Can I tie-dye shorts that are 85% nylon and 15% elastane with a polyester lining?

Name: Jolene

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Country or region: Canada

Message: I have shorts that are 85% nylon and 15% elastane with a polyester lining. I want to tie dye them but I'm not sure it will work or what die to use. Do you have any suggestions?

It's likely that you won't be able to use dye on these shorts at all, since nylon requires heat in order to be dyed, but elastane or spandex is heat-sensitive. Unfortunately, you can't dye nylon with the same cool-water Procion fiber reactive dyes we use for cotton. Check the garment care information label sewn into your shorts. If the shorts cannot survive very hot tap water, but instead must be washed only in cool water of 105°F or below (40°C), then you won't be able to use a true dye to tie-dye them.

For tie-dyeing nylon/elastane, I think it would be better for you to use fabric paints, instead of dye. Most fabric paints require heat-setting, with dry heat from an iron or a hot commercial clothes dryer, but some do not. An alternative to heat-setting that works fine is to instead add an acrylic catalyst such as Jacquard Products' AirFix to the paint immediately before using it. You cannot obtain as perfectly smooth a solid color with fabric paints as with a true dye, but you can get a pretty good tie-dye effect. You'll want to use a thin fabric paint, such as Jacquard's Dye-Na-Flow or Dharma's Pigment Dyes fabric paint.

Warning: not all nylons can be dyed or painted with fabric paints. An invisible surface finish on the nylon can interfere with the ability of fabric paint or dye to stick to the nylon. You can't tell whether your nylon has this sort of fabric finish until you try it, so be sure to test your fabric paint on an inconspicuous inner seam margin before coloring the entire garment.

If your shorts can survive hot water, then, unless the nylon has a surface coating that will repel dye, you have the option of dyeing them with acid dyes, following a good recipe for direct dye application (painting the dye on). After applying the acid dye and letting it dry, you will need a large cooking pot to steam the shorts in; see ProChem's instructions for direct application of acid dyes to wool and silk for the technique. For tie-dyeing nylon with a single color, you can tie the garment and drop it into a pot of hot acid dye, instead of steaming afterwards. Nylon is best dyed at 185°F, but elastane should never be heated above 140°F (60°C) at the very maximum, so you have to compromise.

There are many different acid dyes available. High-quality acid dyes can be ordered online; good sources in Canada include G&S Dye in Toronto, and Maiwa Handprints in Vancouver. A particularly good choice for nylon would be the dyes Maiwa still sells under the name of Ciba Washfast Acid dyes, though Ciba no longer makes them; they're the same as ProChem's Washfast Acid Dyes.

You won't be able to dye the polyester lining, because of the elastane. Polyester can't be dyed except under high-heat conditions, at or above boiling temperature, which will ruin the elastane. Elastane is heat-sensitive, and will lose its shape if subjected to the high heat polyester requires for dyeing. If you use dye, accept that the polyester lining will stay white, or whatever color you're starting with. Some fabric paints will work on polyester, though.

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Posted: Wednesday - June 06, 2012 at 11:40 AM

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Can I tie-dye shorts that are 85% nylon and 15% elastane with a polyester lining?

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