CB and four parts PG. Reminds me a a pseudo woodland-ish multicam. https://i.postimg.cc/Znbj80TQ/camo2.jpg Left was 15 mins, right was 30 mins. PG and FG. One part PG and one part FG. Kinda similar to a Vietnam OD. https://i.postimg.cc/HsLBjJvc/Camo3.jpg Left was 15 mins, right was 30 mins. CB and FG. One part CB and two parts FG. Almost like a Fall Oak Leaf German Camo. https://i.postimg.cc/L5xDNR58/Camo4.jpg Left was 15 mins, right was 30 mins. CB only. Sorta just splashed some dye in. Maybe .7 oz on the high end. As one of the other posters said, Planet Mar's Camo. Almost all detail of the patterning is washed out on the 30 min and the 15 min looks almost pink in person. https://i.postimg.cc/2jG0zdGN/Camo5.jpg Left was 15 mins, right was 30 mins. PG only. Same as the CB above, maybe .7 oz on the high end. Far from MC tropic. Very green in person. https://i.postimg.cc/KvsQTZC9/Camo6.jpg Left was 15 mins, right was 30 mins. PG and SS. One part SS and two parts PG. This like a darker multicam. Not quite tropic though. Has more of a brown tint that the prior. Compare the loop velcro from this to the prior. More "drab-ish". https://i.postimg.cc/BnrghmSH/Camo7.jpg Left was 15 mins, right was 30 mins. SS only. Same as the two above, maybe .7 oz on the high end. Would say this is more of a browner multicam arid. Very little green. A lot more browns. https://i.postimg.cc/25nxgnyJ/Camo8.jpg 15 mins. SS and FG. One part FG and two parts SS. Urban Multicam??? https://i.postimg.cc/FHdpgM4h/camo9.jpg 30 mins. FG only. You guessed it, maybe .7 oz on the high end. Another darker shade of Multicam??? I like the slightly darker, and some of the greener ones. I think they would fade well. On a side note, people don't realize that the rit dyes aren't supposed to be used stand-alone to achieve a color. IE, the color on the bottle isn't what to expect - you are supposed to blend colors, to make a specific color you want. Rit has a big chart with formulas to reach certain colors. |
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Originally Posted By marnsdorff: I like the slightly darker, and some of the greener ones. I think they would fade well. On a side note, people don't realize that the rit dyes aren't supposed to be used stand-alone to achieve a color. IE, the color on the bottle isn't what to expect - you are supposed to blend colors, to make a specific color you want. Rit has a big chart with formulas to reach certain colors. Thanks! I did not know that. I'll have to take a look at that there chart. Gotta up my dye game. |
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Originally Posted By Waiting4theworms: Thanks! I did not know that. I'll have to take a look at that there chart. Gotta up my dye game. If you can get a good formula that lightly darkens multicam, with a slightly greener tone, on both NYCO and cordura, that'd be awesome. I'm in Appalachia, and if I can make my multicam stuff just a bit darker / greener, that'd be awesome. |
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Originally Posted By Waiting4theworms: My wife and I were actually talking earlier about how to achieve just that. A darker/greener tone. Not a heap of brown like my first pic, but just a darker type green. The Peacock is just too green. It pops too much. A woodland type green would legit. You also want to factor in that rit dye fades a decent amount pretty quickly, there is a steep initial wear / fade curve. So factor that in. |
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Originally Posted By marnsdorff: You also want to factor in that rit dye fades a decent amount pretty quickly, there is a steep initial wear / fade curve. So factor that in. Originally Posted By marnsdorff: Originally Posted By Waiting4theworms: My wife and I were actually talking earlier about how to achieve just that. A darker/greener tone. Not a heap of brown like my first pic, but just a darker type green. The Peacock is just too green. It pops too much. A woodland type green would legit. You also want to factor in that rit dye fades a decent amount pretty quickly, there is a steep initial wear / fade curve. So factor that in. As 95% of my dyeing experience is in dyeing nylon field gear, I have no experience using it. I will add that having a wetted sample of the cotton/polycotton material immediately at hand for viewing is a big benefit in judging how dark to dye the material, since the un-dyed material will darken a certain amount simply by being wet. IOW, generally dye the uniform material a little bit darker than one would do with pure Nylon field gear and then rinse. A lot of the dye will rinse out, but maybe one can come closer to desired goal using this technique. I have NO idea on how well the dye "fixative" works, nor if it alters the technique above. There is also the issue with some cotton/polycotton fabrics, after some use and laundering, to develop a very fine and short "nap". Most likely short ends of fabric coming loose due to wear/laundering. Take a well-worn/laundered cotton/polycotton item out in full moonlight, and it almost glows compared to virgin material. Have heard anecdotal tales of troops using new uniforms of freshly dyed uniforms for some night ops (Pre-NVD era). This "napping" of fabric can likely be minimized by hand washing and hanging to dry. This might sound crazy, and may not be worth the effort, but "shaving-off" the "nap" with a good electric shaver might help a bit. IDK. |
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Jumping in on this fun. The other day I snagged a great deal on a TSSI M9 pack. Filled with kit, and decent condition. One downside, its butt ugly ACU  Figured I had nothing to lose, and i grabbed an old (but full) bottle of standard black RIT and got to work. Drew a hot bath, added a cup+ of vinegar, and a heaping of salt, and got the bag ready for its spa day  Took a bit of work, but managed to get it fully submerged, and let it soak for 12 hours overnight. Much to my surprise, while it came out darker, it was NOT black. After a ton of handwashing, and then sun drying, i was left with a very attractive forest green!   Its hard to capture in the photos, but it is a really rich/deep green; its actually rather attractive. I ordered some ranger green straps, and I will update when i get them today. But all told, this took the looks from a 4/10 to a solid 7.5-8 for me. Yes, it doesn't match multicam, but it should still mesh pretty well in the greens of Florida (better than ACU). |
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Went ahead and dove in on dying a field top. As recommend, I went to Rit's website and brought up that color chart. Decided on the Spanish Olive Green. 3 gallons water (~200 degrees), 1 teaspoon Dawn dish soap, 3/4 cup Peacock Green, 1/2 cup Daffodil Yellow, and 2 tablespoons Chocolate Brown. Added .15 ounces extra of each dye just for the fun of it. Don't think it really mattered though. 45 mins in the bath, rinsed in hot progressing to cold water and immediately threw it into ~200 degree water with half the bottle of fixative solution for 20-25 mins. Rinsed with cold water, then threw in the washer and then dried. The dying got rid of the pink undertones, made it more dark of a green and gave it more browns... at least to my eyes. In a way it subdued all the brightness present in multicam.  |
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Your pix (assuming they display OK--a significant variable since few folks calibrate their monitors) seem quite nice in that they "tone-down" the "lighter" shades to something a bit closer to MC Tropical. I rather like the effect. One of the problems with pure Cotton/PolyCotton blend uniform fabrics is shrinkage of the material. Sometimes the material will continue to shrink, perhaps even after a couple of Hot washings, and Hot tumble dryings. Think about All-cotton blue jeans. Both procedures contrary to GI laundering specs. More Poly/less Cotton, the less the shrinkage, but it will still happen. Hard to say whether "Virgin" uniform material was "pre-shrunk" or not. Suggest that being "pre-shrunk" is a definite selling point, and worth a few extra bucks to the seller. Failure to mention being "Pre-shrunk" material likely means not so. Suggest that any "Used" uniform item will likely have been Hot washed/Hot dried by now and possibly contaminated with detergents using "Optical Brighteners". IOW, with used items, be skeptical whether original fit is maintained, and examine Return options before buying. Repeated launderings with "correct" detergents and subsequent dyeing "should" eliminate the effects of "Optical Brighteners" previously applied. Mfrs/Vendors offering "Replica" garments should be directly asked if Virgin material is "Pre-shrunk" or not and if an "indefinite" answer is received, then reckon that some shrinkage will occur even given "gentle" laundering. Such shrinkage can be cumulative. Depending on whether the fabric was "pre-shrunk" or not, one may be forced to "up-size" the garment. In my experience, sleeves and legs tend to shrink a bit more than chest/waist, since longer length of fabric is involved. If "on the cusp" of any "sizing" dimension, suggest at least ordering one size larger. Make certain of Return rights. Sorry for blathering but perhaps will help some folks. |
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Originally Posted By raf: Your pix (assuming they display OK--a significant variable since few folks calibrate their monitors) seem quite nice in that they "tone-down" the "lighter" shades to something a bit closer to MC Tropical. I rather like the effect. One of the problems with pure Cotton/Polycotton blend uniform fabrics is shrinkage of the material. Sometimes the material will continue to shrink, perhaps even after a couple of Hot washings, and Hot tumble dryings. Both procedures contrary to GI laundering specs. More Poly/less Cotton, the less the shrinkage, but it will still happen. Hard to say whether "Virgin" uniform material was "pre-shrunk" or not. Suggest that being "pre-shrunk" is a definite selling point, and worth a few extra bucks to the seller. Failure to mention being "Pre-shrunk" material likely means not so. Suggest that any "Used" uniform item will likely have been Hot washed/Hot dried. IOW, with used items, be skeptical whether original fit is maintained. I will say that it did shrink, but the slightest bit and was negligible. I did do a wash prior to this process, so maybe that helped with mitigating it??? Top is a LRG REG. Pit to pit prior to dye was 25". Pit to pit currently is 24.75". Didn't measure height prior. Hopefully all this helps someone else's journey! Pre and post:  
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Originally Posted By Waiting4theworms: I will say that it did shrink, but the slightest bit and was negligible. I did do a wash prior to this process, so maybe that helped with mitigating it??? Top is a LRG REG. Pit to pit prior to dye was 25". Pit to pit currently is 24.75". Didn't measure height prior. Hopefully all this helps someone else's journey! Pre and post: https://i.postimg.cc/xjZgRdQq/CRYE3.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/Dyb6YKf6/Crye4.jpg That does look a bit better. |
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Originally Posted By Jayne_Cobb: With 16 piece rifleman FLCs in UCP going for a mere $50, while OCP is still at very least three times that, this thread remains extremely relevant. I've been saying that for awhile now. I get laughed at. Not everyone has a grand or two to drop on gucci gear. |
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Folks who wish to "think ahead" might want to obtain "as-new" UCP items while still available and relatively cheap. As supply dries up, and available condition worsens, even UCP items will rise in price. Not an "impossibly bad" snow camo and might even OK for some rocky terrains. Desert Camo Molle items, admittedly made in far less quantity, are climbing steadily in price, especially for "as new" and EX condition items. Snooze and lose. |
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Depending on the shade of grey, some of the darker elements of the original camo pattern may still show. Whether this is of concern is up to the user. USGI Desert camo items were kinda scarce even back when, and excellent condition items may be on verge of being collectibles. |
| I've done a couple desert sustainment pouches with the same mixture I use on ACU to make a muddy green/brown color, something sligntly browner than ranger green. It doesn't take quite as well, it makes it a good bit browner than the green, but it does make it a darker brown with a touch of green mixed in. Better than desert for around here for sure. |
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Anybody have any advice on dyeing a UCP molle II assault pack to be more like tones of multicam? It's really green here right now because of monsoon season, but it will get much more brown as it gets into the dry season. Multicam seems to work pretty good most of the year here, so I'd like to dye it not too green and not too brown. |
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Originally Posted By Billy_Dee: Anybody have any advice on dyeing a UCP molle II assault pack to be more like tones of multicam? It's really green here right now because of monsoon season, but it will get much more brown as it gets into the dry season. Multicam seems to work pretty good most of the year here, so I'd like to dye it not too green and not too brown. Probably best to buy a "lot" of small pouches and test dye them individually. |
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Originally Posted By raf: It wouldn't be too hard to dye the pack to the general Multicam base color, but you'd probably want to use the "sponge dying" technique for the smaller bits of color. Probably best to buy a "lot" of small pouches and test dye them individually. I'd test dye a smaller piece of the same fabric first. And I'd dye it slowly - ie, don't use much dye and don't leave it in long, as the multicam color is a bit on the light side. I make something that turns out a little darker than multicam, but it's a muddy green / brown color, out of ACU stuff. I haven't done uniforms, but for cordura stuff it's worked pretty good. I use a base of kelly green rit dye, a decent amount of dark brown rite dye, with a touch of a dark green one. The recipe I use is on this thread somewhere. You could probably use that and just don't dye it as long or use as much dye, or a combo of those two? I don't know exactly which you'd have to do to make your color work. But you could probably turn out something that's not too far off of multicam. The base multicam color, btw, is 'Tan 499'. Not that I'm a huge proponent of running to the AI for answers, I asked it to scan the internet and see what the closest formulas others have had to get to 499 Tan. The closed was to get to Coyote, which is 498 Tan (it's not horribly far off of 499 tan) and this is the two formulas that were most popular for 498 Tan: For a ~3-gallon dye bath (suitable for roughly 1–3 lb of fabric; scale as needed):¾ cup Rit All-Purpose Liquid Taupe 2 tablespoons Rit All-Purpose Liquid Lemon Yellow ¾ teaspoon Rit All-Purpose Liquid Purple Alternative formula used successfully for Coyote Brown on UCP/ACU gear (for ~6 gallons / ~3 lb fabric; halve for smaller baths):1 bottle (8 oz) Rit All-Purpose Liquid Tan 1 bottle Rit All-Purpose Liquid Camel 2 tablespoons Rit All-Purpose Liquid Purple Make sure you read up on using Rit dye. Stuff like adding vinegar, salt, soap, etc. while doing it. I also asked the AI to make an educated guess at making a formula that would come close to actual 499 Tan. (this is the kind of thing AI's are actually good at btw - it's basically a mathematical formula in the end) Here's it's answer, it might provide some ideas: Yes — here’s an educated guess for approximating actual Tan 499 (the lighter Multicam/OCP base color) rather than the darker Coyote Brown 498, using liquid Rit All-Purpose dyes on nylon/Cordura. Key DifferencesTan 499 is lighter, sandier, and has more noticeable gray/greenish undertones compared with Coyote Brown 498 (which is darker and more neutral brown). No exact published Rit formula exists for Tan 499, so this is extrapolated from:Known Coyote Brown community formulas Rit’s own tan/beige/skin-tone mixes (Camel, Tan, Taupe, Sandstone) The need for a lighter, grayer result when overdyeing ACU’s existing gray-green base Educated Guess Formula (for ~3-gallon dye bath)Targeting roughly 1–3 lb of fabric (scale proportionally):½–¾ cup Rit All-Purpose Liquid Tan (primary base for the lighter sandy tone) 2–4 tablespoons Rit All-Purpose Liquid Camel (adds warmth without going too dark) ½–1 teaspoon Rit All-Purpose Liquid Pearl Grey (or a very small pinch of Purple if Pearl Grey is unavailable — this helps introduce the subtle gray/greenish cast of true 499) Optional tiny adjustment: ¼–½ teaspoon Lemon Yellow if the result looks too cool/gray, or a drop of Taupe if it needs slight deepening Alternative lighter starting point (if you want to stay closer to pure tan and adjust later):¾–1 cup Tan + 1–2 tablespoons Camel + ½ teaspoon Pearl Grey Process Reminders for Cordura/NylonUse vinegar (about 1 cup per gallon of water) and keep the bath at a strong simmer (~200°F / just below boiling) with continuous agitation. Start checking color early (5–15 minutes). Tan 499 is lighter, so shorter times or more diluted baths help avoid overshooting into Coyote territory. Always test on a scrap of the exact same 1000d Cordura first — ACU’s existing pattern will overdye into a mottled Multicam-like effect rather than a solid color, which is usually desirable. Fabric will dry lighter than it appears when wet. You can darken in a second bath if needed, but you cannot easily lighten it. This should land closer to the lighter, grayer Tan 499 than the previous Coyote-oriented mixes (which use more Taupe + Purple or equal Tan/Camel + more Purple). Results still depend heavily on the starting ACU shade, water volume, temperature, and time, so scrap testing and small adjustments are essential. If your first scrap is too brown, reduce Camel/Taupe and increase Tan + a touch more Pearl Grey; if too green or light, add a little more Camel. |
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Marmsdorff has very kindly and politely done research for "base" color of Multicam in his above post. Suggest that with conventionally added color splotches, hard to duplicate in toto. I much prefer to let folks experiment and learn from experimenting, instead of providing a "Formula". Base MC color is achieved differently when dying Nylon field gear, and when dyeing all cotton/all nylon, or various mixtures of the fibers in NYCO fabric. Additional substances (vinegar/salt) added to dyeing solution can certainly vary given composition of Dyed fabric. Multicam is a generally useful Camo pattern but observe that "Other" MC Patterns have emerged, which augment the supposedly "universal" MC pattern. |
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Originally Posted By raf: Marmsdorff has very kindly and politely done research for "base" color of Multicam in his above post. Suggest that with conventionally added color splotches, hard to duplicate in toto. I much prefer to let folks experiment and learn from experimenting, instead of providing a "Formula". Base MC color is achieved differently when dying Nylon field gear, and when dyeing all cotton/all nylon, or various mixtures of the fibers in NYCO fabric. Additional substances (vinegar/salt) added to dyeing solution can certainly vary given composition of Dyed fabric. Multicam is a generally useful Camo pattern but observe that "Other" MC Patterns have emerged, which augment the supposedly "universal" MC pattern. I think he's wanting to do something that is akin to the overall base color of multicam. IE, not too green and not too tan. |
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Awesome, thank you guys for the help. I forgot about posting here for a minute there. Yes, I'm really just trying to adjust the color some and not necessarily the pattern. I did find this video that looks pretty good. The "Coyote Brown" pouches are the browner ones in the screenshot. I think I'll give it a shot. I'm only doing an assault pack, 2 canteen pouches, a waist pack, an a bandolier to start with. I got the pack, but still have to get the pouches and dye together.  This is the video if anybody wants to see it.  RIT Dyeing UCP Olive Drab and Coyote Brown! |
On Dyeing with Rit Dye (Many Pix) (Page 8 of 9)
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