Mask Dyeing

[lhamilton1807]

I wanted to try dyeing a mask, and my Profiler seemed like a great test subject.

• Mask with light-colored rubber and/or plastic (I used a Profiler “Shark”).
• Synthetic fabric dye (Rit Dye More, iDye Poly Synthetic, or equivalent). Buy online or at a craft store like Michael’s or Joanne’s Fabrics.
• Sacrificial pot, long salad tongs, cookie sheet, and cookie drying rack from 2nd hand store (DON’T use them for food ever again)
• long rubber gloves

Rit dye is non toxic and can be used indoors - it smelled some but wasn’t bad when used indoors. It also requires less heat than iDye, which is why I used it. Didn’t want to melt anything.

• Instructions: https://www.ritdye.com/instructions/...thetic-fibers/
• Video: https://youtu.be/7cOUXmg_Ovg

iDye suggests outdoor use due to the fumes. Their formula requires a rolling boil, but their video shows plastic sunglasses, wigs, and wiffle balls being dyed without problems.

• Instructions: https://www.jacquardproducts.com/s/i...tions-gsne.pdf
• Video: https://vimeo.com/412534242?embedded...owner=18159888

Process I followed:

1. Clean the mask thoroughly and remove all bands, elastic, clips, lenses, visors, etc. If you wish to dye those pieces, they should be separate loose pieces on the dye pot. If the foam is removable, take it out. Mine had the glue separate, so I’ll have to glue it back in. YMMV.
   1. Note: I tied a shoelace in a loop through the harder plastic to use as a hanging device to suspend it in the liquid. This wasn’t necessary in the end.
2. Get the water to near boiling (~200F/94C) then add the dye. For darker shades, add two bottles. I just used one. Add a tablespoon of dish soap. Stir thoroughly.
3. While wearing the long gloves, slowly sink the mask under the water. I used the salad tongs to make sure the whole mask was submerged at all times to get an even coat. Once the mask foam separated, the mask stayed down on its own due to reduced buoyancy. Even though it rested on the bottom of the pot, nothing melted or became malformed - the heat on the electric coil stove stayed at 7-7.5.
4. Keep the temperature just below boiling and occasionally stir the liquid so the dye particles don’t settle at the bottom. Ensure the whole mask is always submerged.
5. I left mine in for about 90 minutes. The longer it’s in the pot, the darker the end result.
6. I took a picture at 15 min into the process and again after rinsing it off at 90 min. I expected it to be the darkest when wet, but it actually darkened as it dried. I’m happy with the end result - should be a great mask for woodsball play.

Before dyeing:



15 min in the dye:


After 90 min in the dye and final rinse:



After completely drying, a few hours later:

[Jonnydread]

Thanks for sharing man! I have a Profiler kicking around that I don't use anymore, I should try this.

[lhamilton1807]

Post pictures!

[Tarak]

This turned out really nice, thanks for the information and write-up!

[Chuck E Ducky]

Here are a few that I have done. Tiger was orange frames covered in high temp Tiger stripe vinyl then dyed black. Same method.

[lhamilton1807]

They look great! Which dye brand did you use?

[Chuck E Ducky]

Rit Synthetic

[lhamilton1807]

FYI - rinse and squeeze out your foam until the water is clear. I didn’t do a good enough job and the next time I played (and got the foam all sweaty) I had green smudges around my eyes 🥸

[Chuck E Ducky]

I remove it and glue it back on with super glue. I’m not messing around and screwing up my OG sandanas.

[Siress]

I had better luck with rubber cement myself.

[Chuck E Ducky]

I have always just used super glue the jell kind to fix mask foam and when I do it don’t ever come off again. So that’s my go to. I just make sure the lens is out so I don’t mess anything up. I do this with all my flex mask’s because because the new way they install the foam looks goofy and hangs over the frame. I aline the top edge and bottom edge let the foam squeeze together in the middle and glue it in place. The foam fits and looks much nicer. But a lot of people use rubber cement I’m pretty sure that’s what JT uses.

[lhamilton1807]

I use fabric glue. Specifically Gorilla Glue brand, but I assume most fabric flues will work fine. Comes in a big enough tube to be easy to apply and is thick enough that it won’t soak into the foam. Apply to top 1/2 of the lens surround area, spread it thin w a Q-tip, apply the foam, the. Repeat w the bottom. This keeps it from drying before the foam is pressed on.

[lhamilton1807]

I got a Grill 2.0 for cheap last year at SuperGame and prefer darker colors. I used iDye Poly for this run (stinks far more than Rit Synthetic!) and threw in some trimmer line so I can print black nylon instead of baby blue. Turned out nice! It looks more green in person - a really dark forest green.

[Chuck E Ducky]

My Highlighter yellow proshield bottoms started to lighten up that I dyed. So I re dyed them with just royal purple and no blue this time. They came out much better this time really matches the purple IZE frames and visor well. Happy how these came out and it’s definitely a one if a kind mask since they never made purple Proshields. I think they came out pretty good for being basically a test piece on a dye job gone bad. Someone attempted to dye these with the wrong product and they came out Babby Crap Green. I got them to take color nicely after a buddy gave them to me and said have at it.

[ChillswitchEngage]

Would like some input for a project mask to dye as my first attempt. As part of a promo for buying a field membership, I apparently get a free cheetah print EVS like below. I was thinking dyeing it either black, or a very dark wine/burgundy color. For black, I've heard the Rit dyemore graphite tends to come out more green pretty often, would the iDye Poly stuff be better?

[lhamilton1807]

I’ve not used the Rit Synthetic black. IDye Poly worked really well on my Grill. Just keep in mind that whatever you choose, the result will be a combo of the current color and the dye color. Dyeing that mask with black would result in a dark orange. The longer it’s in the dye, the darker the color.

IDye Poly will make your house stink for a while. It’s supposed to be non-toxic but… you know. If you have a camp stove and can dye outdoors, that’s a better route. The pot you use should be dedicated to dyeing - never cook in it again. I found an enamel canning pot for cheap at Goodwill.

[ChillswitchEngage]

@Ihamilton1807 Understood! I thought black/yellow would make a dark green though? Thank you for the advice on a dedicated pot and doing outdoors, we got a outdoor grill with a side burner that should be perfect. I understand they are dyed for a few minutes at a time, I think one post said to wait ~2min and check it again for color? For getting the darkest dye possible, how long can it be submerged in the boiling water total though before any sort of actual concern for integrity or otherwise warping would come into play?

[lhamilton1807]

Regarding color combinations, it really depends on how the manufacturer reaches “black.” If they use a dark purple, it’ll combine differently than if they use black. I think the iDye has a blueish tint to it. Different plastics will also absorb the color differently. My Grill vent part (removable part with the slits for ventilation) started the same color as the rest of the mask but it took on a much blacker color than the other green parts. I assume this is because it’s a different material.

Both my masks above were in the pot for over an hour. Rit suggests hot water just below a boil, and iDye suggests a rolling boil. Neither temp seemed to separate hard plastic from the rubber. If you’re going for a specific color, check every few minutes.