camouflaging camouflage

[HFC]

Greetings!
I picked up a pair of genuine issue molle utility pouches, pair of water-bottle pouches, together with a comfy molle hip belt awhile back.
Once I'd got the positioning right it works really well as a day-out, bimbling around set-up, together with a camera/binos case on a shoulder strap. Can get to things much more easily than in a back-pack, and a rain-shell covers me and the pouches if needed. Works well.

BUT

The whole set up is in bright desert DPM, which isn't exactly low-key and makes me look like a toy-soldier, which, at my years, is not a good image! I want to tone the whole thing down and not look like some contractor or weekend-warrior skulking round in phantasy land.

Any ideas on a good waterproof dye that will take on the impervious tightwoven material, won't rub off on other clothes or vehicle upholstery, and won't degrade the material?

I've seen what happens using felt-tip markers doing this sort of thing - and don't want to end up with a splodged hippy tie-dyed effect - not even for the comedy value.

Thanks,

HFC

 

[Scotty Von Porkchop]

If it's nylon you can use an acid dye to dye the bags. I've used it on molle gear before and it worked pretty well but the threads, velcro and bits like that probably won't dye

 

[rancid badger]

We used to use sheep/stock marker sprays of various hues to modify OG PLCE issue kit and did the same with DPM PLCE too as when new, it looked like it had been coloured in by a class full of primary school kids with felt tips.

The stock marker was pretty weather proof and worked a treat. It weatherd quite well too.

You need to experiment with the colours and most are pretty vivid but they're also pretty cheap.

You can get black and there's a couple of shades of green, one vivid the other much darker.


Dyeing works up to a point too, as does black and brown Kiwi shoe polish or even straight forward old fashioned rattle cans if you pick your shades right.

I've still got a Karrimor Panther 65 that was born in 1992 in a teal/dark blue colour combination which because of its far superior load carrying comfort, was at one point cosmetically modified to blend in for use on extended bimbles.
It's almost worn back to its original colours now (well kind of) and like a lot of original Karrimor kit is still going strong.

(Happy sigh Thanks for the opportunity to reminisce a bit just then

Good luck

Steve

 

[Philster]

I've tried numerous times to dye kit and it nevers works out as good as it could - you also end up spending more than the item is worth in dyes, salt, containers, etc...

Something I've seen a lot of videos of on Youtube is airsofters using spray paint to re-colour stuff - seems to work well! They even sell spray paints in the USA especially for the task - worth having a look at?
Cheers
Phil

 

[Robson Valley]

Exterior acrylic house paint. Gray & pale brown, diliute 10% as a wash to tone eveything down.
Slop it on, patchy. Coats, pants, hats = same as a house.
Never ever use finishing white. They put UV "brighteners" in it so it actually glows for several miles!
No brighteners in the acrylic primer/base.

 

[Big G]

I think i'd use a few permanent marker pens on them. With them been only smallish pouches.. shouldn't take long to darken them up.

 

[Rabid]

I've used stock marker or sheep dye in the past and it does a good job cheap as well give it a go nothing ventured nothing gained.

 

[philipb]

I've tried numerous times to dye kit and it nevers works out as good as it could - you also end up spending more than the item is worth in dyes, salt, containers, etc...

Something I've seen a lot of videos of on Youtube is airsofters using spray paint to re-colour stuff - seems to work well! They even sell spray paints in the USA especially for the task - worth having a look at?
Cheers
Phil

paint works well

this is my sabre in typhon with dpm pouches. I could not buy the matching pouches so some paint was applied. I used the paint advertised as camouflage paint

 

[philipb]

[video=youtube_share;mHNO-6P0WJA]https://youtu.be/mHNO-6P0WJA[/video]


one paint colour may work well for you and will be cheaper than using several colours. But I would not use lots of paint to make it a solid colour but use the paint just to tone down the desert DPM effect.

what colour is up to you but choosing a paint similar to the darker brown of the desert pattern may help it look a little less combat orientated whilst working with the colours of the fabric

 

[rancid badger]

paint works well

this is my sabre in typhon with dpm pouches. I could not buy the matching pouches so some paint was applied. I used the paint advertised as camouflage paint

Bloody hexx! I had to do a double take on this one, my old panther looks very similar!

Nice job Phil.

Steve

 

[philipb]

Bloody hexx! I had to do a double take on this one, my old panther looks very similar!

Nice job Phil.

Steve

cheers Steve. The paint does give the material a rough texture that is not to everybody's liking but for pouches such as described in the op I think it should work well

 

[Philster]

Yes, excellent work! That has to be the way forward

 

[HFC]

Thanks everybody for the suggestions - I hadn't realised that what I thought was a fairly odd request is not that uncommon - albeit for different reasons.
The other-half saw me looking at this page and asked what I was about - she now fancies some pouches done in pink - which ought to be quite doable with the sheep marker.
That would really demilitarise them!
Look out for the old couple in the hills with pink belt order ...
HFC

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

I used matt black spray paint on cordura which worked fine but you loose the soft feel to the fabric, and you have to make sure you cover everything including under straps edges of lids etc, apart from that it's relitively quick and effective. the only down side the paint tends to smell for a while, where as dye looses it's smell instantly.