Re-Dying Seatbelts

[jay_shy]

Very nice post.
I have a few questiuons for you. After bleaching and using the rit color remover are the belts pliable or are they stiff? Were they stiff when you started? Also, did you use the color remover with the hard plastic retractor covers on and the buckle covers on?

I am anxious to see how they turn out because I have a set that needs freshened up.

Jason

[jay_shy]

You have a PM!

[HOTFUN]

Wow ...great post. I have to say though, with the value and rarity of those red shoulder belts I would have myself experimented with a common lap belt first, just in case something went wrong. It does look like it will work great. Good work.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by HOTFUN

Wow ...great post. I have to say though, with the value and rarity of those red shoulder belts I would have myself experimented with a common lap belt first, just in case something went wrong. It does look like it will work great. Good work.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I DID experiment with a crappy pair FIRST. I did mention that I was going to do so prior to doing it with these seatbelts in an earlier post, but I did not document it with pics. Good call...I definitely would not have done this the first time with shoulder belts!

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by jay_shy

Very nice post.
I have a few questiuons for you. After bleaching and using the rit color remover are the belts pliable or are they stiff? Were they stiff when you started? Also, did you use the color remover with the hard plastic retractor covers on and the buckle covers on?

I am anxious to see how they turn out because I have a set that needs freshened up.

Jason

They were not too stiff, as each time I removed them, I rinsed them very well with a hose. I think they would definitley have stiffened up had I allowed them to dry in the sun with the bleaching solution left on. I Would soak them overnight. Then, I would allow them to dry in the sun during the day while I was at work. After the last bleaching/rinsing, I IMMEDIATELY put them in a bucket with fabric softener overnight. The next day I rinsed them clean, and allowed them to dry completely in the sun for about 3 days. I am in So Calif and it has been over 90 degrees for the past week, and the UV is very intense at this time of year so I do the think that has also helped the bleaching.

They were very pliable when I started, and at this point are just as (if not more) pliable. The fabric softener is responsible for this I am sure.

You can see the buckle covers bleached out but the retractor covers did not. DO NOT put the entire buckle assembly in the solution. Disassemble (as 68_chop_top says in his post) the buckles/retactors FIRST. The bleach will wreak HAVOC on pitted chrome, which most of these old belt buckles have to some degree, and freeze up the button/ buckle locking mechanism on the receptacles. You DONT want that.

I put ALL the plastic covers in just the rit color remover, per package directions along with the belts and it removed it in a SNAP from the hard plastic buckle covers.... DO NOT bother putting the retractor (floor boots) covers in ANY solution...they will NOT bleach out.

[leddzepp]

Here is the first of my test belts. It turned out pretty bright...I am going to try and bleach it down a little bit to soften the color. I do like the color...my truck is dark blue, and this blue is VERY dark and actually looks pretty good in my opinion. The belt is very soft and supple, feels and looks new, with NO stiffness. I used the liquid dye, and the stovetop method, per the directions. Bleaching them white prior to dyeing no doubt allowed the full bonding of the color. I have washed them several times by hand in a bucket, using regular laundry detergent, and have NO bleeding out of the color.

[leddzepp]

My next Dye will be a lighter shade called "Evening Blue 27" The darker shade above was "Royal Blue 29" I am seeking to duplicate the factory color of blue, and in the next experiment, I will use less of the Dye concentrate and keep close watch of the shade it takes on.

After that, I have come across some custom color charts that require mixing and blending of different shades of dye, and some of them look EXACTLY like factory colors (not just blue) in just about every shade. I will experiment with those and see what I come up with...

[westbrookw]

Sounds great. Going to try the blue to black.