Dyeing converse trainers??

smeeth

no idea about dyeing but I'd love a pair fluro yellow converse!

martin2345uk

Sorry guys, I couldn't do it!!!! I took them to FootLocker in the Trafford centre and got a full refund in cash including the £5 postage...

I felt more "moneysaving" that way as I really don't need another pair of trainers! :0)

jenniewb

Look for a dye which will take on the fabric of the shoes, I've no idea if your talking about cotton or nylon or polyester as I know Converse (and the mesh trainers another poster mentioned) make trainers of many varieties. Try first of all to determine what the fabric is, if in doubt, try to get the name or a decent description of the style/colour and when it was purchased and contact the head office and ask them if they are able to tell you what the fabric is.


In my mind there are two main types of fabric: natural fabrics and man-made fabrics.
Natural fabrics are things like cotton, linen, viscose, leather/suede and so on.
Man-made fabrics are things like nylon, polyester, plastic coated things and so on.


Natural dyes are the easiest to dye in my experience, man-made fibres are a little harder as you need to look for specialist dyes and these may only be available online or in larger or specialised haberdasheries. It isn't to my knowledge the sort of dye you can just pick up in Tescos for example so may take some hunting.


Once you have decided what the fabric is, found out what sort of dye you are looking for and purchased the dye and everything else you may need with it (normally things like salt and will be mentioned on the box) prepare yourself some time and some space to dye the trainers.


First of all, wash the trainers WITHOUT fabric conditioner, if you have any, a rinse of vinegar can help, the purpose of this wash is to get rid of any oils or surface dirt which will prevent you from getting an even coverage.
Once done, leave the shoes to soak so they are evenly covered in water- this last part isn't essential but I do this when dying fabrics to try to ensure an even coverage.


Follow the instructions of the dye, if your lucky enough to find a washing machine version (easier to use IMO), keep an eye on the temperature, ideally a hotter wash gets a more even result IMO but with trainers washing on a hot wash could ruin the plastics in the shoe.
If washing in a big bowl or vat, make sure it is very clean and holds enough space to take both trainers at the same time and that they have enough room to move around inside the big bowl. Keep both trainers in at the same time, keep stirring and make sure they are kept in for long enough- no matter how dark they seem they will lighten considerably once out, it never fails to suprize me just how much lighter fabric gets once dry- if your worried, try getting a few small pieces of rag in the same fabric to test this out. Remember trainer fabric will be thicker, so if your trainers are cotton, make sure you get a thicker cotton rag not just an old tea-towel. You can piece dye the trainers but it may be harder to get an even result or even that much depth in colour this way, fine if this isn't what you are looking for but it will be hard getting the trainers looking symmetrical this way, they will look very much home-done.


And be aware whatever dye you use will mix with the original colour, if your trainers are yellow, then using red will give you orange, using blue will give you green...etc etc.


Take a piece of the rag out, rinse till it runs clear and iron to get it dry quicker- you'll soon see what I mean.


Once the trainers are at the desired colour, take them out of the bowl and with cold water rinse them until they run pretty much clear (so they don't dye your socks and your toes when you wear them!).
Stuff the trainers with newspaper and leave by a radiator or warm and ventilated space to dry.


Oh and wear gloves throughout, aside from having coloured hands for a fairly long time afterwards it's not that healthy to mess with your skin by dying it!

macaroni

martin2345uk wrote: »

Sorry guys, I couldn't do it!!!! I took them to FootLocker in the Arndale centre and got a full refund in cash including the £5 postage...

I felt more "moneysaving" that way as I really don't need another pair of trainers! :0)

What a shame, but good on you for not keeping them and never wearing them. Im surprised you got the p&P refunded too! Well done !:rotfl:

TokSik

A cheap way around this problem is to get a LARGE black (or colour of your choice) indelible marker pen with a really thick felt end, and go over the sections of the trainers you want to dye.
I've done this before with a pair of bright flourescent green New Balance trainers, and it dyed them a treat. I occasionally had to re-do small parts where the black scuffed off. But it's a LOT cheaper than buying Dylon Dye, and it works on ANY material.