I was searcing for info on dyeing wetsuits (as opposed to dying in wetsuits--which I suppose would be preferable to cancer)...and I found a thread that dated back to biblical times, so I thought I would just start a new one. It was mainly hunters dealing with camoflauge, and though that's not my thing, the subject I'm about to discuss might be of interest to camoflaugers (is that a word?) There's not too much discussion of wetsuit dyeing out there. Well there's the issue of Rit dye which supposedly is detrimental to neoprene, but evidently some have used it with no (noticeable) effects, tho I imagine it likely blistered it to at least some surface depth, maybe shortened its life slightly, or possibly will cause the fabric to eventually delaminate. Esp. if using the soak in hot water method.
I have a suit--black w/ blue sleeves--that I had to have one torn sleeve replaced (bad shark bite, haha, just kidding), and it was replaced w/ black as that was the only color this repair shop used. So now I am going to dye the original blue sleeve black, but not using the Rit method. Conventional spray paint is an absolute no-no. I tested fabric paint (craft store variety) on a spare piece of neo. and it was OK for flexibility but looked patchy and inconsistent and added a bit of stiffness. I have decided to go with vinyl "paint" available from auto parts stores, which is more of a vinyl dye. It sprays from a pressurized can just like paint but behaves with the characteristics of a dye. Rather then putting a layer on the surface that has to dry, it actually penetrates the material on a molecular level and changes its chemical composition. Its made not only for plasticene solids like dashboards, etc, but also for carpets and fabric upholstery. When sprayed on, say, fuzzy fabric door panels, it recolors them but adds no stiffness nor changes the natural feeling in any way. As i said, it changes the color as a chemical reaction, not a surface coating, and there is virtually no drying time to speak of. If sprayed on a solid plastic/vinyl surface you could then gouge that surface to a certain depth and the gouge will still be the new color!
This stuff is specifically intended to be used on fabrics in the family of acrylics, nylons, acetates, polypropolenes, etc.--in other words-- your wetsuit laminate! I'm no DuPont engineer but my theory is that caution is still in order as I speculate that this dye has some degree of solvent properties meaning it penetrates the fabric by dissolving it for the nanosecond of penetration after which it resolidifies into its original consistency, becoming part of the fibre in essence. So the right technique is to avoid concentration of spray to the degree that the fabric ever becomes wet. So what you would do is mask off the rest of the suit then begin spraying several inches beyond the piece you are dyeing, then sweeping across evenly until fully past the suit, then sweep back and forth moving clearly beyond the suit with each pass so to avoid overlap when reversing direction. You will lose half the paint that way but the suit should be covered with several very light "coats" making sure each is fully cured before applying another on top. I have used this stuff on solids and it is wonderful--it does not "build up" with multiple coats, just gets deeper in color.
Well all this is theoretical, but in a few days I will actually do the suit. If anyone is interested in the results, just post a reply letting me know and I will report back. If its a disaster I'll just send it back to the shop for another new sleeve.
I have a suit--black w/ blue sleeves--that I had to have one torn sleeve replaced (bad shark bite, haha, just kidding), and it was replaced w/ black as that was the only color this repair shop used. So now I am going to dye the original blue sleeve black, but not using the Rit method. Conventional spray paint is an absolute no-no. I tested fabric paint (craft store variety) on a spare piece of neo. and it was OK for flexibility but looked patchy and inconsistent and added a bit of stiffness. I have decided to go with vinyl "paint" available from auto parts stores, which is more of a vinyl dye. It sprays from a pressurized can just like paint but behaves with the characteristics of a dye. Rather then putting a layer on the surface that has to dry, it actually penetrates the material on a molecular level and changes its chemical composition. Its made not only for plasticene solids like dashboards, etc, but also for carpets and fabric upholstery. When sprayed on, say, fuzzy fabric door panels, it recolors them but adds no stiffness nor changes the natural feeling in any way. As i said, it changes the color as a chemical reaction, not a surface coating, and there is virtually no drying time to speak of. If sprayed on a solid plastic/vinyl surface you could then gouge that surface to a certain depth and the gouge will still be the new color!
This stuff is specifically intended to be used on fabrics in the family of acrylics, nylons, acetates, polypropolenes, etc.--in other words-- your wetsuit laminate! I'm no DuPont engineer but my theory is that caution is still in order as I speculate that this dye has some degree of solvent properties meaning it penetrates the fabric by dissolving it for the nanosecond of penetration after which it resolidifies into its original consistency, becoming part of the fibre in essence. So the right technique is to avoid concentration of spray to the degree that the fabric ever becomes wet. So what you would do is mask off the rest of the suit then begin spraying several inches beyond the piece you are dyeing, then sweeping across evenly until fully past the suit, then sweep back and forth moving clearly beyond the suit with each pass so to avoid overlap when reversing direction. You will lose half the paint that way but the suit should be covered with several very light "coats" making sure each is fully cured before applying another on top. I have used this stuff on solids and it is wonderful--it does not "build up" with multiple coats, just gets deeper in color.
Well all this is theoretical, but in a few days I will actually do the suit. If anyone is interested in the results, just post a reply letting me know and I will report back. If its a disaster I'll just send it back to the shop for another new sleeve.
