Costume & Crafting Help

[C.f.M.]

For anyone who was interested in the results, the neon fabric paint experiment has been a massive fail.

I have tried many fabric craft paints and the only ones that are not transparent go on like a layer of plastic. I don't much see myself wanting to wear a coat with about 40 pounds of paint on it so it's now down to springing a small fortune for opaque silk screen inks or just making another coat from scratch.

Or sewing some pockets on that big fuzzy bathrobe.

That's disappointing, I'm sorry for your frustration.

[Drawingablank]

For anyone who was interested in the results, the neon fabric paint experiment has been a massive fail.

I have tried many fabric craft paints and the only ones that are not transparent go on like a layer of plastic. I don't much see myself wanting to wear a coat with about 40 pounds of paint on it so it's now down to springing a small fortune for opaque silk screen inks or just making another coat from scratch.

Or sewing some pockets on that big fuzzy bathrobe.

That's disappointing, I'm sorry for your frustration.

There is one last hope.

Tonight I'm heading over to the art store to buy a set of curves for scaling the pattern so I may see if anyone there has any suggestions. I believe that most acrylic paints mixed with approx 20% gel medium will be usable for fabric, but finding an opaque flourescent paint seems to be the hard part.

[MyDearFriend]

For anyone who was interested in the results, the neon fabric paint experiment has been a massive fail.

I have tried many fabric craft paints and the only ones that are not transparent go on like a layer of plastic. I don't much see myself wanting to wear a coat with about 40 pounds of paint on it so it's now down to springing a small fortune for opaque silk screen inks or just making another coat from scratch.

Or sewing some pockets on that big fuzzy bathrobe.

That's disappointing, I'm sorry for your frustration.

Me too! I have had some good luck with fabric paints, though, I have never tried to make them glow.

[Drawingablank]

For anyone who was interested in the results, the neon fabric paint experiment has been a massive fail.

I have tried many fabric craft paints and the only ones that are not transparent go on like a layer of plastic. I don't much see myself wanting to wear a coat with about 40 pounds of paint on it so it's now down to springing a small fortune for opaque silk screen inks or just making another coat from scratch.

Or sewing some pockets on that big fuzzy bathrobe.

That's disappointing, I'm sorry for your frustration.

Me too! I have had some good luck with fabric paints, though, I have never tried to make them glow.

Ah well, the glow was more of an afterthought and would have been cool if it worked as an all in one paint. The glow in the dark paint is virtually invisible under normal light though so could be painted over regular paint. Apparently most fabric paints are designed for use on a white fabric and are transparent which reduces the amount of pigment solids needed making them more flexible. All the neon fabric paints I have tried do glow under black light, but for me that is secondary to having bright colors under normal light.

[MyDearFriend]

Ah well, the glow was more of an afterthought and would have been cool if it worked as an all in one paint. The glow in the dark paint is virtually invisible under normal light though so could be painted over regular paint. Apparently most fabric paints are designed for use on a white fabric and are transparent which reduces the amount of pigment solids needed making them more flexible. All the neon fabric paints I have tried do glow under black light, but for me that is secondary to having bright colors under normal light.

So, I guess I am confused. I thought you were making a coat for night time? Variable-to-low light conditions?

And, hmmm, I have painted on white, black, forest green, light brown, dark red, can't remember what all else and have been quite happy with the results, so... maybe I can't help you but it seems like one of us is missing something here???

[lazerfox]

So, I guess I am confused.

Me too...I've made use of glow and UV reactive paints but not sure what the desired outcome is here(??)

[Drawingablank]

Ah well, the glow was more of an afterthought and would have been cool if it worked as an all in one paint. The glow in the dark paint is virtually invisible under normal light though so could be painted over regular paint. Apparently most fabric paints are designed for use on a white fabric and are transparent which reduces the amount of pigment solids needed making them more flexible. All the neon fabric paints I have tried do glow under black light, but for me that is secondary to having bright colors under normal light.

So, I guess I am confused. I thought you were making a coat for night time? Variable-to-low light conditions?

And, hmmm, I have painted on white, black, forest green, light brown, dark red, can't remember what all else and have been quite happy with the results, so... maybe I can't help you but it seems like one of us is missing something here???

Lets see if I can clarify this because I'm wide open for suggestions.

Yes, a night time coat. Bright neon colors (pink, lime, blaze orange, chartreuse) in normal lighting (not necessarily daylight). Glow under black light when near one a plus. Glow in the dark a bonus (that part is easily added after the coat is done). I may add some el wire as well.

Base color 1960 ish army green (not quite olive drab). Paint to be applied to entire coat in a camo pattern. I don't want any dimensional or thick textured paint - it would be way too heavy (this is a 2x greatcoat - approx total fabric surface is 6.5 to 7 yards).

Application technique - I can airbrush, block print, brush paint, stencil, or silk screen (would prefer not to silk screen as it is a one off and making the screens takes a lot of work). I have a flash dryer for heat setting if needed.

I have tried a crap ton of florescent paints at this point and almost all are transparent. The few that haven't been formed a thick plastic like coating which was unsuitable. Have tried paints from a variety of online sources as well as the local craft stores. Have considered painting the entire coat white first, but fear that may make the coat too heavy or stiff.

[waxpraxis]

Have considered painting the entire coat white first, but fear that may make the coat too heavy or stiff.

Have you considered bleaching it?

[Drawingablank]

Have considered painting the entire coat white first, but fear that may make the coat too heavy or stiff.

Have you considered bleaching it?

No, but that's a great idea. I will experiment with that on a non essential part like the belt.

[lazerfox]

I know this may not be as pretty but have you thought of using fluorescent gaffer tape? They are pretty bright in normal light and also shine well under UV light.

While looking for paint on a site shared with me by an awesome burner (http://eplaya.burningman.org/memberlist ... le&u=45286) I found this rope...maybe it can be used? http://blacklight.com/items/SW100

Also, I know you said you tried all kinds of paint but have you tried this one? http://blacklight.com/items/WF161-6PK The description sounds similar to what you are describing.

Hope there is some help in here somewhere...

[waxpraxis]

Glad to be of help. I've only bleached clothing once on purpose and it worked well (I've accidentally bleached a few spots on clothing while cleaning up more times than I care to share!)

I believe you're supposed to dilute bleach before using it as it can just eat right through cloth otherwise. There seem to be a few decent guides online - really looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

[C.f.M.]

Mmmm...I have to stick with my original idea of using colors you want (fabric) and then painting the clear stuff over it (that will glow at night).

[Drawingablank]

I know this may not be as pretty but have you thought of using fluorescent gaffer tape? They are pretty bright in normal light and also shine well under UV light.

While looking for paint on a site shared with me by an awesome burner (http://eplaya.burningman.org/memberlist ... le&u=45286) I found this rope...maybe it can be used? http://blacklight.com/items/SW100

Also, I know you said you tried all kinds of paint but have you tried this one? http://blacklight.com/items/WF161-6PK The description sounds similar to what you are describing.

A coat covered completely with pieces of gaffer tape seems like it would be rather stiff and a potential moop factory.

Rope sounds good but enough to cover 7 yards of fabric would likely be rather heavy and stiff.

I looked at that paint on blacklight.com, but it says to paint it over a white background so I didn't try it.

Mmmm...I have to stick with my original idea of using colors you want (fabric) and then painting the clear stuff over it (that will glow at night).

Ideally that would be optimal and I've seen fabric in the desired color, but I was really trying to avoid sewing up another coat from scratch this year as I have so much other crap to work on and only 34 days before we leave. My old army coat can be made to fit by sewing a 6 inch wide strip down the back center which should take under an hour (I've gained 100 pounds since I last wore it).

Glad to be of help. I've only bleached clothing once on purpose and it worked well (I've accidentally bleached a few spots on clothing while cleaning up more times than I care to share!)

I believe you're supposed to dilute bleach before using it as it can just eat right through cloth otherwise. There seem to be a few decent guides online - really looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

Yes I have been researching this and I am leaning towards a bleach tie die which was a fad on jeans back in my younger days. I could then apply the colors over the bleached area.

To be honest I would just wear the coat in its plain green state, but having to enlarge it there will be a large mismatched strip down the back that I'd like to make blend in more. The closest I have been able to match it is the back of some denim hunting camo yard goods.

[C.f.M.]

You don't have to sew from scratch, just add the fabric to the existing coat.

[Drawingablank]

You don't have to sew from scratch, just add the fabric to the existing coat.

I considered that, but it just seemed that tailoring the fabric to be even close to the coat shape was more effort than cutting out a pattern and sewing from scratch. And if I didn't tailor it I was concerned it might look more like one of those blankets with sleeves they advertise on tv.

I also want to thank you and everyone else for the great suggestions. I will do some experiments tonight and hopefully resolve this.

[illy dilly]

DrawingaBlank,
I'm really sorry for coming into this conversation soo late, and minorly changing subject.
We are trying to do a cyber fetish thing one night. We were going to sew a bunch of day glow colored fabric in places. Then light it up with UV LED's.
BUT, if there is fabric paint that could do the job, with the UV LED it could be easier.

What brands of day glow fabric paint did you use?

[Drawingablank]

DrawingaBlank,
I'm really sorry for coming into this conversation soo late, and minorly changing subject.
We are trying to do a cyber fetish thing one night. We were going to sew a bunch of day glow colored fabric in places. Then light it up with UV LED's.
BUT, if there is fabric paint that could do the job, with the UV LED it could be easier.

What brands of day glow fabric paint did you use?

I have tried quite a few and have yet to find a neon / flourescent fabric paint that does not glow under blacklight. As long as you paint them on white most are visible under normal light as well. When painted atop white they glow a bit brighter, but will glow under blacklight even when painted on dark fabric.

Just check any you buy under a blacklight and return them if they don't glow. Or bring a battery powered blacklight to the store if you have one - you will be able to see the glow through the bottles (does not work on the aerosols mentioned below as they are in cans).

Tulip brand matt finish seems most economical with a list price of about 6.00 for 4 ounces (AC Moore, print the coupons from their site and get it 50% off - so under 1.00 per ounce). Just bring a person for each bottle as the coupons are one per customer per day. Tulip also makes dimensional neon paints as well - these would be interesting for thin lines or writing, but not for large areas.

I also tried an aerosol spray (from the craft store) that was available in regular and stencil. The regular was transparent and the stencil is opaque but goes on thick and heavy. IIRC these were also from Tulip but I'm at work and can't check atm (about 6.50 each for 2.5 ounces).

I did not try any airbrush neons as they all seem to be transparent.

I have tried jaquard brand (art store) - good, but a bit thin and fairly pricey. I also tried several others (I don't recall the brand atm) from the art store that seemed no better than the cheap stuff from the craft store.

I mail ordered a couple non fabric paints but for the most part these did not perform any better than the cheap craft store paints and were substantially more expensive (I paid 6.00 per ounce for one of them).

Hope this helps.

[SouthernExposure]

Please forgive me if this approach has already been considered, but could you paint the fluorescent paints on separate white cloth, cut out in the desired shapes and sew them to your coat? This bypasses the bleaching and gets you back to what steps the manufacturers are suggesting for the best results for their paints.

I have used GITD acrylic for projects before and they don't glow for very long at all. They may come alive in black light, but I haven't tried that.

SE

[Drawingablank]

Please forgive me if this approach has already been considered, but could you paint the fluorescent paints on separate white cloth, cut out in the desired shapes and sew them to your coat? This bypasses the bleaching and gets you back to what steps the manufacturers are suggesting for the best results for their paints.

I have used GITD acrylic for projects before and they don't glow for very long at all. They may come alive in black light, but I haven't tried that.

SE

I did consider it but that is pretty much the same process used for my pants and they took months to complete and the coat has about 5 times the surface area.

Basically this coat is a half assed solution. Since my original brocade pirate coat didn't work out and I'm running out of time, I am just looking to quickly slap together something a bit out of the ordinary. I hesitate to spend too much time on it as over the winter I will be sewing up another brocade coat for next year (but making sure it fits me this time).

If I could convice the family to stop eating for a month I'd just take off of work and get it all done but they seem oddly attached to steady meals.

[SouthernExposure]

Perhaps you could speed up the process by hot glueing the patches to the coat.

I can build a V-8 engine for a car entirely out of hot glue, and make the body out of duct tape. Ok, I'm kidding, it's a V-6.

SE

[Drawingablank]

Perhaps you could speed up the process by hot glueing the patches to the coat.

I can build a V-8 engine for a car entirely out of hot glue, and make the body out of duct tape. Ok, I'm kidding, it's a V-6.

SE

Interesting idea, but it might be lighter and more flexible if i just cut it out of sheet metal, rivet on some stovepipe sleeves and spray paint the whole thing.

I saw this site http://www.duckbrand.com/promotions/stu ... -2011.aspxand I did actually consider just making an entire coat out of duct tape though.

[lazerfox]

Duck Tape is pretty amazing...and now comes in some seriously stylin' colors/"fabrics"...

[lazerfox]

P.S. IMHO I think these kids will make awesome burners sometime soon
http://www.duckbrand.com/Promotions/stu ... /5453.aspx

[illy dilly]

If I could convice the family to stop eating for a month I'd just take off of work and get it all done but they seem oddly attached to steady meals.

Those hungry ass holes, with their empty stomachs!

Thank you very much for the help!
We'll probably just go with the tulip pants then. Our idea is to trim a lot of the seams and stuff. Then sew in some UV LEDs... If the damned UV LED's will ever show up!
Errr!!!

Here is my thought.
Bleach the damned thing!
I think I read that it was mostly cotton. I think it would bleach pretty good. Just make sure you run your washing machine through a rinse cycle when your done, or do your whites.

[illy dilly]

Duck Tape is pretty amazing...and now comes in some seriously stylin' colors/"fabrics"...

Right, I have some of the tye-dye.
I find that Duct tape and gaz (sp?) are the only band aids that actually stick when you're camping.

But I had no idea that they make Duct Tape sheets now!
http://www.duckbrand.com/Promotions/stu ... lette.aspx

[Drawingablank]

Duck Tape is pretty amazing...and now comes in some seriously stylin' colors/"fabrics"...

Yah I picked up a few rolls of a magenta zebra print - they have a lot more styles than what they show on that site.

[Drawingablank]

Thank you very much for the help!
We'll probably just go with the tulip pants then. Our idea is to trim a lot of the seams and stuff. Then sew in some UV LEDs... If the damned UV LED's will ever show up!
Errr!!!

Yah, the tulip fabric paints seem to work just as well as the expensive ones, at less than half the price if you use a coupon. The only drawback is I think they only have 4 colors that are neon - pink, orange, yellow and green. There may be others but I haven't tried them all and don't have a battery powered black light to drag into the store.

[illy dilly]

lol, Like a CSI you're walking around the store with a black light! Looking for 'glowing samples'

[Sic Pup]

Duck Tape is pretty amazing...and now comes in some seriously stylin' colors/"fabrics"...

Yah I picked up a few rolls of a magenta zebra print - they have a lot more styles than what they show on that site.

I saw some wild designs in Target the other day, still trying to figure out why the "Hello Kitty" is $1 more, I'm thinking she must be getting a cut.

[Drawingablank]

Duck Tape is pretty amazing...and now comes in some seriously stylin' colors/"fabrics"...

Yah I picked up a few rolls of a magenta zebra print - they have a lot more styles than what they show on that site.

I saw some wild designs in Target the other day, still trying to figure out why the "Hello Kitty" is $1 more, I'm thinking she must be getting a cut.

I have been starting to see this stuff all over the place and the lowest price I have found so far is 3.97 per roll at AC Moore ( marked as a special so can't lower that with a coupon). Most stores seem to be getting 5.00 a roll. They have a big selection, but no hello kitty.