Dye Remover

[Mojave Jack]

I'm considering trying to re-color a pair of pants, and was thinking that the Rit Dye Remover might be the answer. Anyone have any experience with this stuff for an entire garment? The pants in question are a sort of light olive, 100% wool. Will the dye remover work on them? If so, how much of the color will it likely remove? I figured I'd have to re-dye them afterwards, and I'd like to dye them back to a khaki or light brown color. Does it remove the dye evenly, or will it be somewhat mottled?

 

[Mike K.]

Hey Mojave!
I've done this lots of times to re-color different items. Get a really big pot that you can put on the stove and for pants I'd probably go with two packs of dye remover. Mix the dye remover into boiling water...just follow the instructions and be sure to leave enough displacement room for the pants. I usually use an old wooden spoon to stir everything to make sure it dissolves well. Pre-wet the clothing and this will help ensure an even dye removal. Put everything into the boiling cauldron and keep it stirring constantly. Most of the dye removal will be instantaneous but I usually leave things in and keep stirring a few minutes to lighten the color. The stuff works on any natural fiber and I think a few synthetics too. My experience is that most items bleach to a very light khaki color, not a stark white, which is good if you're considering a re-dye to some shade of khaki, olive, etc. As for the re-dye operation, Procyon dyes are the best but require a bit of work (they need a separate mordant to set the dye). I've had great success using RIT for re-dye projects. Their website has a great "recipe" page for getting custom colors. For example, they only sell 'tan' dye but mixing the right amounts of this with some 'pearl grey' gives you true khaki. They also have the recipe for the khaki-green color which is really nice. If possible experiment on something old first to see how it works. Have fun!
-Mike

 

[Mike K.]

Something else I just thought of...
Those wool pants - are they washable? You might get some serious fabric shrinkage going through the dye removal and re-dye process.
Also, for the color of the re-dying, I'd recommend doubling the amount suggested for the 'khaki' recipe. The recipes are 'for one pound' of fabric - pants are a bit heavier. I'd also recommend a dark khaki over a lighter brown as the brown dye is actually a bit reddish/maroon. I go really heavy on the khaki recipe quantity to achieve a dark khaki.

 

[Mojave Jack]

Hmmm. I had not thought about the shrinking. They're actually some brand of foreign military pants, so no tag at all. I'm not even 100% sure they're all wool, though they sure do feel like it. I suppose I could try burning a bit in an inside seam or something and see what I've got. I've had them dry cleaned since I've had them, so I have no idea about the shrinkage possibility. Can the dye remover be used without boiling, say with really warm water? It sounds like if it's a blend material I'm likely to get spotty results, eh?

 

[Mike K.]

Sorry for the delayed response Mojave. Most of the RIT stuff works in hot water...doesn't have to be boiling. I'd imagine that the dye remover even works in luke warm to cool temperatures. As for the re-dying, you'll definitely need the really hot temps. That's what sets the dye. If the pants are a blend with anything synthetic, you won't get good results with RIT. RIT is only good for natural fibers. To be on the safe side, after removing the color, you might want to track down the Procyon (Procion?) dyes. These work on everything. Watch the microscopic airborne particles that might land on valuables. Also the Procyon dyes require a mordant to set the dyes. Hope this helps!!
Cheers mate!

 

[Mojave Jack]

Well, I gave it a shot, but apparently there is a lot of synthetic fiber in these pants! No color change at all! Well, I guess that proves that I don't know squat about materials! There is definately wool in them, but I guess it's a blend of some kind.