I would like to dye my convertible top


Name: Jeff

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Message: Great resource and I think I know your answer from reading your blog. I would like to dye my convertible top which is stained and has some flaws which i think will be covered up going from tan to Black. i don"t think it can be done but thought I would drop you a line.

I'm sorry, but as you suspected, paints and dyes don't have much hope to offer. Most importantly, there's no point in having a convertible top that absorbs water and lets it drip through, so your convertible top must be water-resistant. Water resistance causes a surface to resist both dyes and paints, as well. There is no good way to completely remove any water resistant coating, though getting it dirty enough can temporarily render it less effective than it should be. (Washing with detergent and rinsing well can help restore the performance of water resistant finishes on textiles.)

If it looks really, really, terrible, you could possibly  try painting it with an acrylic fabric paint. You can buy acrylic fabric paint ready-made at crafts stores, or make it yourself by adding a difficult-to-fine acrylic textile medium to artists' acrylics. However,  the cost in either case will be significant, to cover that large an area, and chances are that the paint will peel off later, thanks to the water-resistant finish already on the top. I cannot recommend that you try any fabric paint or fabric dye that is not marketed specifically for use on convertible tops. ( I would be curious to know how Krylon's special spray paint for plastics would work on this sort of project; the product is called Krylon Fusion for Plastic, but I can't tell you whether it might provide you with any hope. Krylon Fusion for Plastic is good on vinyl, and many (though not all) convertible tops are made of vinyl.)

Whatever you do, don't even bother with a hot-water all-purpose dye such as Rit dye, which has no chance of producing the results you want. Rit will work only when simmered in hot water with specific textile fibers, including cotton, wool, and nylon, but not including any other synthetic, such as olefin, polyester or vinyl, and will not work on any fiber when simply painted on, instead of being heated with the fiber in hot water.  It will also fade when exposed to water or sunlight. It is essential, in choosing a dye, to pick one that is known to work on the specific fiber content of the material with which you are concerned. 

You must start any procedure with a thorough cleaning. Look for a special product made just for cleaning convertible tops. Do not use a bathroom cleaner or other cleanser that contains hypochlorite bleach, because bleach is extremely damaging to synthetic fiber textiles. You could accelerate the wear dramatically, if you clean with the wrong product. I have seen recommendations for products called RaggTopp Cleaner and RaggTopp Protectant; I've never used either of these and cannot comment on their effectiveness, but a specialized product would seem to be your best bet by far. Go to an auto-parts store, or look for an online source for products intended for use in restoring and maintaining classic cars, and look for these or another brand of products specially made for cleaning and protecting convertible tops.

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Posted: Wednesday - July 07, 2010 at 09:10 AM          

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