Redyeing A Ventile Garment?

[Monk]

I have an old ventile jacket..originally NAVY BLUE now acid trip purple that I would like to darken to navy blue again. The label says Swiss Ecotat cotton(Ventile).
Any advice on the best way to dye the jacket without any mishaps?
Thanks for your help.
Monk

 

[Toddy]

I have an old ventile jacket..originally NAVY BLUE now acid trip purple that I would like to darken to navy blue again. The label says Swiss Ecotat cotton(Ventile).
Any advice on the best way to dye the jacket without any mishaps?
Thanks for your help.
Monk

Buy a Dylon machine wash in sachet in Navy.(about a fiver) Then wash the jacket first *with* detergent to remove all grease, etc., and then again, without detergent, in as hot as the fabric will take and then, while it's still really thoroughly wet wash in the dye stufff. The only real problem with dyeing ventile is that it is so tightly woven that it is hard to get liquid to penetrate the fibres evenly. It needs to be really sploongin wet to get a good result.
best of luck with it,
Toddy

 

[C_Claycomb]

What does one have to do to set the dye? I haven't used Dylon in years, but I am sure that it used to say add salt or vinegar or something to get the dye to stay with the fibres, without that step it used to wash out. Is this still necessary?

 

[Toddy]

What does one have to do to set the dye? I haven't used Dylon in years, but I am sure that it used to say add salt or vinegar or something to get the dye to stay with the fibres, without that step it used to wash out. Is this still necessary?

Some packs still need 500g of salt but many now come with the mordant/fixative already in the mix. Just read the label *very* carefully
Cheers,
Toddy

 

[addyb]

Monk,

I turned 20 in March, and for my birthday my Dad's 74 year old bestfriend/climbing buddy gave me a Ventile jacket. The jacket was made by Bobby Sportswear in good old England in either 1969, or 1970. It's very old, and it works just as well today as it was when it was first made. (That just shows you how damn good at inventing stuff you stiff-assed Brits are. ) Anyway, seeing as it's 35+ year old, it's very faded, has almost a silvery-look to the fabric. I think it looks great. I think that it tells a story with the look of the fabic. It's been to Iran, Afghanistan three times, Peru twice, and even Mt. McKinley in Alaska. My Dad had one just like it, in fact he and all of his climbing friends at the time had the same model of jacket, but Ralph's was the only one that has made it this long. My long-winded point is that if I were you, I wouldn't dye the jacket, I'd leave it as is, as yours no-doubt tells a story as well. It's almost like when one purchases a Zippo lighter. The lighter is mechanically guaranteed for life, the finish is not. Why? "It's like a canvass, every scratch has a story to tell."

Cheers,

A.

 

[Monk]

Toddy-thanks for the advice.
Addyb, I know what you mean but I like wearing the item so much as it's comfy except I don't want to look so scruffy in public..heehee!

 

[Roving Rich]

Would it be possible to change the colour of a ventile Jacket ?
Can it be bleached and then re-dyed ? or would this damage the fabric ?
Or maybe just add ontop of the original colour ?
Any ideas folks

Cheers
Rich

 

[greg2935]

bleach will weaken the fibres and shorten the life of the garment considerably, dylon also make a mixture that lightens a fabric so you can redye any fabric. Cannot remember the name of it but you wash the garment in it, it will come out very pale, you can then redye it any colour you want.

 

[Toddy]

Would it be possible to change the colour of a ventile Jacket ?
Can it be bleached and then re-dyed ? or would this damage the fabric ?
Or maybe just add ontop of the original colour ?
Any ideas folks

Cheers
Rich

Yes, it's possible, but it needs care to get an even colour.
Bleaching isn't a good idea as it can damage fibres quite severely. However, the dye companies produce a pre-dye colour remover that can help to lift a very dark or uneven colour before a garment is re-dyed.
It's very difficult to obtain a good result when trying to lighten a colour. Best advice is to aim for either a re-dye of an existing shade, or to colour remove and then dye with a darker shade. Make very certain before you begin that the chemicals you buy are intended for the materials you want to dye, i.e. cotton, linen, or wool, etc., the wrong mix just won't work.

Cheers,
Toddy
t won't work.

Cheers,
Toddy