Message: I am trying to dye a down nylon coat and have hit complete dead ends.  I don't feel comfortable doing it myself not so much because of skill but because I don't have the equipment to raise the dye to the necessary temperature for nylon to take. 

Do you know of any place that still does fabric dyeing where I could take the coat?  The dry cleaners and fabric stores I called laughed at me, so I'm at a loss for where else to turn. (Btw, I am located in Chicago, but am willing to ship the coat elsewhere if necessary.)

There are several companies that will dye an individual article of clothing for you, listed on my page, "Where can I find someone to dye my clothing for me?". Most are willing to dye nylon, if it is not water-resistant. They have professional equipment that makes dyeing large garments much easier for them than it would be for you at home. None are located in Chicago, but you can determine prices online or via telephone, and mail your coat to them.

You often see the advice to have a dry cleaner dye your clothing for you, but I have never heard of a dry cleaner in the US that performs this service. No local dry cleaner I've ever visited did any dyeing at all. I don't know how long it's been since dry cleaners were also dyers. Perhaps a reader will let me know about a dry cleaning company that also does dyeing, but until then I have to conclude that such establishments no longer exist in this country.

Please see the blog entry here for January 17, 2009, "Can I Dye My Pink North Face Down Coat?", to learn how to test your coat for water repellence. I don't think you will be able to get the coat dyed if it resists water, because if it resists water, it will also resist dye. Surface treatments are the biggest problem for dyeing nylon. It's quite easy to dye untreated nylon, using acid dyes, but surface finishes on the fabric can make it impossible to dye a particular nylon garment.

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