Aging

[Gutterpunk13]

I Just made a hemp Coat and now i dont like it because its too bright and neat for my tastes is there and easyway to maybe age it up and darken the material? its made out of hemp canvas and has i think a cotton lining but im not shure. i know i dont want to tear it up as i spent alot of mony on this one, but if i dont wear it then it dosent matter. Ill have pictures of it as soon as i can.

Much Respect

John

[blackjohn]

We discussed this one a few times in the past. If you do a search, you should be able to find some suggestions. My crewman Palmetto has soaked his clothes in saltwater. I'm not sure what else he has done to them. But they certainly look "Hollywood" dirty.

I suggest wearing them and never washing them. Roll around in the gutter. Smear blackpowder residue all over them. Rub some tar into them. You get the idea.

[Dorian Lasseter]

Best way to age something like that is make a big pot of tea.... use whatever cheap BLACK tea you can find..... if you make it hot tea, let it cool, then soak the clothing in it, check it every half hour, when it is as dark as you want it... hang dry it.... If you preshrunk the material, you can throw it in the dryer on low heat...

I've done this many times with great success...

[Gutterpunk13]

Does it even work with Dyed material?

[Dorian Lasseter]

It should...

[Gutterpunk13]

Should i risk it?

[Dorian Lasseter]

It is your call.. DO you have a scrap of material left from making it?

If so, do a test with that to make sure that's what you're looking for....

[Duchess]

Should i risk it?

risk it?

Think about this for a second... You're trying to figure out a way to make this thing look old and dirty and less shiney. Not keep it in pretty pristine condition. How much risk is that? It will either work perfectly and come out evenly dark. It will work sort of and come out patchy or not work at all eliciting no change at all. Sounds to me like theres nothing to lose.

[Gutterpunk13]

or it could take all the dye out.

Who knows..

[Duchess]

or it could take all the dye out.

Who knows..

Nope thats bleach. I don't even know where you would find "tea" that was so basic it would bleach you fabric. Black tea has a pH around 6 (roughly half that of bleach and neutral is 7)

Alternatively if it's the water you're worried about, you're pretty much screwed for wearing and washing let alone weathering.

So, I vote giver a try.

[callenish gunner]

tea straining works qite well .....if it's cool tea it will darken and dull down the colours without effecting the chemical dyes used in the original fabric ........i have done it many times from theatre costumes .... and perhaps some strong coffee dipped along the cuffs and in the armpits and along the collar ....will give some appearance of wear and tear and body soils

[Gutterpunk13]

That I will try

An ill get before and after pics hopefully if i ever get a camera..

But i have a feeling ill run across one er two sometime soon..

John

[MadMike]

I once had to age a hunting frock since my portrayal was based during a specific historical setting. Went outside when it was raining and crawled around in the wet soil for a bit. Came out quite nice!

Depending on what type of soil you have around, rub it in selective spots for aging. Better yet, try some yardwork (although green grass stains may not work).

I've heard that the movie industry uses peat moss or potting soil for aging effects. Once ate some greasy fried chicken and wore my buckskins, they make a good napkin.

Other garments were "aged" naturally on primitive treks (good heavens, ever sit by a fire for three days?). The stench was horrific, had to shower twice and my clothes reeked so bad from smoke and sweat I could smell them across the room. Hand washed with castile soap to remove most of the stains.

Yours, &c.

Mike

[Patrick Hand]

Yah.... camping in yer garb does a great job of aging it......

Tea also works.... but if your going for a real "grungy" look..... after tea staining...... thinned down india ink splashed onto the wet cloth.... will gunk it up realy quickly....... (if you get it to dark..... splash more water on it....."Quickly") You just work as everything is very "moist"..... it will lighten up a little when it dries......

Then there is sandpaper.... but that is for "wear"...............

Or soaking it in water, and hanging it out in the sun (just be sure that it is "formed" (like how it would be worn) right......) then it fades.......

[blackjohn]

I've heard that the movie industry uses peat moss or potting soil for aging effects.

I wish I knew what they used on The Patriot. I was there for filming in my Rev War kit. Every morning, we'd go to make-up, where they "weathered" us with this tray of mirky, grimey water. It really filled in the cracks of the skin to give them a dirty look. Then they took a big white bucket full of some dirty powder, and a feather duster, and dusted us all down. It was great stuff, whatever it was, because we looked like we have been on campaign for weeks.

As for tea, and coffee, yep, it works. Duh on me for forgetting that. As I recall, the British Army used to make khaki colored clothes by doing just that.

[Rumba Rue]

As someone said on this same subject that came up elsewhere, just give it to your kids or someone's kids and tell them not to get it dirty.

[Hrothgar Addams]

Just after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor (12-7-41 fer you youngsters) The Navy had a lack of khaki uniforms. Everyone had tropical whites--makin them way too visible, especially if the Japanese invaded. They needed drab combat uniforms--fast!

Then they started dyin' all the whites usin big vats of Navy Coffee. Probably a Marine idea--they have this affinity fer coffee.

That drip coffee they sell at Starschmucks is dark and thick enough--maybe that would work--

[Pirate Petee]

You could always play some tackle football in a muddy field. Go Buccaneers

[Tall Paul]

Best way to get your kit truly grubby is to work a gun crew a few times!

Most of my kit has got that authenticly dirty texture as a result of sitting around campfires for a couple of seasons.

The method traditionaly used by film wardrobe departments to distress costumes is to put them in a tumble dryer with a few large rocks. (Mind you, the dryer is not much good for anything else afterwards.

I have had some experience of the tricks used by film wardrobe departments, another common one is a mixture of fine blending powder (Usually used as makeup, you could try powder paint or fullers earth) and vasaline. Think about where costume meets greesy flesh. around the cuffs, pockets, button holes etc. Also use sandpaper to simulate wear. again, think about where you would rub against things, elbows, forearms and so on. If you make any holes in the fabric, be sure to darn them, as would have happend in the 18th century.

One word of warning about tea. If you make the tea too strong, and are trying to stain something white like a shirt, it will die the fabric pink! I know, it happend to me.

[Rummy3]

I've had hemp shirts and since it is a natural fiber, it will break down and soften quite a bit just through normal washings. I imagine yours is a neutral color to begin with - correct? If you add real Borax to the wash - it may help quite a bit. As for aging - the teastaining method is suposed to be the most reliable *after commercial dyes* _Looking forward to those pics!

[Capt. Lazarus Gage]

Can anyone tell me where I can find a good PLAIN great coat for my costume? All I can find are over adorned velvet crap.

[Gutterpunk13]

make one

thats what im tryin to do cost me 45 pounds

(just fer the seamstress o course)

[Hawkyns]

Can anyone tell me where I can find a good PLAIN great coat for my costume? All I can find are over adorned velvet crap.

Lazarus- check out these guys. Great quality, decent prices. The oil cloth coat is great on a stormy deck.

http://www.flyingcanoetraders.com/content/...alogue.asp?ID=4

Hawkyns

[Patrick Hand]

Hawkyns.... I've seen something from thier site once befor, but this time I had the time to check some more of thier stuff out.... looks good.....

[Capt. Sterling]

  I've heard that the movie industry uses peat moss or potting soil for aging effects.

It's called Fuller's Earth and I believe you can find some herehttp://www.cineshoppe.com/fullers1.htm. It's usually dusted or spread over clothing, sometimes rubbed in, to achieve a dirty look.

Hector