My garb looks too new!

[Morgan Swift]

Avast!

As mentioned on another thread, I am in the midst of making a grey wool coat among other things. If you click on my link, you will see my name ought to be Ajax rather than Morgan! How would I add some grime to my garments? I know not to wash...but I would like to speed things up a bit.

I know the coffee & tea bath trick...what I am looking for is grey, ring-around-the collar grime.

Suggestions?

[blackjohn]

Soak it in a super saturated solution of salt water for a spell, then let it sit in the sun...

Ok... other than that, wear it alot and don't ever wash it. Go out and do some gardening in it, or painting, or holystoning... you get the idea

[Cap'n Pete Straw]

For my Civil War reenacting gear, I made a linen haversack. It was completely authentic in every way, but of course looked brand new. All my other gear was nicely weathered to reflect a long campaign, except my pristine haversack which -- if it had actually contained all my food and had never been laundered -- should look utterly filthy "by now."

And the oven had not been cleaned in a while... Hmmm.. what to do?

I made a solution of soapy water and scrubbed out the interior of my oven with the haversack (I found the broiler to be the best resource). I had to use other scouring brushes and the like to remove the real crud, but this process infused the linen haversack with an excellent quantity of grime, and permitted application in the precise locations that I wanted it to be. I then handwashed the haversack several times in grease-cutting soap, and machine washed it several times, and soaked it several times (repeat, repeat, repeat). The residual stains can never be removed, and in one weekend, I aged it several months.

WARNING: I cannot recommend this technique on clothing that cannot withstand repeated washings (i.e.: wool).

[Cap'n Pete Straw]

Do not ignore that most excellent of resources: spray paint.

While professional costume designers will rely on airbrushes to make their magic (and if you own an airbrush, by all means ignore spray paint!), you can easily add a swatch of grime (brown / black) or mud to the hem (tan), or dried salt spray to accent the wrinkles (white / light grey) with some carefully applied matte-finish spray lacquer.

WARNING: Spray paint cans do not come with precise application tips. ALWAYS practice on a spare swatch of fabric to be sure of obtaining the desired effect. A little goes a long way. A gentle sweep of tan paint along the hem of a coat will imply a muddy excursion ashore.

Alternately, you can used water-based modeling lacquer (personal reccomendation: Citadel Paints available from Games Workshop). Thinned out and applied with a brush, this can allow you the same effect with more precision. Once dried, this stuff will NOT wash out, but can wear off as the garment ages (but then you are not worried about aging it anymore, right?)

[Olaf Grumby]

Either you can do what they did POTC which is to make cement with their outfits. Which is not pratical for one outfit. the easiest thing to do is basicly wash it with mud and stain making things between two cinderblocks then tie it to your car and drive around with it when it looks worn enough take it off. Done.

[Morgan Swift]

*Chuckles* This is all good, but I was hoping for a bit more refined! Yeah, I knew about the PotC cement mixer... *g*

Maybe the airbrush is the best way... or, the cleaning the stove, but instead of using my shirt as the rag, collect the soot and brush it on with fingers into the wear spots.

Thanks everyone!

[blackjohn]

When I worked as an extra on The Patriot, the crew had the coolest fake dirt you'd ever want to see, and I was an idiot for not asking them for the recipe(s). The first was this dark dusty stuff they applied with big ol' feather dusters. It really gave a nice aged/dirtied look to our uniforms (not that my RevWar uniform really needed it). The second was grimey water that was applied to faces and hands to give that worn look. I suspect the grimey water could have been thinned water-based paint. But the dust... who knows...

Hey! I just thought of another way to add that dirty look - blackpowder! Don your clothes and run through a couple cartridge boxes worth of powder, and make sure you do it on a day that is hot and humid!

[Morgan Swift]

The powder might have been fuller's earth. I have used that to do brown dust type dirt...

I have never done the gray grimy kind though.. A costumer friend suggested a bar of soap (ironic, no?) And run that over all the seams and wear spots. Will try that later.

[Mick MacAnselan]

One thing that worked well when I needed to grime-up some medieval garb... Rough-up Elbows, Knees, Butt, and anything else that would naturally wear first with some sandpaper. Then add some "dirt/grass" stains using those "pastel sticks" they sell at art stores. Available in several earth tones.

[Morgan Swift]

PASTEL STICKS!!!

Now that sounds like it would work AND be easy! I am off to the art store anyway...so, I will pick some up.

I use a wire brush to shred clothing, the kind you clean your paint brushes with. It works like a charm. Sandpaper is good in a pinch though.

Once, I played with my cat till HE did the job for me...(he will chase anything I drag along the ground)

But, Pastels I can at least control the color, and the good ones stain.

[Captain Jim-sib]

Coal dust works nice for stains. Coal can be found along any set of rail tracks it seems. One aging method not mention is lemon juice on the garment & then placed in the sun. Then a season working construction or oil drilling rigs will wear anything out.

Another is to soak garmet with leaves and acorns. The tannic does wonders. After soaking, sun dry.

[Morgan Swift]

... interesting. Probably much like the tea (which also has tanic acid) But, looking for disgusting grime, not just brown age.

I could just wear my shirt for a season and hope to sweat! Or, wear it to the beach (which wouldn't be a horrible fate either!)

For now... gonna try the pastels though. Maybe grind some of it to dust and mix the colors till its right.

[Patrick Hand]

I had a shirt that I wanted to "age".... started with a tea stain.... but wadded up so it was uneaven... then splattered some very watered down acrilyc paints on it when it was still wet...... so they ran and smeared nicely....

I have a pair of pettycoat breaches.... that I've run a hacksaw blade over all of the "wear" points as I was wearing them (where I naturaly wear out a pair of pants...) ...... then washed then a few times..... but they haven't "frayed" yet...... so I will keep playing with the hacksaw blade... and washing them... NOTE.... I want them to look worn.... but I don't want to poke outta any part of them..... so I want the wear to look natural.... but be kept to the locations of my choice.....

[Morgan Swift]

Hacksaw...hmmm...

*begins to ponder fun with the tools in the garage...mind slips off to the set of power tools. * Belt sander? On somthing more robust than say cotton/linen...

...powertools.....ooooooo....

[Silkie McDonough]

Just wanted to add another dirt here. Wood ash. The wood ash can get you very dirty and it doesn't come out in the wash so you can have your dirt and wash it too.

[Laura Coughlin]

http://www.norcostco.com/characterpowders.aspx

found the dirt for skin, and I guess it could be brushed on clothing too...

[Henry Martin]

Not so much for coloring, but if you want "wear and tear" a good ol' fashioned box grater works really well.

Made a lot of pirate zombies with one... ha.

Cheers,

Chris

[PLUNDERING PYLOS PARKER]

you may want to try walnut hulls, if you boil the hulls with the nut still entact it will give off a variety of tanish to grayish color , but wool doesn't dye that well, unless you use a commercial type of dye. why would you want to make your outfits ratty, it took time to do that and after you go to a variety of encampments it will become stained and such, remember everything started out new, most pirates wanted items that looked new and smelled fresh(they wanted to emulate officers of rank anyways). remember the caribbean is very humid ,clothing didnt last long anyways, you can drag clothing items behind your car with ropes -within 20 miles your outfit will look tattered.

[jendobyns]

you may want to try walnut hulls, if you boil the hulls with the nut still entact it will give off a variety of tanish to grayish color , but wool doesn't dye that well, unless you use a commercial type of dye. why would you want to make your outfits ratty, it took time to do that and after you go to a variety of encampments it will become stained and such, remember everything started out new, most pirates wanted items that looked new and smelled fresh(they wanted to emulate officers of rank anyways). remember the caribbean is very humid ,clothing didnt last long anyways, you can drag clothing items behind your car with ropes -within 20 miles your outfit will look tattered.

I don't know why you say that wool doesn't dye that well. It takes a great number of colors in a veritable rainbow of shades. One needs to understand dye chemistry to a certain extent, but a basic dye bath of dyestuff, mordant and water + heat, can yield some results even for a beginner. Walnut hulls (the nuts are not necessary) should work for just about anyone, possibly too well. Just look around at a rendezvous, there's an entire population of guys wearing walnut dyed clothing! If you just want it to look messy and used, put on a pair of rubber gloves, pick up some black walnuts (this works well when they're still green and juicy), bruise them and rub them where you want the color. I don't recommend dyeing a finished garment made of wool. You're likely to end up with something a bit smaller than you'd like.

This page shows some samples of dyed wool (granted, it's Navajo, but some of the dyes are also used in European textiles from the period)

http://weavinginbeauty.com/workshops/dyeretreatsamplesandclassbegins

And in this video, a woman takes you through a sample book. She gets to walnut dyed yarn around 1:15 or so.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-dJuus0BlQ the video is called: Nancy Today: Natural dye 92) sample book of... (in case the link doesn't work).

Wearing your clothing as much as possible seems to be the best way to age things realistically. I have known people who hang their clothing out on the clothesline for weeks to let the weather get to it, but you'll need to hang it so it looks like it would when wearing it, not so you get the wear marks & sun bleaching half way down your breeches where they were folded over the line. Volunteer to muck stalls and do yard work in your period clothes. That'll do the trick, trust me! Nothing like horse sneezes to mess up a god jacket

[hurricane]

Exactly. Rarely does artificial aging look realistic, at least to others in the re-enactment world. The best way to age it is to do like the folks did back then - live in the stuff as much as possible. Eat in it, garden in it, clean your guns... it will age beautifully all by itself and best of all, you'll appreciate it more because you'll remember where every stain, hole and fade came from. Believe it or not, they did have new clothes back in the day. It didn't come from the tailor or your mom looking ratting. Took time.

And don't forget to experiment with reversing the pattern. Often, coats, vests and such were given a new life by the tailor. He would take out the lining, reverse the cloth and sew the lining back in. So, it would look new even though it was old. I've rarely seen people doing this at events but there are records of it.

[PLUNDERING PYLOS PARKER]

untreated wool works well but if you read she has an outfit already and wants to make it looked roughed up,treated wool doesnt work well with dye , i dont think you've dyed much material to say otherwise. wearing you outfit regularly will be the best way of making it look used.

you may want to try walnut hulls, if you boil the hulls with the nut still entact it will give off a variety of tanish to grayish color , but wool doesn't dye that well, unless you use a commercial type of dye. why would you want to make your outfits ratty, it took time to do that and after you go to a variety of encampments it will become stained and such, remember everything started out new, most pirates wanted items that looked new and smelled fresh(they wanted to emulate officers of rank anyways). remember the caribbean is very humid ,clothing didnt last long anyways, you can drag clothing items behind your car with ropes -within 20 miles your outfit will look tattered.

I don't know why you say that wool doesn't dye that well. It takes a great number of colors in a veritable rainbow of shades. One needs to understand dye chemistry to a certain extent, but a basic dye bath of dyestuff, mordant and water + heat, can yield some results even for a beginner. Walnut hulls (the nuts are not necessary) should work for just about anyone, possibly too well. Just look around at a rendezvous, there's an entire population of guys wearing walnut dyed clothing! If you just want it to look messy and used, put on a pair of rubber gloves, pick up some black walnuts (this works well when they're still green and juicy), bruise them and rub them where you want the color. I don't recommend dyeing a finished garment made of wool. You're likely to end up with something a bit smaller than you'd like.

This page shows some samples of dyed wool (granted, it's Navajo, but some of the dyes are also used in European textiles from the period)

http://weavinginbeau...sandclassbegins

And in this video, a woman takes you through a sample book. She gets to walnut dyed yarn around 1:15 or so.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-dJuus0BlQ the video is called: Nancy Today: Natural dye 92) sample book of... (in case the link doesn't work).

Wearing your clothing as much as possible seems to be the best way to age things realistically. I have known people who hang their clothing out on the clothesline for weeks to let the weather get to it, but you'll need to hang it so it looks like it would when wearing it, not so you get the wear marks & sun bleaching half way down your breeches where they were folded over the line. Volunteer to muck stalls and do yard work in your period clothes. That'll do the trick, trust me! Nothing like horse sneezes to mess up a god jacket

[Jas. Hook]

Not so much for coloring, but if you want "wear and tear" a good ol' fashioned box grater works really well.

Made a lot of pirate zombies with one... ha.

Cheers,

Chris

Box grater, hummmm sounds a bit... industrial, judicial use of a pumice stone works nicely around collars, cuffs and seams.

Jas. Hook

[silas thatcher]

as most have said, the best wear is to use them.... my breeches got fairly stained by simply using them as a napkin... wiped my hands on them even if i only thought they might be dirty... started up the ol' brazier with lump charcoal ?? wipe yer hands on them... had a few buttons fall off ( very wrong choice of thread ) my shirt is now stained, has powder burns, a rip or two and a nice burned cuff that i didn't know that caught an ember and slowly smoldered 'till someone noticed...

tricorn is slightly outta shape, and i may leave it like that... sailor's short jacket has a few stains on it also (napkin theory ) i love the outdoors, so in the summer, i am fairly tanned, even my feet... i usually go barefoot... i don't like to shave, so i have a permanent 2 to 3 days growth ( i will buzz it down if i think it is getting too long )

in short, my garb is getting well used and is starting to look like it is.... all will come in time !!!

[William Brand]

I'm seriously considering some prisoner kit next. The problems is convincing Tracy to make me kit that she knows I'll be weathering with a vengeance.

[LauraConklin]

I have ruined many a nice modern shirt by wearing it to the stables when it's time to clean horses, stalls, or just go riding. May try this in my garb and see what happens to it.