Firefly , Mal Reynolds questions.
- Thread starter jason1976
- Start date
Fetts.Sobriquet
Well-Known Member
Thanks, and thanks for all the info!
Fetts.Sobriquet
Well-Known Member
Here are my $15 Mal boots. I bought some remnant faux leather at the fabric store and converted some loafers I have into the boots. I know they aren't terribly accurate, but it was the best I could do with the tools I have and my skill set. These will get me by until I can have some custom boots made or get the MotorCowboy boots (if they will change the sole). They are costume quality, but I like 'em. I might still try to do the ribs on the side.
Charles Kline
Sr Member
Those turned out really good Fetts.Sobriquet
Fetts.Sobriquet
Well-Known Member
I considered buying these shoes as a base, but the cost was too much.
Well, I dyed all my ribbon last week, and it came out all wrong. I did it on a pot on the stove, with the same amount of water, for the same amount of time, but I don't have a washing machine, so I had to wash them out by hand, in cold water, and then later in wormer water, but that has never made a difference with any of the stuff I dyed in the past. Anyways. I thought the color looked off, but then I'm just a little color blind, so when My girlfriend was here this weekend, I showed the ribbon to her, and she said "I though you said it was supposed to be shades of brown, or brown, and tan, or something, that is green, and dark green striped. " 
I used dark brown RIT dye (the powder, not the liquid form) At least that's what the package I bout said it was.
So, I have ordered more ribbon, and this time, I am only dyeing a little bit of it, until I figure out what is going wrong.
I used dark brown RIT dye (the powder, not the liquid form) At least that's what the package I bout said it was.So, I have ordered more ribbon, and this time, I am only dyeing a little bit of it, until I figure out what is going wrong.
Fetts.Sobriquet
Well-Known Member
Green? Were you using the powder? Was this after you dried them completely? Are they Green right now, the color got browner for me after I took them out of the dryer. Mine shifted browns but weren't green. The pictures I posted are post dryer. That is flippin strange.
Jango Wes, were the ones I sent you the right color?
Jango Wes, were the ones I sent you the right color?
Fetts.Sobriquet
Well-Known Member
The only thing I can think of is to try a test strip and use a little more dark brown powder than you did last time, then don't wash it in the machine, just put in the sink and wash it, squeezing the extra dye out. Wash it in the sink for a minute and then put it right in the dryer and dry it completely.
I just took a picture of mine with my phone.I gave away all my extra or I would experiment more.
I just took a picture of mine with my phone.I gave away all my extra or I would experiment more.
Risu
Master Member
I used the liquid dye because it's what I had. At first I chalked it up to some dye residue left in the walls of my dye pot, but if it happened to somebody else maybe it's just the ribbon. Fetts, if you'd consider dying yardage of ribbon and selling it on to others for a fair price I would definitely be interested.
Jango Wes
Sr Member
Yeah bro, i really appreciate it. I ordered the wheat colored pants but they still seem off. Once i get them sewn on, I'll post pics.
Wes
Well, like I said, I Dyed mine with a half a pack of "Dark Brown" powdered, RIT dye. I heated a pot of water. (about 1.5 lt. of water) until it boiled. I put in the dye (the half pack that I mentioned.) And stirred until it was completely dissolved.
I added the ribbon, and stirred it for 25 minutes.
I took it out, and put it in really cold water in the sink (because, I live in an apartment, and I don't have a washing machine) a squeezed, and stroked the excess day out of the ribbon. Then I moved it to a clean pot of more cold water, and continued to to clean the excess dye out, and then I moved it to one more pot, of cold water, to make sure I got all of the excess out. Then I hung them up to dry. It been a week, and they are still green.
Now, If I pout them through the wash, or drier, that may change, but for now, they are green. I mean, I don't consider it a forest green, or neon green, they are a brown-ish-green, but very, clearly green. (again, green enough, that may girlfriend said, "those are dark green, and light green strips.)
It's no big deal. The ribbon is cheep, and I like dying stuff, so I don't mind giving it another try, when my next batch of ribbon gets here, and I can buy some fresh dye. (really don't want to try it with the other half of the pack I have, after what happened this time. )
I added the ribbon, and stirred it for 25 minutes.
I took it out, and put it in really cold water in the sink (because, I live in an apartment, and I don't have a washing machine) a squeezed, and stroked the excess day out of the ribbon. Then I moved it to a clean pot of more cold water, and continued to to clean the excess dye out, and then I moved it to one more pot, of cold water, to make sure I got all of the excess out. Then I hung them up to dry. It been a week, and they are still green.
Now, If I pout them through the wash, or drier, that may change, but for now, they are green. I mean, I don't consider it a forest green, or neon green, they are a brown-ish-green, but very, clearly green. (again, green enough, that may girlfriend said, "those are dark green, and light green strips.)
It's no big deal. The ribbon is cheep, and I like dying stuff, so I don't mind giving it another try, when my next batch of ribbon gets here, and I can buy some fresh dye. (really don't want to try it with the other half of the pack I have, after what happened this time. )
Fetts.Sobriquet
Well-Known Member
Okay, whew! I was really starting to get worried that I was colorblind or something.
Risu, jason1976 if you want to PM me your mailing addresses or PO box, I'll mail you some ribbon. Just let me know how much you need. No charge. You guys have helped me out a lot and it's the least I can do.
Fetts.Sobriquet
Well-Known Member
I wanted to post this in the forum rather than PM in case it benefited others. I noticed that under some of the lights in my house the ribbon looked greenish. This is blowing my mind. So, guys, if you get your ribbon and it looks green, take it out side and look at it under natural light. I did the best I could, I really didn't think the ribbon for the Mal costume would require this much effort, but the small details surprise us sometimes.
Under most of the lights in my house and outside the ribbon looks like this:
In one hallway in my house it looks greenish.
Just thought I'd share this. It has added a little anxiety to the project because I'm not sure what to tell people when they see it under some lights that make it look greenish. I just happened to notice this as I was walking the ribbon into another room. I looked down and it was brown, then it was green, the brown again. I wasn't having a stroke, so I figured it was the lights.
Under most of the lights in my house and outside the ribbon looks like this:
In one hallway in my house it looks greenish.
Just thought I'd share this. It has added a little anxiety to the project because I'm not sure what to tell people when they see it under some lights that make it look greenish. I just happened to notice this as I was walking the ribbon into another room. I looked down and it was brown, then it was green, the brown again. I wasn't having a stroke, so I figured it was the lights.
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