Just wondering if anyone has done it and what the result was. I'm not thinking rainbow colors myself but you never know.

Not sure if you can dye nylon.

do you think the dye would even penetrate the fabric... might be a mess for you in the snow when those kites start getting wet...:puzzled:

I've thought of doing this many times, but only on one of my aces...

Apparently the trick for nylon is to use kool-aid!

http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/nylon.shtml

as to how permanent the dye is, well.... ?????

If I ever did it, I'd go for two colors, one light (yellow?) for the first dip, then a darker (deep red?) for the second dip.

Used to be a guy that did this to kite fabric, made some incredible kites. Ty Billings if I remember correct. I think he used un-dyed fabric. Never heard of him doing it over a pre-colored fabric, let alone a pre-made kite.

So what's for sale?.....

HmmM..I mm bored I think I will tie/dye my kite?? but hey I might try it out on my dog first:bouncing:

Like a scene from...Exit Through the Gift Shop

L

What the guy does is he uses floral spray. It sticks and penetrates the faberic and holds up for years. And he uses colored faberic as to limit the amount of spray he has to use. I think it is very expensive. I have a kite he made 10 years ago and still bright. I'll ask a single line friend that knows him what his name is.

a rusty hammer AND crowbar adds a little showy color.

I think it is going to vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and depending on how much the coating on the kite will allow the nylon to accept the dye.

You might have better luck with older kites where the coating has broken down significantly and then you might apply Seal n Glide.

ATB,
Sam

Used to be a guy on Kitebuilder who did a lot of tie-tying of ripstop. Might search over there and see if you can find his posts.

Wow. I thought I posted thios in kites and acces.

Then when I couldn't find it I thought I was going off the deep end.

Sorry for the location of this post and thanks for the input thus far!

Jeeeeez I suck.

TDMC tried to die his wind spinny black, he did not like its rainbow motif. It did not work that well. The colours just got darker, the rainbow look was still there.
It maybe he was not using the right kind of dye. You might ask him about it.
S

Ty Billings



Scott Hamton is a master at painting on ripstop
http://picasaweb.google.com/mshampton2/NewFor2010#

The down side on tye dye on ripstop is that the fabric after you do it the fabric will never lay flat again ......

the tye-dye stuff I got from the person that was mention from kitebuilders site{ Way word son} if i remember right worked only in .75 fabric

My GF says this site is a great resource for those into dyeing. Here is their article on tie dyeing nylon

After reading their process below, I am not sure I would do this to a good kite. Most kites are made from fabric with all kinds of coatings.

S

Quote:

FAQ: How to dye nylon or polyamide Nylon, a synthetic fiber also sometimes labeled as polyamide, can be dyed with either of two completely different dye classes, acid dyes and disperse dyes. Both of these types of dye require the application of heat to fix the dye to the nylon, so be sure the item you are dyeing can withstand the heat called for in the recipe you choose. (This is a problem for nylon/Lycra blends, as the spandex fiber is heat-sensitive, made from polyurethane fiber. Use acid dyes on these blends, and carefully avoid stressing the fabric while it is hot, such as by twisting or stretching; temperatures above that indicated on the garment's care label (usually 105°F) may deform the shape of the garment.) Some surface fabric treatments may prevent nylon from 'taking' dye. Dye only fabrics that are free of treatments that provide stain resistance or water repellency, such as Teflon coating. .