This topic comes up all the time in the costume forums I read (mostly among theatre costumers), so I made this video to help folx learn about buying and installing an industrial dye vat.
https://preview.redd.it/n4wxfi7qqj281.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d297e616826edc3f49b9b567531c3cc32d250412
Hi everyone,
I am an experienced, freelance maker of costumes and props, but I'm still very new to dyeing. I have only done one bleach/dye job on a costume before, using 100% cotton denim and several colors of Rit. For that project, I used a large Sterilite plastic bin to bleach and dye a set of coveralls. You might have seen my post about the coveralls back in January. The dye job was very successful and the plastic bin worked out okay, but there wasn't a lot of space for the fabric to move so stirring was a messy headache.
Now, I am getting ready to dye 12-13 yards (8 yards per bolt) of heavy, upholstery grade 100% polyester faux fur (short pile). I want to avoid cutting up the yardage and dyeing the segments independently because it's imperative that all of the fabric comes out the same shade. Can anyone here suggest a reasonably inexpensive vessel to use for an extra large dye vat? I am considering purchasing a 30 or 55 gallon plastic rain collection barrel. Any better ideas would be greatly appreciated.
A few other questions:
*What is your favorite dye for polyester? The only one I am familiar with is Rit DyeMore. If it matters, the color I need is similar to Rit DyeMore sandstone.
*I plan to heat water on the stove and transfer it to my dye vat. In your experience, what is the optimal temperature for polyester? Do you add anything (like you would add salt for cotton) to the dye bath to help the dye take to the polyester?
*Do you have any advice specific to dyeing faux fur? Again, it's short pile, half inch or less. Care instructions for this fabric specify not to use water for cleaning, but my own testing has shown that it does fine in water.
Thank you for reading and trying to help me out. I'm looking forward to reading your comments.
If you've noticed that some things can't be painted, try taking the paint to the Dye Vat. you can combine 2 of a paint to make it more intense, letting it paint more things..!
Hey, so I built the Sewing II building because I was told in order to upgrade past stone/daub you need the dyeing vats which are in the Sewing II building and above, I can't find them anywhere, my building has the same workstations and chest as the Sewing I building... Any help would be appreciated.
Hi all, I'd like to start doing dye projects and need to find some facility like a drama production space or university that has a dye vat available. Does anyone know of such a place in the North County or SD area? Presumably I'd need to go through some kind of lab and safety training to learn the basics? Thanks for your help.
This topic comes up all the time in the costume forums I read (mostly among theatre costumers), so I made this video to help folx learn about buying and installing an industrial dye vat.
https://preview.redd.it/mq7zhaiiqj281.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fcf7e8fda6ffa75aec1deb793d27f5db3b1ab6c7
How do you obtain a dye vat? If you need to craft it what resources do you need?
