r/dyeing • u/make_fast_ • 2d ago
How do I dye this? Barn Coat?
Okay, I picked up an LL Bean Barn Coat fairly inexpensively with the idea I would try and dye it as the plain tan is...well...plain. It is 100% cotton canvas with corduroy trim.
This is meant to be a fun experiment and it is an 'outside in the woods' garment so it does not have to be perfect.
What I have figured thus far: I'll use PRO MX Reactive dye. It needs about 9 tsp of dye (according to their instructions) as it is ~3 pounds weighing on a scale. Hot wash => Sythrapol => rinse => into the dye bath in a plastic bucket.
My questions.
That is A LOT of salt. Almost 5 pounds. Am I reading that right? If I'm adding it to the dye bath will it even dissolve?
I know it likely won't dye "true to color" for what I see on the PRO website and I'm a bit colorblind anyway - what colors would be good for that light tan? I got it thinking it would be a decent blank canvas (no pun intended) but not sure if there are things that would/would not work well with it. I figured going to that carhartt orange-brown would probably be easy as it is relatively close.
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u/shawlcat 2d ago
Have you looked at the tutorials on the Dharma Trading website? They might have a formula for your salt that either confirms your plan or has a better recommendation. (thank you for using a good quality dye)
Containerwise, you might try a larger container such as a plastic bin or tub so you'll get a more even result.
Have fun!
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u/khat52000 1d ago
agree with the larger container. Salt should be measured in relationship to how much water is used and yes, OP should use the recipe from dharma trading.
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u/make_fast_ 1d ago
We've got a few different sizes of big plastic tubs - was going to use one big enough for water flow, but not so big that the whole garment would not be submerged.
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u/make_fast_ 1d ago
Dharma Trading website
Just went there - they have different measurements than the PRO MX Reactive sheet, but not that different except for the amount of dye. I assume following the PRO MX directions would be better as they know their dye?
I had forgotten soda ash in my cart though, so I will tack that on.
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u/SavagePengwyn 1d ago
You can buy it in the laundry section of a grocery store or in pool supplies at a hardware store. It's just sodium carbonate.
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u/draftgirl24 1d ago
I don’t have any experience with salt other than following Dharma’s instructions. But you will want to check your dye measurements. Depending on the color, you may need more dye. Dharma notes colors that need more dye per pound with an asterisk or 2.
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u/_m1sty 1d ago
Based on my low water dyeing book, the reason for all that salt is to change the charge of the water so the dye wants to come out of the water and stick to the cloth, so when you need a lot of water to let the garment swim freely (preventing splotches), you end up needing a lot of salt, too.
I use the Dharma dyes, so still fiber reactive but not the same brand, and the only one that calls for a truly crazy amount of salt is black. I tried an experiment with less salt and black dye while following Dharma's standard tub dyeing ratios, and i did get a lighter, grayer shade.
So! Long story short, if you use lots of water and skimp on salt, you may get a lighter shade, and if you skimp on water, you might get an uneven dye job. Depending on how dark you wanted to go you could try a "less water" dye bath first and see if the color is even enough
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u/_m1sty 1d ago
I do think a rust red or dark gold would look good over the taupe and might be fairly forgiving. Also, since it's secondhand, make sure to give that bad boy a really good hot water wash (with synthrapol or I hear some people just use dawn) to get old gunk and fabric softener off. Next time I dye something secondhand I'm going to go all the way and try scouring it but i don't know if it's 100% necessary here
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u/AutoModerator 2d ago
Our wiki is currently under construction however: there's a good chance your question has been answered in a previous post.
If you are dyeing cellulose fibres (cotton, hemp, linen, ramie, flax, nettle, rayon, bamboo, tencel, plants generally, etc.), you will need a fiber reactive dye.
If you are dyeing a protein fiber (wool, alpaca, llama, Angora, mohair, feathers, animal stuff generally, etc.), you will need an acid dye.
Leather is dyed with leather specific dyes such as those from Angelus.
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