Re-Dying Seatbelts
 

I have a set of red shoulder harnesses/buckles that I would like to re-dye to match the factory medium blue color of the interior of my truck. I am sure some of you have done this. Any suggestions on stuff/techniques?

Re: Re-Dying Seatbelts
 

Here is what my factory seatbelts look like.

Re: Re-Dying Seatbelts
 

I tried doing it on a set of belts in a car I restored because they didn't make new belts at the time ,I used spray die and it ruined the belts they were stiff as a board I'm sure theres a right way to do it but the method I chose was not it .....hopefully someone who had a good experience will help you out with the proper way

Re: Re-Dying Seatbelts
 

Thanks...I have not had luck with the spray dye in the past with seatbelts. It works great on plastic, but not fabric. I ethought of going with that Rit liqid dye you can get at any store...

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I have used the rit dye but on black belts. If you can find the dye in that color which I doubt you can, it works great.


PT

Re: Re-Dying Seatbelts
 

google Rit dye. you can make custom colors by mixing the dyes...

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The potential problem with Rit dye or anything else is that you don't know what it's doing to the integrity of the belt material. I wouldn't want to find out that it was a bad idea at the last second.

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Looks like Rit all the way...

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well i got my 67 chevy truck seat belts from a guy in TN they where blue and in greart shape i paid $50 for them if any one whats
the # send me a prive message

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Maybe put a "want to swap" on the parts board; you get blue belts, they get red belts...

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He is not gonna swap shoulder belts :lol: for regular belts.



PT

Re: Re-Dying Seatbelts
 

Thank you, PT

Re: Re-Dying Seatbelts
 

i'd think to dye those red belts blue you'd first have to try bleaching the red out/then dye them blue// i doubt the dying process would affect the belts but the bleaching process would worry me

if i were to do it i'd search and try and get the correct size and color webbing and transfer the original ends onto it

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I looked into it, and Rit recommends removing the color with their color remover prior to re-dying. I do not know if it is bleach (probably is :lol:). I will go down to the store and see what the ingredients are.

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the strengh of seat belts???? I use the same one for years to lift and install engines all the time, never a fatality. built like a rock CHEVY

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I work at a linen plant were we wash sheets, table clothes, napkins, pretty much everything in a hotel or restaurant. Occasionally we will do a dye and re dye table clothes. It is extremely hard if something isn't right it gets all messed up. I have never tried it on anything like seat belts. But when I do it at work I run a bleach cycle first, sometimes even twice. Then I run the dye cycle it takes about 200 hundred degree water too. If I were you I would look into buying new ones. Just my 2 cents

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I tried to spruce up a blue set of belts using Rit and couldn't ever get them to look right. I even used several different shades of blue but they just never looked like they did originally. I would like to here about how the bleaching process turns out, keep us posted.

Jeff

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Will do, Jeff. I am going to try first on some belts I do not plan to use.

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I needed belts also and my interior was hugger orange. I bought used tan ones. I took them all apart. I bleached the belts numerous times until they were white. I used Rit dye in red and again in orange. I used boiling hot water and did it outside in a bucket. The finished belts and buckle were so clean and shiny that I used a weak bleach solution to fade them slightly. Alot of time but they match the interior. The integrity of the belt is NOT compromised!

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You might want to contact Jerry Brown at The Truck Shop, I believe he restores belts in most colors, I remember seeing rolls of seat belt material while I was there.
www.thetruckshop.com
The catalog lists the service as $175-225, but I think that's for a full set. Just two shoulder belts should be cheaper???

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After a lot of research, this is the route that I am going, as I am changing the color from red to blue. So far I have bleached twice, and they are really starting to fade. I will post pics later.

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I think the key is getting all the old color out of them first, which can be a lengthy process. I tried the Rit color remover they recommend prior to dyeing, and it didn't even fade them one bit! It actually brightened them up and cleaned them well. If you try to die over another color, it will just end up a mess. The key to this is (like most other things) PATIENCE. The bleaching is going well, using a 50/50 mix of clorox and water. I am going to do this several times to get all the color out and then use the Rit color remover again prior to dyeing. Each time after bleaching, I rinse the belts completely and let them dry in the sun. The UV seems to be the best thing to remove color.

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I could get them restored from just about any upholstery shop...way too rich for my blood, which is why I am re-dyeing them. Thanks for the input though.

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I totally understand, if it was me I'd be doing the same as you. Always gotta throw out all the options though.

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OK, here is what I have come up with after carefully bleaching, drying, and re-washing with fabric softener. I think they have turned out pretty well. They are slightly yellow at this point (due to the bleach) I am now ready for the final wash with Rit color remover to whiten them up a touch more, and then the actual dyeing process will begin. Note how the color did NOT come out of the rubber boots.