i've been given a good canvas thanks Moons it's the wrong colour but beggars can't be choosers.... anyway questions, is it actually canvas? can i dye it or spray it a diffetent colour? i don't want to wreck it but blue on brown may look strange.
You would be best to use a dye stripper first then the actual dye also you will need salt as a mordant
Is it made of canvas or polyester or a mix, if its canvas you can die it bus ba aware if you dye it with yellow for example it will probably go green, so as para says you probably gonna want to strip the colour out
Is it made of canvas or polyester or a mix, if its canvas you can die it bus ba aware if you dye it with yellow for example it will probably go green, so as para says you probably gonna want to strip the colour out
Asked Lou and she suggested you could bleach it and redye it but is not certain bleach isn't too harsh .
here's an old pic when i first got the van showing the canvas condition - it's amazing how rough the van looked...... anyway any photoshoppers on here can you colour the canvas that blue to give me an idea?
It will look well out of place, it's not a ten minute job to change either, see if you can swap it with a blue westy owner
i'm still convinced i could spray it somehow? even black would look ok, the problem is i dunno if it's canvas or some synthetic stuff, i gotta sort summat the original is dropping to bits and i can't afford a new one when this cost me nowt, blue or not odd looking or not free and working is better than what i have now. maybe malc is right i should leave it blue and just keep my silver thermo cover on?
don't use bleach, will weaken fibres and can't be sure of an even finish! colour stripper and dye will only work if it is natural fibres (cotton, silk etc). manmade fibres will not dye. Also, if there is any grease or finish (waterproofing) on the canvas, even if it is cotton, the dye won't take and you'll get a patchy finish. it's a large piece to dye without getting it patchy but can be done with willpower, lots of dye to saturate, huge container and time. If it is canvas you want then go to a (cheapy) fabric shop that stocks canvas and you may find a bargain in brown stripes or flowers! and you can use your blue one as a pattern. at least then your hard work fitting it won't be in vain if you don't like the colour or disappointed with the dye results.
cut a little bit off and do a burn test - if it melts into a black/brown goo it's manmade fibres. if it burns with a flame and/or smells like a natural substance burning (hair, wood, paper etc) it has no manmade fibre content. if it doesn't flame and smells like hair singeing - it's wool!
cheers for all advice, looks like it's staying blue then! i figure the wrong colour that at least doesn't leak versus a rotten and holed original will have to do for a couple of years until i can get a new tan coloured one. as for the grass, it's on my to do list but i keep getting distracted by rain/the van.
