Dyeing my bindings?

TheHebrewHammer · Addict Joined: 03 Dec 2010 Posts: 526

Whatup fellas, today I picked up a minty fresh pair of 2012 LF Harley bindings. I was patching up my board with some rubber sealant and I got some black splotches on the bindings. It got me thinking, since I think they're really ugly anyway, why don't I just paint them?

I wanted them red to match my SS Recoil. I think it would look badass and really unique. I've never seen anyone with all red bindings. I might use tape or stencils to make some designs in white. I realize they might come out looking really ratty and it would make them harder to sell, but I really don't care.

The guys at WakeWorld said I should use rit dye instead of paint, which makes sense, but I'm not sure how to do that. Should I use liquid spray dye or powdered dye dissolved in simmering water? Is it ok to put bindings in hot water? Will the same kind of dye work on all the surfaces of the bindings (cloth, leather, rubber, and plastic)?

GnarShredd · Posted: Jan 12, 2012 7:22 am Post subject:

TheHebrewHammer, Fashion major here. Did a bit of lab work in college with fabrics/materials. Is there a tag in the boot? If so, it should state fabric content from highest to lowest %. Let me know what it says. Until then, here's a few general tips.

The Rit probably won't take to the leather and rubber and if it does it will be really light colored. It's not meant for either of those materials and any leather on wakeboard bindings is treated for use in the water, meaning the dye won't soak in well if at all. On that note, a lot of the materials in a wakeboard binding are probably specially treated to last in water and won't take the dye well.

The rubber, you'd be best using paint. I'm not sure what kind would be good but I imagine it will chip/crack under any stress (might be able to get away with latex based paint? paint isn't my area of knowledge at all, haha), same with the plastic.

Check the tag in the boot (not sure if it'll say on wakeboard boots, it's required for clothing) to see the fabric content. If it's 100% polyester than the dye won't take. If it's poly-nylon blend, it'll probably end up pink. Same thing for nylon, while it normally works for nylon it may not take due to special treatment for use in water like I mentioned above. Cotton is best, but I doubt there's much if any in there other than on the inside.
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TheHebrewHammer · Addict Joined: 03 Dec 2010 Posts: 526

Damn, sounds pretty tough. I'll get back to you on the materials. Do you think I could use acetone or something similar to remove the waterproof sealant so that the dyes/paints would stick better?

flixmaster · Site Owner Joined: 30 Oct 2003 Posts: 7488

I was going to say that they would probaby turn up pink. i think a rubber based paint is going to be the best option. You will need a paint that will flex or you will have the flaking effect that some of the older bindings had.

GnarShredd · Posted: Jan 12, 2012 10:58 am Post subject:

TheHebrewHammer, Maybe, but the materials they use are there for a reason. If you put anything on them to remove that, you're going to severly reduce the life/durability of your boot. Plus, depending on the material that the boot is, waterproofing may be an inherent trait (like polyester, it's basically just plastic and won't take in a dye) and you'd just be dissolving the boot itself.

TheHebrewHammer · Addict Joined: 03 Dec 2010 Posts: 526

Ugh, I guess there's a reason I don't see anybody doing this. I'm gonna take it up with the guys at my local paint shop, but this is starting to look like a great way to ruin my bindings.

GnarShredd · Posted: Jan 12, 2012 11:12 am Post subject:

TheHebrewHammer · Addict Joined: 03 Dec 2010 Posts: 526

I read all the tags as well as the owners manual, and there's no mention of the materials.

GnarShredd · Posted: Jan 12, 2012 3:59 pm Post subject:

Well, I'm going to assume the exterior parts that aren't leather, rubber or plastic, are a poly/nylon blend. Which = pink bindings. Better off with some kind of paint than a dye but it's gonna get worn off pretty quick. Might be SOL this time.

TheHebrewHammer · Addict Joined: 03 Dec 2010 Posts: 526

Ya man. Thanks so much for all your advice.

GnarShredd · Posted: Jan 13, 2012 6:24 am Post subject:

TheHebrewHammer, Anytime. Not often I get to actually use my fabric lab knowledge, hahaha.

dbismyname · Posted: Jan 13, 2012 7:00 am Post subject:

TheHebrewHammer · Addict Joined: 03 Dec 2010 Posts: 526

GnarShredd · Posted: Jan 13, 2012 7:20 am Post subject:

dbismyname, Every day. I was technically a fashion merchandising major (textiles/fashion + visual design + business all in one). I don't work with clothes at my current job, but I'm in the buying department for a pretty big national retailer and use a lot of what I learned in school. But the fashion/fabric specific stuff hardly ever comes up.

TheHebrewHammer, LOL. Pro wakeboarder. You're too kind. We probably ride about the same level. We gotta hit the cable once things warm up!

TheHebrewHammer · Addict Joined: 03 Dec 2010 Posts: 526

GnarShredd · Posted: Jan 13, 2012 9:06 am Post subject:

TheHebrewHammer, Will do, should be soon. Out of town this weekend and usually to kiting if the wind is up. Otherwise I'll let ya know.

TheHebrewHammer · Addict Joined: 03 Dec 2010 Posts: 526

Word. By the way, today I went to the cable to break in my bindings, and there was a kid there who had spray-painted his Sovens all red! What are the odds of that?! I was kinda pissed that he thought of it before I did, but I was impressed that he was able to get such a good result with spray paint. They were flaking a bit, but there were no globs and the color looked awesome. At this point, I'm leaning towards leaving my bindings alone and I definitely don't wanna try the dye route. If I decide to paint my bindings, I'll just spray 'em like this kid did.

Wakeboarder3780 · Posted: Jan 17, 2012 3:00 pm Post subject:

Looks like it's already been hashed out, but I can pretty much assure you you're going to get a terrible result going the rattle can route. I guess it depends how picky you are and how often you want to be re spraying your boots but I would stay away from it 100%. You mentioned in the original post that it will be tough to resell them. Replace tough with impossible and as long as you're fine with that go nuts.

Not trying to rain on your parade, just saying.