Name: Lance
Message: Hi,
I have a piece of military tactical gear that is nylon and cordura. It is black, and I want to make it tan (for reasons that are probably obvious!) I would even be happy with a medium brown. I looked around the site but couldn't find an obvious answer. Can it be done?

Not by dyeing or bleaching. Dye can only darken fabric, not lighten it, and you cannot bleach a synthetic fiber. (Cordura is a type of nylon.)

The only remaining possibility is paint. Ordinary acrylic artist's colors, or even acrylic house paint (commonly labeled latex), will both change the color well, but will also make the fabric much stiffer, and might also flake off, in the long run. This is the most economical approach, but not always the most satisfactory.

If the stiffness of ordinary acrylic paint is a problem - it would be most uncomfortable on clothing - then you can buy special (and much more expensive) fabric paint that will not stiffen the fabric very much. You need to avoid most fabric paints, because they are transparent and will not significantly lighten the color of your nylon fabric. Only fabric paints that are specifically marked 'opaque' will meet your needs. ProChem sells PROfab Opaque Textile Paints, and Dharma Trading Company sells Jacquard Lumiere and Neopaque fabric paint.

Acrylic artist's paint can be made more suitable for use as a fabric paint by the addition of fabric medium to the paint. Dick Blick sells Liquitex Fabric Medium.