Dying a Felt Hat

[DBox]

I have a felt "cowboy" hat with a flat brim that goes on my walk-a-bouts with me. I've had it for 15 years or so and it's faded to a pretty ugly light tan. Could I mix up some Ritz dye and spray it and get decent results? I need something that won't run because it gets rained on from time to time.

 

[bingo1952]

Rit dye would probably work but you will need to use a mordant to set the dye or it will definitely run and it doesn’t come off you as easily as it goes on. Salt works pretty well followed by a good rinsing to remove any excess dye.

 

[Black Hand]

My experience with Rit and wool is that the wool will need to be simmered in the dye (with mordant) for some time. I have used it on blanket wool, and while it takes much darker in wool than cotton, eventually it will fade/wash out. Personally, I'd leave the hat as it is rather than mess with it

 

[Swampman]

I'm making a mid-19th century hat right now. I dyed the cream colored blank with walnut hulls, and a paint brush. It looks awesome IMO. Your dye will have to be cold or you'll ruin your hat.

 

[DBox]

How do you prepare the walnut dye?

 

[Swampman]

You just boil up a bunch of black walnut hulls in a small amount of water.

 

[paulvallandigham]

( So you understand, the " Hulls" are the soft Green- turning to Black" outer "skin " of the nut.

The harder " SHELL" that protects the actual meat of the walnut does not contain the dye. The Shells are ground up into a fine power and sold to be used as a brass case cleaning medium for cartridge cases. Its also used as abrasive in removing paint, graffiti, etc. and even used to remove paint in the auto repair industry. I believe its beginning to replace "sand" for " sandblasting stone buildings, too.

YOu can boil the hulls to quickly get the dark walnut dye out of them, and reduce the amount of water in the mix to get a thick black liquid/paste to apply, OR, you can simply put the hulls in some container with water, put a lid on it to conserve the water, and let it sit for several months. Then strain the contents.

Whether you boil or just let the dye leach out of the hulls over time, you will want to strain the mixture, through cheese cloth and screen wire. You can store the mix in any old jar you have with a lid on it. The stuff lasts for years. It is acidic, so store it with that in mind.

The acidic nature of this dye is why you have been cautioned about using it with wool, and the fact that wool will shrink if heated is why its suggested that if you go ahead and dye your old hat, do it with the dye mix and the hat "COLD". You do need to use a Mordant- you can google that to find common choices-- to set the dye, however, or it will streak down over your hair and head when the hat next gets wet( like from sweat!)

Personally, I would not ruin an old hat like you describe, that is just beginning to show " Character". If you want a new-looking hat, buy a new hat! But, then, again, I am not the kind of guy who is going to be sitting around for Botox treatments to my age lines on my face, either. :shocked2: :surrender: :thumbsup:

 

[Old Sarge]

I do my dye by soaking the huls in water for a couple of months. Then I boil it down over the stove to concentrate it. Followed by straining it through cheese cloth, and finally through a coffee filter to remove any specks of hull. I recommend you do this when the "Cabin Tender" is at Wall Mart to avoid all the negative vibes. Mold can be spooned off the top if it forms. Works good on gunstocks and clothing.

 

[bingo1952]

A couple of drops of iodine will stop the mold and not alter the color since they both are about the same. I understand the "Cabin Tender reference; I have taken some serious heat over the years for some of the concoctions I have brewed up on the stove. :haha: :surrender:

 

[mazo kid]

How do you prepare the walnut dye?

There was a good thread here a few months ago on this subject. I have an old hot plate and put a 5 gallon metal pail on it filled with hulls and some water. I simmer this outside or in the garage for a few hours, let set over night and then strain off the juice into clean milk containers. I add a bit of denatured alcohol to help control the mold, but you can just scoop that off before using.