Streets of Cairo Shirt

Discuss technique for prolonging the life of your gear or giving it that aged look

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Raider Of The Lost Ark
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Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by 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 :rolling:

Thanks in advance for any help you can give. :TOH:
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by 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;


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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by Indy Magnoli »

Airbrush with potassium permanganate. Great stuff.
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by Raider Of The Lost Ark »

Indy Magnoli wrote: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.
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by 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:

Image
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by IJJTM »

Very nice, I’d love to see you make a video of it.
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by 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. :TOH:
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by 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 :mrgreen:
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by 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.
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by 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:
Image
Image
Image
Image

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

Not bad for a first attempt.
This wasn't to hard, but the air brush made it that way.
Croft :mrgreen:
Last edited by Indiana Croft on Sat Aug 03, 2024 3:15 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by 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.

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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by 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 :mrgreen:
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by 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 :lol:
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by Mike »

Thunderspy wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 4:33 am Somehow my sweat and the red Aussie dirt has become ingrained... so my tip is to do a week in Kakadu :lol:
Or Kauai. :TOH: ;)

Same thing happened to me there.
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by Thunderspy »

Very Raiders! :TOH:
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by Indiana Jeff »

Indiana Croft wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 6:42 pm I can try that, I’m assuming you spray the tea (cooled) just like the potassium.
Does he use any particular test.

Croft :mrgreen:
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.

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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by 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.
Image
Image
Image
Image
Happy with how the back came out, can't see the pen marks. \:D/
Image
Image
Image
Image

Croft :mrgreen:
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by Indiana Jeff »

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

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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by Indiana Croft »

Thanks, i was worried it’d be too much.
Croft :mrgreen:
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by bearbeast »

Looking great, Croft, nice work! :TOH:

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

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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by Canyon »

Looks awesome, Croft!!! :clap:
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by Indiana Croft »

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

Croft :mrgreen:
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by bearbeast »

Indiana Croft wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 7:43 pm Thanks, the location is a locale phase of new codo’s lots of digging.

Croft :mrgreen:
It looks like the perfect place for the final showdown of an adventure, stuff is about to go down! :whip:
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by Castor Dioscuri »

Raider Of The Lost Ark wrote: Mon Feb 07, 2022 2:37 pm 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... :Plymouth:
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by LetHerGo888 »

Indy Magnoli wrote: Wed Feb 23, 2022 5:30 pm 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:

Image
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!
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by 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,

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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by Indiana Croft »

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

Croft :mrgreen:
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by 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!
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Re: Streets of Cairo Shirt

Post by 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 :mrgreen:
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