Firefly , Mal Reynolds questions.

[Zeppo]

What looks like the bias, is just where the ribbon was stitched onto the pants.

Patattack - that was likely my post about how I did the stripe on my pants, as that's the exact method I used.

This was the original ribbon I bought:

I ran it through a few different dye and diluted bleach baths to get the colour just right:

Here's the final look of the pants:

You have to make sure you find a cotton or other natural fibre version, polyester won't take the dye. Someone I know tried it with the polyester, and boiled it in the dye for over an hour, and it barely took on any of the colour.

 

[Risu]

So then how is it stitched on? It looks pretty clear to me that the edge is a lighter/glossier brown than the stripes and definitely not white. It also looks like it has some bulk to it.

 

[Zeppo]

You can actually see the stitching in the darker brown stripes on the edges.

That bulk, is actually a shadow under the edge of the ribbon. On the forward side of it, the stitching is further back from the edge, and it's kind of pulled away from how he's sitting.

 

[Risu]

I see what you mean now. I guess I'll have to track some of the stuff down in a natural fiber, any tips?

Now I'm torn on which trousers to buy. A long time ago I bought a pair of the Wah Maker Frontier trousers from WWMerc (ended up being the wrong size and had a financial crisis, so I sent them back for a refund), but they were nearly 100% in the details. The stamped design on the suspender buttons was even pretty similar. The cut of the split back was even right. The ONLY problem is that the fabric was a cotton duck that was quite a bit too dark. In that respect, the Frontier Classic trousers win hands down, but the details of those ones are way off. I've had quite a bit of luck with Rit color remover since then and I could probably leach all the color out of the Wah pants, but I don't have much faith in my ability to bring them back to the correct color, and the duck canvas might have a bit too heavy a weave. And then you have to take into account the price, the Wah's are twice as expensive. Any thoughts?

 

[Fetts.Sobriquet]

I've been able to dye polyester before without any problems. It took a few tries the first time, but I started using a dye carrier and synthrapol when I dye polyester and have had no issues since. I did have to use a little extra dye.

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[Risu]

Please do. Could you explain your process in depth? And are you just using Rit, or a different brand?

 

[Fetts.Sobriquet]

No never Rit with polyester. You have to use a disperse dye (had to order online) that is for polyester and you use a dye carrier and synthrapol detergent. It is a MAJOR pain and it smells very bads. This was for a whole shirt. For this ribbon I don't plan on dying in the normal fashion. I plan on diluting some pigment dye that binds to polyester and using it to dye the ribbon. It's transparent, like dye so it will only dye the white part. Much easier application and process than what we did for the shirt.

 

[jason1976]

DOAH! I wish I had read that before I ordered the ribbon. I just ordered both the light brown and white, and the dark brown and white ribbons, to be on the safe side. I can't ordered dyes, and stuff like that online. (No credit card, and too many places don't take paypal, plus I hate paying shipping on little things like a bottle of dye.) Plus, the process sound awful. (I'm sure it will work well for you, I'm just saying I live in a very small apartment, and I work with bad enough smelling chemicals, toxic stuff, and things that can ruin carpet etc. ) It's bad enough that I try to use RIT dye in this place, I really have no business working with anything worse.

Oh, well, I'll have the ribbon, who knows, maybe I can find someone to do the dying for me. (though I have to say, the white strips on that ribbon, look too wide to me, but then I'm half blind. :lol)

 

[Fetts.Sobriquet]

DOAH! I wish I had read that before I ordered the ribbon. I just ordered both the light brown and white, and the dark brown and white ribbons, to be on the safe side. I can't ordered dyes, and stuff like that online. (No credit card, and too many places don't take paypal, plus I hate paying shipping on little things like a bottle of dye.) Plus, the process sound awful. (I'm sure it will work well for you, I'm just saying I live in a very small apartment, and I work with bad enough smelling chemicals, toxic stuff, and things that can ruin carpet etc. ) It's bad enough that I try to use RIT dye in this place, I really have no business working with anything worse.

Oh, well, I'll have the ribbon, who knows, maybe I can find someone to do the dying for me. (though I have to say, the white strips on that ribbon, look too wide to me, but then I'm half blind. :lol)

Hold on to your ribbon. I'm going to try a few techniques. Some are easier than others and some use off the shelf dyes and chemicals that don't smell horrible. That's why I ordered so much extra ribbon. I need to get a process mapped because I have some other small polyester things I have to dye for other projects. If I come up with a solution I'll let you know. I'll post all the dying results here as an FYI and for information sharing.

 

[Risu]

I just noticed though that the ebay ribbon has the wrong number of stripes. It would be great if Zeppo could jump back in and help us track down some of the ribbon he got.

 

[Fetts.Sobriquet]

I just noticed though that the ebay ribbon has the wrong number of stripes. It would be great if Zeppo could jump back in and help us track down some of the ribbon he got.

6 brown and 5 tan stripes right? I thought those were the right numbers for the screen used.

 

[jason1976]

Hold on to your ribbon. I'm going to try a few techniques. Some are easier than others and some use off the shelf dyes and chemicals that don't smell horrible. That's why I ordered so much extra ribbon. I need to get a process mapped because I have some other small polyester things I have to dye for other projects. If I come up with a solution I'll let you know. I'll post all the dying results here as an FYI and for information sharing.

That sounds great. Thank you.

 

[Risu]

It looks like they should have white stripes on the outside edges, so 6 brown, 7 white.

 

[jason1976]

I actualy think what your seeing is the seem of his pants, that is just in front of the ribbon, making it look like there is another strip of lighter color.

I konw the ribbon zeppo had, has white one both outside edges, but it just doesn't look they way to me, in the pics of the real pants. (then again, I'm half blind. :lol)

 

[Risu]

Definitely not the seam, that's placed a good distance away from the ribbon. Looking at the previously posted pic again, I'd actually say it looks more like 7 brown and 6 white. So the right colors on the edges, but not enough stripes/they're too wide.

 

[jason1976]

Now, that could be. DOAH, now I have a bunch of the wrong ribbon on it's way to me. Oh, well I'll find some use for it.

 

[Fetts.Sobriquet]

DANG IT. I have this on the way too. Yeesh, I need something so I'm just running with this ribbon until someone can track down something closer. I've looked at so much striped ribbon this week I'm going cross eyed.

 

[Risu]

Haha. At least the ribbon is really cheap. I keep second guessing the number of stripes based on different images. Every now and then I even see one that makes me think "OK, come on, that's GOT to be textured stripes/wales".

And in classic Risu fashion, I'm once again going to second guess myself and correct a statement I made earlier about the pants. The picture posted on the first page (the high res image of the stripe) is part of a really high res publicity photo of Mal sitting in the cockpit. I just found the full image and after zooming all the way in I noticed that his pants actually ARE made of duck canvas, which makes the Wah Maker pants accurate in every way except color (which actually matches some images I've seen anyways depending on lighting). As soon as I get the funds together, I think it's going to be time to buy a pair. Then I need to find a good second pair of suspenders for the back/tabs.

Btw, one of my teachers has a pair of slip on shoes with what's at least a SIMILAR toe shape/pattern with the sections/strip things and what looks like a really close sole (it's all black instead of that mustard color from the Serenity promo pics). Next time he wears them to class I'm going to ask him what brand they are. Who knows, maybe they're the ones.

 

[Risu]

One more post for good measure.

The jeans are from Serenity I think and the other image is the one from before. I can't tell for sure, but I think the ribbons are the same on both pairs of pants. I'm at a loss at this point for finding a good ribbon, just posting these shots in hopes that somebody else can figure it out.

 

[Fetts.Sobriquet]

Thank you Risu! I'm really looking forward to hearing about those shoes!