A good way to age clothing?

[Sulla]

I want to put together a custom outfit. Think video war game scout - rough, muddy, possibly snowy environments, rough cotton coat, bdu pants, etc.

I don't really want nasty muddy pants, but stains and wear are good. I'll take sand paper, scissors, power tools to it for the physical aging but I've never done this before. What I need help with is stains. mud, dirt, fading cloth, maybe a little blood...

Suggestions?

 

[Funky]

For the mud affect just add some brown to some liquid latex then apply with a brush. It works great! Stays "glossy" so it looks like mud and will hold up to several washings.

 

[FANGS]

Tea works really great for aging. Either soaking the whole thing in or dabbing a soaked tea bag in certain areas. Also, dragging whatever it is around in the dirt and stuff and then rinsing it off with a hose (don't wash or all of it will go completely away) will give you great patterns to follow to go over it with acrylic paints. I usually water them down. I've even been known to wear the costume and roll around outside so it gets the dirt in the right places. Misting with spray paints in blacks and browns also helps. If you want blood, make sure to use a browny red so it's dried blood.

I've aged lots of things but because this one is white and shows up the best I'll use it as my example. It was for a Snow Maurader costume. Everything, aside from the goalie stick and old school shin guards were bright white before I started. All of the fabric was washed so it was all clean.....just permanently stained. I should have done more of the tea staining on the catsuit but it's all trial and error. Weathering is one of my most fun costuming techniques to do!

 

[Darth Mule]

Acrylic paints and RIT dyes are my best friends when distressing clothing. The dyes are more for set-in stains and the paints for topical stains. FJ's suggestion of the liquid latex for caked on mud is good. I use a substance called sculpt or coat for the same purpose. Works well on boots too. Better if you mix it with brown paint and sawdust.

Get one of those $4.95 multi-packs of paintbrushes from the craft store and a pre-val sprayer from Lowe's for your dyes. Remember that dirt colors are varied and layered. Browns, yellows, blacks, greys, and reds.

 

[Sulla]

Thanks all. I settled on some gray coveralls as the base to my costume. I look forward to distressing it.

 

[iycis]

Tea will break down fibers more quickly and can cause your costume to start to disintegrate over time. I don't recommend that method. Dyes that are meant for fabrics would be more ideal.

 

[Funky]

Tea will break down fibers more quickly and can cause your costume to start to disintegrate over time. I don't recommend that method. Dyes that are meant for fabrics would be more ideal.

In this case, wouldn't that be a good thing? :lol

 

[division 6]

For dirt in the weave of the fabric I mist with spray paint or primer than throw it in the shower and scrub it down with a scotch pad, then hang to dry.

D6

 

[Capn_Jack_Savvy]

Old portable cement mixer, rocks, and set it to slow speed. Your costume will be nicely weathered and worn by the time you finish the first cycle.

Don't forget dilute bleach, Ben Nye's fullers earth, and dilute rit dye. Acrylic paints work well too so long as you don't intend on washing out the costume pieces frequently.

 

[Ace Replicas]

Here is an example of a brand new pair of coveralls that I aged for my Bloody Valentine costume. I hung them first then misted them with gray and black automotive primer. I than used a round nose carbide cutter in a die grinder and made the holes and frays. I finished by brusing on brown face paint that I picked up at a costume shop. In a matter of 1 hour I made it look pretty worn and dirty.

Michael

 

[mothmonty]

I've always done the various paints, I also use a heavy grit sandpaper. My tatooine stalker I went to town, tea dye, brown, black green spray paint, sandpaper and cut and tore some holes in it. Then I washed it (without soap) and dried it so the holes and tears frayed.

 

[Sulla]

Thanks all, very good ideas - lots of food for thought.

I found a great economically priced pair of gray coveralls I'd like to use, but they are a little darker than I want. I don't want to dye them; is there a way to 'wash the color out' a bit? You know - fade them all over? I don't care if they get extra faded in some places or less so in others - like around stitching, folds, etc.

I have a HE clothes washer that has yet to really fade any clothing, so repeated washes won't cut it... :rolleyes

 

[Guri]

Here's some tips and progress photos I did on the weathering process:

http://www.jedielfqueen.com/lotr/costumes/eomer/weathering/weathering.htm

 

[WebChief]

I've used acryllic paints, dyes, actual grease and dirt, tea, coffee, sandpaper and even dragging it on the concrete outside.

 

[dkwd]

Tea works really great for aging. Either soaking the whole thing in or dabbing a soaked tea bag in certain areas. Also, dragging whatever it is around in the dirt and stuff and then rinsing it off with a hose (don't wash or all of it will go completely away) will give you great patterns to follow to go over it with acrylic paints. I usually water them down. I've even been known to wear the costume and roll around outside so it gets the dirt in the right places. Misting with spray paints in blacks and browns also helps. If you want blood, make sure to use a browny red so it's dried blood.

I've aged lots of things but because this one is white and shows up the best I'll use it as my example. It was for a Snow Maurader costume. Everything, aside from the goalie stick and old school shin guards were bright white before I started. All of the fabric was washed so it was all clean.....just permanently stained. I should have done more of the tea staining on the catsuit but it's all trial and error. Weathering is one of my most fun costuming techniques to do!

Fangs, What's the Snow Maurader from?

David

 

[Riceball]

I like the idea of tea and acylics along with rolling around the dirt with them and really getting the dirt worn into the fibers; I've weathered the tac vest that I wear for my Stargate costume by simply wearing it paintballing and only cleaning lightly afterward. Another good way is to just simply wear the costume around while working around anything dirty like the yard or your car and just don't be afraid to get it dirty; nothing stains quite like oil & grease and add some dirt and you'll have one nice and dirty costume piece. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a big fan of the natural method of weathering.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the rattle can misting technique, the examples of what I've seen look too much like they've been misted by spray paint and don't have enough of a natural weathered appearance to them. Now if you can figure out a way to make the paint spots blend in more then that technique would probably work very well but as is those tiny little paint spots just don't look right to me.

 

[Capn_Jack_Savvy]

Weathering with bleach and tea before and after pics. Also some sand paper too with a Xacto knife for nicks and cuts!

 

[Riceball]

A little bit of trivia regarding weathering with tea. British troops stationed in South Africa during the Boer Wars period in the 1800s used to dye their white gear and helmets with tea as a form of camouflage although this was only partially effective since they still red coats over black pants.

 

[Knowone251]

Lightly misting Design Masters spray paint in different shades of brown, green and black has worked well for me. Design masters is a floral spray paint that wont harm most fabrics.

 

[RPGnerd]

A heatgun can age fabric but be careful not to burn it, hanging it in a window getting sun exposure will age it, wearing it and getting it sweaty and not washing it a bit will add wear and show you where the natural wear areas will be.

Soaking in saltwater, can weather it a bit. Run it through multiple washing cycles to fade it and let it dry wrinkled... rubbing really fine sandpaper or steel wool on knees and elbows. Experiment.