Hello All,
Here is the second stage in my restoration of a worn Penny's Marathon:
In stage I, I washed the hat, and stripped it down to the felt. This revealed a sound, but very faded hat:
In stage II, I have dyed the hat using hair dye (L'Oreal #51, a medium brown). I followed the directions on the box, omitting the conditioner, perfume packet, and adding 1/2 cup of water to the mix to thin it. The dye can be rather deceptive. It goes on a very light color, and then darkens to the final color after about 25 minutes.
The hat was then gently washed under warm water until the water was only slightly colored by the dye. This was a bit of a frightening process, as the hat lost all of its shape, and began to look like a raw hat body. However, after the hat dried, I was able to re-crease it back into a tear-drop bash.
As you can see from the picture, the color took well, but the hat is still darker where the original dye was strongest, under the hatband, brim binding, and under the brim. Also, all stiffness has gone out of the hat, and it is as flexible as raw felt.
If I was going to do this again, I would have chosen a slightly lighter color. As dark as the hat has become, I feel like I'm restricted to a black ribbon.
Lorne
Here is the second stage in my restoration of a worn Penny's Marathon:
In stage I, I washed the hat, and stripped it down to the felt. This revealed a sound, but very faded hat:
In stage II, I have dyed the hat using hair dye (L'Oreal #51, a medium brown). I followed the directions on the box, omitting the conditioner, perfume packet, and adding 1/2 cup of water to the mix to thin it. The dye can be rather deceptive. It goes on a very light color, and then darkens to the final color after about 25 minutes.
The hat was then gently washed under warm water until the water was only slightly colored by the dye. This was a bit of a frightening process, as the hat lost all of its shape, and began to look like a raw hat body. However, after the hat dried, I was able to re-crease it back into a tear-drop bash.
As you can see from the picture, the color took well, but the hat is still darker where the original dye was strongest, under the hatband, brim binding, and under the brim. Also, all stiffness has gone out of the hat, and it is as flexible as raw felt.
If I was going to do this again, I would have chosen a slightly lighter color. As dark as the hat has become, I feel like I'm restricted to a black ribbon.
Lorne
