I want to dye a polyester/nylon blend fabric that is currently black to snow white

Name: Paul

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Country or region: USA

Message: I have little experience with dyes. I want to dye a polyester/nylon blend fabric that is currently black to snow white. Is that possible? If it is, what's the best way to do it? The fabric is the thin fabric that covers a stereo speaker.

Can't be done.

First, you're not talking about dyeing at all. Dye is transparent, so dyeing anything can only add color, making it darker. It can't take away the color that is already there. Any dye applied on top of a dark black will have essentially no effect at all.

So, what you really want to do is remove the dye that is already there, that is, to discharge the dye. To remove dye from a synthetic fiber, never use household bleach, because the hypochlorite it contains will simply destroy nylon, and it will permanently damage polyester in more minor ways. You have to use a sulfur-based color remover, such as sodium dithionite (sodium hydrosulfite) or thiourea dioxide. See "What chemicals can be used to remove dye?". Rit Color Remover is a good choice. This can be done only by removing the fabric from the speakers and cooking it on top of the stove with the color remover you have chosen.

Unfortunately, commercially dyed black items almost never can be discharged to white. Black is often obtained by dyeing with several different colors, or by dyeing with a discharge-resistant dye such as sulfur dye. Synthetic fibers may be colored by having pigments added to them while they are still in liquid form, before they are extruded into fibers; pigments do not respond well to dye discharge. Chances are that, even if you use the most effective discharge chemicals and technique, the best you can do is produce a dull rusty brown. It's unlikely that you will get a color anywhere near white.

Instead, what I recommend you do is go to a fabric store and seek out a similar material in the snow white color you want, as thin and as stretchy as the fabric currently covering the speakers. After removing the original fabric from the speakers, use it as a pattern to cut out new speaker covers, allowing extra width for the margin where you sew the pieces together, which is called the seam allowance. After you have constructed the new speaker covers, turn the fabric inside out, so that your seam allowances and stitching don't show. It's not difficult to get a reasonably good look on speakers if your fabric is thin and stretchy enough. Fiber content is less important for your purpose than the weight and feel of the fabric. You will find that white fabric is more transparent than black fabric, so that it shows more of the inner workings of the speakers.

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Posted: Friday - December 09, 2011 at 07:02 AM

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I want to dye a polyester/nylon blend fabric that is currently black to snow white

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