Dyeing seatbelts

[toddscharger]

I have black seat belts, and I have heard of guys using RIT Dye to change the color of their seatbelts. I am restoring a 70 Charger to a B5 blue with blue interior, what color(s) of RIT Dye should I use to dye the seatbelts?

[JimShine]

I suspect it will be tough to dye black to a lighter color. You will likely need to bleach them first. Neutralize the bleach with white vinegar before using the dye.

[Chatt69chgr]

Rit had a real good website that tells you how to go from one color to another.  Oftentimes, you use two of their dyes together.  Check out their website and I bet it will answer your questions.

[69XP383]

What about restoring the color?

Original black interior; belts faded to that charcoal blue color. Is it easy enough to just wash the belts, then re-dye them black using RIT?

[Chatt69chgr]

Yes it is.  But recall that you need to follow their procedure for it to work correctly.  That means, you wash the belts with a mild soap solution, then wet them with lukewarm water, and immerse them in the dye solution for 30-45 minutes at 175 ot 180 degrees farenheit.  I think it's something like 1 package of dye to about 3 gallons of water.  They need to be stirred occasionally.  I used a stainless steel stockpot and stirred them with a wooden dowel and used an immersion thermometer to thet the temperature correct.  Then you remove them and wash them in lukewarm water and then cold water.  I used my compressor to dry mine initially and then put them over the house heat registers to gently dry overnight.  The buckles won't be harmed except for the paint.  You will most likely have to do some repainting as the hot water lifts the paint.  I guess you could figure some way to keep the buckles out of the water.  They come out looking new.  And the dye is a permanent dye.

[69XP383]

Thanks,

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