Streets of Cairo Shirt

[Raider Of The Lost Ark]

Is there a way to ‘permanently stain’ a shirt so it looks like that seen in the SOC? To be fair you never see his shirt clean, so how it looks at any point in the film would be fine, it’s just that you see all of of it in the SOC. I’m looking for that general look, not specific placement of stains. If that makes sense.

I’ve never done anything like this before, and figure it’s a good place to start. If I muck it up, and it looks awful, a shirt is one of the less expensive items to replace. I don’t fancy starting on my jacket

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

[Indiana Jeff]

Glycerin is good for creating sweat marks, but I think it will mostly wash out.

Strongly brew tea and wet tea bags can be used to give darker stains.

Here's a thread with some ideas explained.

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... ning+shirt" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Indy Magnoli]

Airbrush with potassium permanganate. Great stuff.

[Raider Of The Lost Ark]

Airbrush with potassium permanganate. Great stuff.

How would you use it? I googled it and it appears to work like bleach, assuming I put in the correct details.

[Indy Magnoli]

You put a little potassium permanganate (and I mean a LITTLE) in water. It'll make a deep purple solution. You spray this on to the fabric and it'll look like you ruined it with purple staining... but within a few seconds it'll start turning a nice brown color. Start out with a VERY weak solution. This stuff is STRONG. Half a teaspoon will make a litre of water into a super solution of aging juice. Start weak... you can always add more potassium permanganate... but if you make it too strong, it's a pain to water down.

You can also build up colors slowly... you don't need to do it all at once. If you do it too subtly, you can always do another pass. I have done it too strong before and quickly soaked the fabric in fresh water to weaken the solution. It worked ok... but I would NOT recommend this as a a preferred method.

I must do a video showing this stuff in action at some point. It's really great stuff and I highly recommend it for both fabric costumes and paper props.

Here's a Tusken Raider mask I made using this method to age the fabric strips:

[IJJTM]

Very nice, I’d love to see you make a video of it.

[Raider Of The Lost Ark]

Thanks for the explanation, I must have been looking at the wrong thing. They sprayed it on jeans and it made them whiter. I too would very much appreciate a video of you demonstrating this technique. Maybe of you doing a shirt, so I could get an idea?

Also, that Tuscan Raider mask / helmet is awesome.

[Indiana Croft]

So I’ve started the experiment using the potassium.
Made two solutions using a very little in one and more in the other.

Question IM, once your done do you throw in the wash and hang dry?

So far so good, I took before pic’s and once done, I’ll take after and post em up.

Croft

[Indy Magnoli]

I would let it dry completely before washing. Since the solution is water soluble, it can dilute in the wash while wet, minimizing the effect. Once it's completely dry, the staining should take hold better and shouldn't wash out easily.

[Indiana Croft]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeell I washed it anyway, before I saw the post, while it may have muted it some, it only allows me to do a second coat.

I took your recommendation and used a air brush, made the job easier and allows you to control where you want to spray.
I made up three solutions, one light, one medium and one heavy, but could have been heavier.
Before: in the second spic, you can see why I used this shirt, one of my original first run Azuma, I scratched my back with a gel pen not realizing it was open, I was bumbed, tried getting it but no luck (down to wards r=the bottom left.


And after:





My solution, I used an eye dropper to pull itout and put in the air brush bottle.


Not bad for a first attempt.
This wasn't to hard, but the air brush made it that way.
Croft

[Indiana Jeff]

Looks really good. I especially like the discoloration around the collar.

I watch every video Adam Savage produces and any time he is applying weathering he says to go slowly and add in stages. You can always add, but it's really hard to take away. He also recommends using at least three colors, even when he is weathering clothing. Perhaps using the tea/coffee method for your next pass would add a different element to effect.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Indiana Croft]

I can try that, I’m assuming you spray the tea (cooled) just like the potassium.
Does he use any particular test.

Croft

[Thunderspy]

Meanwhile I just went camping in the Northern Territory of Australia wearing two slightly Indy-ish khaki hiking shirts, and I can't get them clean! Somehow my sweat and the red Aussie dirt has become ingrained... so my tip is to do a week in Kakadu

[Mike]

Somehow my sweat and the red Aussie dirt has become ingrained... so my tip is to do a week in Kakadu

Or Kauai.

Same thing happened to me there.

[Thunderspy]

Very Raiders!

[Indiana Jeff]

I can try that, I’m assuming you spray the tea (cooled) just like the potassium.
Does he use any particular test.

Croft

He really likes strongly brews espresso. Also varying strengths of tea. He uses a variety of techniques; spray bottle, blotting the tea bag onto the material, soaking for an overall staining.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Indiana Croft]

Here's some shots I took at a local job site.
Not many places like this for these kind of shots as there moving along.

So let me know your thoughts, too much or not enough.
And I have to take a pic, but I experimented spraying a pair off leather gloves, tad darker, but first time.

Any who, here's the pic's.




Happy with how the back came out, can't see the pen marks.





Croft

[Indiana Jeff]

Looks good! I wouldn't do any more than that.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Indiana Croft]

Thanks, i was worried it’d be too much.
Croft

[bearbeast]

Looking great, Croft, nice work!

Very nice shots also, I like the exotic looking location.

Bear

[Canyon]

Looks awesome, Croft!!!

[Indiana Croft]

Thanks, the location is a locale phase of new codo’s lots of digging.

Croft

[bearbeast]

Thanks, the location is a locale phase of new codo’s lots of digging.

Croft

It looks like the perfect place for the final showdown of an adventure, stuff is about to go down!

[Castor Dioscuri]

Is there a way to ‘permanently stain’ a shirt so it looks like that seen in the SOC? To be fair you never see his shirt clean, so how it looks at any point in the film would be fine, it’s just that you see all of of it in the SOC.

To be fair, you do see a clean adventure shirt when he's packing for his adventures...

[LetHerGo888]

You put a little potassium permanganate (and I mean a LITTLE) in water. It'll make a deep purple solution. You spray this on to the fabric and it'll look like you ruined it with purple staining... but within a few seconds it'll start turning a nice brown color. Start out with a VERY weak solution. This stuff is STRONG. Half a teaspoon will make a litre of water into a super solution of aging juice. Start weak... you can always add more potassium permanganate... but if you make it too strong, it's a pain to water down.

You can also build up colors slowly... you don't need to do it all at once. If you do it too subtly, you can always do another pass. I have done it too strong before and quickly soaked the fabric in fresh water to weaken the solution. It worked ok... but I would NOT recommend this as a a preferred method.

I must do a video showing this stuff in action at some point. It's really great stuff and I highly recommend it for both fabric costumes and paper props.

Here's a Tusken Raider mask I made using this method to age the fabric strips:

Pardon me for zombifying this thread but I just ordered some of this stuff and I’m scared to death. How dangerous is it to handle? Should I do so out doors? Can I not wash the shirt after treatment or is it only safe to wear after it’s been washed?

The results look amazing. Thank you!

[Indiana Jeff]

This is from a quick and dirty google search.

Uses

Almost all applications of potassium permanganate exploit its oxidizing properties. As a strong oxidant that does not generate toxic byproducts, KMnO4 has many niche uses.

Medical uses
Potassium permanganate is used for a number of skin conditions. This includes fungal infections of the foot, impetigo, pemphigus, superficial wounds, dermatitis, and tropical ulcers. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.

For an item listed on the WHO list of essential medicines, I don't think there is a need to be scared to death of it. I can't imagine you can buy it readily in concentrations that would be that harmful. Don't drink the stuff, but it is literally used to treat skin conditions so skin contact can't be horrible, especially since you are going to water it down for the application to material. Wear gloves, working in a well ventilated area is always a good tip, and you should be fine. Likewise, once dry I don't think there would be any harm to wearing it without washing, but washing won't hurt anything either.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Indiana Croft]

I used it in my basement with a airbrush, no odor or problems.
And hey, who couldn’t use a third arm.

Croft

[Indy Magnoli]

It's perfectly safe BUT: in the concentrations I use for fabric staining... it WILL stain your skin as well, so wear rubber gloves!

[Indiana Croft]

Roger that boss, I did and glad I did.
As I got a little on my wrist.
But after awhile it washed clean. Luckily it wasn't a lot.

Croft