Dyeing a Hat

[J.T.Marcus]

I remember a thread about coloring a hat with Rit fabric dye, which requires boiling water. But I wonder... Has anybody tried dying a hat with HAIR COLOR (any of the popular brands on the market)? We can all speculate about whether it might work, but has anybody tried it?

 

[fatwoul]

I remember a thread about coloring a hat with Rit fabric dye, which requires boiling water. But I wonder... Has anybody tried dying a hat with HAIR COLOR (any of the popular brands on the market)? We can all speculate about whether it might work, but has anybody tried it?

Haha did you get this idea from me talking about hair dye on hat liners?

It makes sense that dye would work on hats, since they are basically just hair, but for one thing...

I reckon when the hair/fur is packed as densely as in a hat, the dye won't effectlvely take to the fibres.

OK, two things: if you were going to dye the hat from one colour to another, unless the original colour was pale, you'd have to bleach the hat first. I know this because when I was at university I decided to have blue hair for a while, and being quite dark brown, I had to bleach first, then dye blue.

Really subtle changes might work - some of these "hint of" colours now might do the trick (for example they might give a brown hat a slightly rusty or aged look depending on the dye used).

Anyway, that's my best guess, but you should get a cheap fur felt and try it, unless you have some brim trimmings somewhere - you might be able to use those, but they will have a larger surface area so the result might differ.

 

[Vermifuge]

I remember a thread about coloring a hat with Rit fabric dye, which requires boiling water. But I wonder... Has anybody tried dying a hat with HAIR COLOR (any of the popular brands on the market)? We can all speculate about whether it might work, but has anybody tried it?

when i did my joker costume i had my hair dyed. and all i can sy is my hair was like straw until it grew out. i can't imagine it would be an better for a fur hat of any kind.

 

[Shocking]

Hat Dyeing

Hi There,
You can dye the hat with acid dyes. I dye wool with Sabraset Dyes from
Prochem http://www.prochemical.com/
There are plenty of other places to buy it at but I've always used them (no affiliation). The site also has a "How to Dye" Protein fibers..If you want to know how I do it I'll write it up and post it later. One other thing the hat should be is clean maybe washed in a strong detergent/soap like Dawn or Synthropal so it will dye evenly.

Laters.
Susan

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Six weeks ago, I asked if anyone here had tried dying a hat with hair color. Since nobody "fessed up," I decided to conduct my own experiments, on two prime candidates. The first was a "silverbelly" Stetson cowboy hat which had been worked in till nearly worn out. (I couldn't read the number of x's in the sweatband.) After two washings, it was still badly stained.

I used Revlon ($2.97) brown-black. Here's the result. It's still a "beater," but
a better one, now.

The second was a "stingy brim." I had pirated its sweatband and ribbon, some time ago. I don't remember the brand, but it is thin, dense, high quality fur felt, although badly faded. (Note the darker felt, which had been under the sweatband.)

Here's what it looks like after dying (brown-black), and adding a wide black ribbon and bow, with an inset grey-brown ribbon.

I learned a few practical departures from the instructions:
(1) Remove both the sweatband and the ribbon, before dying. They will take
dye, but you want color under them.
(2) When you mix the two parts of the color, add an equal volume of water.
This will make the paste thinner and easier to use on a hat. It will also
make enough to do two hats, at one time.
(3) Don't use the conditioner! It will lighten the color, and make it uneven.
In hair, this is called "highlights, but you don't want "highlights in a hat.

And here they are on a live model:

 

[EvilDmitri]

Wow, looks like it works :O

The only question now is how well will it stand the test of time, and will it rub off or fade. What I would worry most about though is exposure with that method, if the dye runs out of it with water then wearing it in the rain might just give your coat a fresh dye job as well lol

I certainly like the looks of the result!

 

[tandmark]

Hi,

That's really, really impressive!

Even if they'd turned out sorta kinda OK, you'd have rescued two more once-good hats. But that they look so good is like getting an extra maraschino cherry on top of your sundae.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Wow, looks like it works :O

The only question now is how well will it stand the test of time, and will it rub off or fade. What I would worry most about though is exposure with that method, if the dye runs out of it with water then wearing it in the rain might just give your coat a fresh dye job as well lol

I certainly like the looks of the result!

Those are logical and legitimate questions.

(1) "Will it rub off?" No. I did plenty of testing on this.

(2) "Will it fade?" Probably no more than any other hat dye. The color you get is not the color you see when you mix the solution. The solution bonds with the hairs, and the color "develops" from a chemical reaction (oxidation). You have to see it to believe it!

(3) "Will the dye run out of it (in rain), and onto your coat?" No more so than any other dark hat. You rinse the excess out, until the water is clear. (I stopped when the water looked like weak tea, because every dark hat I've ever soaked in cold water has colored the water like that.)

 

[Razzman]

Nice job J.T. The results look very professional. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
Thanks for sharing.

 

[Josephine]

Just another "looks great!" vote. Kudos! :eusa_clap

 

[Barb]

Impressive (not to mention innovative)

What a great idea. I suppose fur and hair are pretty close in construction, but *I* never would have thought of this.

(and it sounds like a lot of planning and work, and the results are great).

Barb

Six weeks ago, I asked if anyone here had tried dying a hat with hair color. Since nobody "fessed up," I decided to conduct my own experiments, on two prime candidates. The first was a "silverbelly" Stetson cowboy hat which had been worked in till nearly worn out. (I couldn't read the number of x's in the sweatband.) After two washings, it was still badly stained.

I used Revlon ($2.97) brown-black. Here's the result. It's still a "beater," but
a better one, now.

The second was a "stingy brim." I had pirated its sweatband and ribbon, some time ago. I don't remember the brand, but it is thin, dense, high quality fur felt, although badly faded. (Note the darker felt, which had been under the sweatband.)

Here's what it looks like after dying (brown-black), and adding a wide black ribbon and bow, with an inset grey-brown ribbon.

I learned a few practical departures from the instructions:
(1) Remove both the sweatband and the ribbon, before dying. They will take
dye, but you want color under them.
(2) When you mix the two parts of the color, add an equal volume of water.
This will make the paste thinner and easier to use on a hat. It will also
make enough to do two hats, at one time.
(3) Don't use the conditioner! It will lighten the color, and make it uneven.
In hair, this is called "highlights, but you don't want "highlights in a hat.

 

[deelovely]

Awesome job J.T.! Those hats look great! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
I especially like the second one, the stingy brim, and how you did the ribbon on it!

 

[carouselvic]

Does He or Doesn't He.... Only His haberdasher knows for sure!!!
I especially like the black one.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

corouselvic, Great line. I really got a chuckle out of it! lol

 

[Barb]

Giggle ;-)

Does He or Doesn't He.... Only His haberdasher knows for sure!!!
I especially like the black one.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

A fellow Lounger just asked about a slightly splotchy appearance in the hats I had dyed. There was some, but not as much as it looked like in those pics. The hat with the wider brim was a stained and worn out beater. I was not real pleased with it; and I recently gave it away. The shorter brimmed hat was in better shape, and turned out much better.

All those shots were made with available light. I just reshot the hat I kept, using better lighting conditions. Here's what it looks like, now.

 

[MAB1]

Thanks for the update and help JT. Especially that part about diluting the dye for better absorbtion. If you could elaborate a bit, I'm sure people would appreciate it, as I did.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Thanks for the update and help JT. Especially that part about diluting the dye for better absorbtion. If you could elaborate a bit, I'm sure people would appreciate it, as I did.

Thank-you, MAB1. On my first try, I mixed the dye exactly according to the instructions. It was the thickness of pudding, and would not penetrate well into the felt. So, I added water till I had twice the volume. That soaked in, much better.

The bigger mistake, the first try, was using the conditioner, which comes in the kit. It's designed to add highlights, but it makes a hat terribly "splotchy."
So, from experience, I repeat, DO NOT USE THE CONDITIONER! It will ruin your work, and you will have to do it over, again.

Have fun.

 

[Mark G]

Great job, big improvement. I've got a couple of hats I'll have to try this on. :eusa_clap

 

[Riot Earp]

Can beaver felt be re-dyed?

My 50% beaver felt hat has lost some of its color. Can it be re-dyed with something like leather dye? If the dye is going to ruin the felt, then I'll just leave it as is.