How to fade trousers

[Jugendkrieger]

Ed Walton. owner of Lost Battalions and the most knowlageable person on the german uniforms suject i have ever seen. he seems to be under that impression and i agree with him. Maybe Not White but faded out.

Marc



*Edited* had a brain fart and got names mixed up

[Jugendkrieger]

Please note that the inks used to print the camouflage on the fabric ARE NOT colorfasted. This was done on purpose for the sake of accuracy. Colorfasted inks were introduced in 1955 and did not exsist during the Second World War. This means that the first time the garment gets wet, the colors will start to run, JUST LIKE THE ORIGINALS. Over time, the colors will start to fade and mute. There are plenty of photos out there of original smocks, helmet covers and Zeltbahns, all of which confirm this fact. An unissued camouflage garment will have crisp, clean, vibrant camoflague. The more the garment is used, the more muted and indistinct the camouflage becomes.

Marc

[BaggyPants]

Please note that the inks used to print the camouflage on the fabric ARE NOT colorfasted. This was done on purpose for the sake of accuracy. Colorfasted inks were introduced in 1955 and did not exsist during the Second World War. This means that the first time the garment gets wet, the colors will start to run, JUST LIKE THE ORIGINALS. Over time, the colors will start to fade and mute. There are plenty of photos out there of original smocks, helmet covers and Zeltbahns, all of which confirm this fact. An unissued camouflage garment will have crisp, clean, vibrant camoflague. The more the garment is used, the more muted and indistinct the camouflage becomes.

Marc

I think that Ray needs to look into the history of printing a little more. Colourfast printing inks have been around for a lot longer, and camouflage patterns are not dyed but printed, using oil and spirit based inks. William Morris, who died in 1896, was famous for his fabric and wallpaper prints. I've actually handled samples of his original work, and the colours in it will not just run with a little water, or even just any amount of cold water at all. Wash them vigorously in hot water, and they will start to fade, like all prints, but this idea that prints weren't colourfast until 1955 is complete twaddle. I think Ray is thinking of colourfast dyes, not printing inks. There are blokes on here who own many original items of german WWII camouflage, Marc, including pea dot stuff. I know of no one with items where the colours have run. Faded over 60 years of wear, washing and sunlight, but not run.

[Sheikh Al Stranghi]

Just wear the uniform and it will age naturally. Faster than you would think!

[Wolfie]

Just wear the uniform and it will age naturally. Faster than you would think!

Very true.

Remember, your average Soldat was not issued 60 year old kit.

[Muller]

for my field uniforms i always blow torch the fluffy wool and then shave it away, this has the effect of dulling the collor and giving your tunic and trousers that lived in feel, with cheeper uniforms now avalible it is easier to do this as in the eraly days blow torching a £200 tunic seemed like madness

[Sean]

Blowtorching a tunic sounds mad full stop lol

[Sheikh Al Stranghi]

I'll put it this way: Before Beltring 2007 my M40 jacket was new. Afterwards it looked 60 years old. I washed it in the bathtub to get rid of all the mud, a night in a muddy bathtub really made it look old.

[Gren.Johannes]

Hello There ,
Interesting post , although i am new to ww2 re-enacting i have been a re-enactor for quite a while now , and i cannot understand the mentality of making everything look old . I understand about authenticity .
However you have to picture yourself at the time period concerned , when you got issued or bought the 'item' of kit ,it would have been NEW not old or distressed , if you want that distressed look , you have to wear the kit constantly with time it will age naturally , the sun will bleach the colour out
and constant washing will also bleach colour out , however not washing the kit will have the same effect but will have another effect.....read on

A guy i knew in English Civil War re-enacting was nicknamed dirty dave , he had a shirt which at one one time was white/calico , he refused to wash it ever . some years passed and eventually this shirt was so disgusting it was
forcibly removed from him and buried on a beach in Cornwall .
The upshot of this was his kit was so disgustingly filthy/authentic he was refused lifts to events and he stank to high heaven .

Soldiers did wash themselves and their kit in whatever period you portray .
You dont really need to destroy your kit to be authentic , just wear it often
and for complete weekends and campaigns and eventually your kit vwill appear worn and lived in .
cheers
John

[Sheikh Al Stranghi]

And if you dont wash it every now and then it will start to rot.

[Viktor]

Sorry for bringing this thread back from the dead.

Couple of a days ago I received an original hbt tunic which is in really bad condition; missing lower pockets, missing upper pocket flaps,well used and torn in some places. It is going to be mine restoration project over this winter.

So to get back on topic, i also have a reproduction of the same tunic type, from which i'll take missing pockets, but i have one problem, it is fairly new. How to achieve the same look as the original has. I mean wearing is not an option, i cant get the same faded and worn look.

Bleach? Kicking it around the place?

[Halle]

Viktor ,
Why do you want it to look like the original ? You say it's in really bad condition ... So , to turn your repro into the same state , well , do you want to look like a POW in Russia ?

If wearing it is not an option , put it on a coat hanger , leave it in the window , or put it on a washing line , that will take the newness out of it - but don't destroy it , the German soldier , after all , didn't often look like a vagabond .

[Viktor]

Well i only have to age pockets from a repro to restore an original jacket, which i am going to use for a partisan display(i am also a collector).

Nothing will go to waste, I'm going to use rest of it for making caps, patching of my other repro stuff etc.

Thank you for your input

[SplinterA]

HBT caps?

[Viktor]

Not german ones, yug. partisan "pilotka" style caps, for lining etc.