Keeping blacks black

[Nikgwolf]

I didn't know quite where to put this thread, but I figure 'General Advice' will suffice....

Does anyone have any products or tips for keeping blacks black? I was humorously considering putting a few sharpies in the washer...and then I really thought about it.

Any ideas, my black jeans will usually last about six months, but they start fading in about two.

Nik


Flickr: nikgwolf512's Photostream

[Footer]

You could re-die them. Rit black dye and Rit navy blue dye together will get you to a convincing black. Colors fade, its just what happens. Try a better detergent or something like that.

[lieperjp]

If you REALLY want to keep those blacks dark... there's always dry cleaning!!! But if you don't want to spend $6.00 just to wash a pair of pants, hand wash your jeans in COLD water with as little soap as possible. Air dry is preferred, but at least allow time to get most of the water out before you put them in your dryer.

Do not try Dryell or any other home-based dry cleaning agents... they really are not cleaners, more so they are just "fresheners" that make your clothes smell nice...

This is what we recommended at the Dry Cleaners I worked at for several years... It's worked for me on my black dress pants.

[Van]

Do not bleach them! I've always found that bleaching my blacks destroys their effectiveness.

[Wolf]

Originally Posted by Footer4321

You could re-die them. Rit black dye and Rit navy blue dye together will get you to a convincing black. Colors fade, its just what happens. Try a better detergent or something like that.

why use a blue and a black dye combined, why not just the black dye?

[derekleffew]

Nik-
Some Tips 'n' Trixx I've used/use:
1) Cold Water only (duh) and all blacks in the same load (duh).
2) Minimal amount of detergent.
3) Close all zippers and button all buttons to prevent abrasion. Before laundering, turn all garments inside out, until they come out of the dryer.
4) Washing new black jeans with older blacks is just as effective as using dye.
5) Front loading washers are gentler than top loaders with an agitator.
6) Develop a "Black Wardrobe Hierarchy." Newest blacks are for show run only. Console operating clothes are nicer than deck crew clothes. As articles age, they get demoted, the lowest rung being for scene painting.
7) When working with electricity, your garments DO meet/exceed the NFPA 70E guidelines, correct?

[Footer]

Originally Posted by Wolf

why use a blue and a black dye combined, why not just the black dye?

Its an odd thing, you actually get a truer black with 3-4 parts black to 1 part navy blue. Its just how rit dye is. This I learned from my prop master in college, and she dyed a lot of stuff, so I just took it as truth. Done it myself a few times to dye muslin black and its the only way to get something really black. However, dying things that are white black is not the most fun thing in the world.

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by Footer4321

It's an odd thing, you actually get a truer black with 3-4 parts black to 1 part navy blue.

In the olden days, Prussian Blue or Pthalo Green were often added to Black dry pigment to achieve a darker black, right Van? Char5lie?

[Van]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

In the olden days, Prussian Blue or Pthalo Green were often added to Black dry pigment to achieve a darker black, right Van? Char5lie?

'Tis true! I always choose black paints that have a bit of blue in them when I need a perceived dark black color. Oddly enough If you deck bleach on a piar of black 501's the bleached area turns a redish color before it goes to a light brown , then your wife yells at you.

[mixmaster]

Originally Posted by Nikgwolf

I was humorously considering putting a few sharpies in the washer...
Nik

Been there, done that, sharpies left in shirt pockets explode in dryers, the wife explodes in laundry room, and I get one heck of a mess to clean up.

As a practical matter, I'm yet to be able to find anything that works well after repeated washing. I think Cheer makes a bottle of stuff that my wife swears keeps clothes looking dark but I've never paid that much attention. I just do my laundry with whatever the wife has on the top shelf and use the faded stuff for paint clothes.