I recently purchased a ULA Circuit in the color 'Purple Blaze' with the intent of dyeing it dark blue. I figured that since purple is right next to blue on the color wheel, the pack would be able to easily go from a purple to a blue (as opposed to those who have unsuccessfully tried dyeing their green Circuits blue, only to end up with a black color).
Since it all worked perfectly, I thought I would share the process with those interested.
All you need is…
-ULA Circuit in the color 'Purple Blaze'
-RIT liquid dye 'Denim Blue' (though 'Navy Blue' may work too, I used the denim b/c it was a bit of a brighter blue and I heeded not to accidentally dye the pack too dark)
-large ice chest with lid, or 5 gallon bucket (My guy had the idea to use an ice chest so as to keep the water toasty. Great idea!)
-broom handle, or other poking/prodding/stirring device
-latex gloves (unless you don't mind a lovely frostbitten color, as my hands are now)
-trash bag (to lie on ground in case of drippage)
-3 gallons of boiling (or close-to-boiling) water
-2 or 3 large rocks (to weigh the pack down in the water/dye)
The process…
Step 1 – Boil 3 gallons of water (a 12 quart pot fits 3 gal. perfectly)
Step 2 – Put pack face down in ice chest (for maximum exposure to water/dye)
Step 3 – Dump boiling water into the ice chest
Step 4 – Pour RIT dye (I poured into the four corners of the chest to be more evenly dispersed)
Step 5 – Use broom handle to poke/prod/stir the pack into the mixture, making sure all of the fabric-to-be-dyed is submersed
Step 6 – Place large rocks on top of pack, weighing down the colored fabric into the water
Step 7 – Close the chest lid, and relax for 10 minutes before repeating Step 5 again; repeat the process every 10 minutes or so for the next ~45 minutes
Step 8 – Transfer the pack out of the chest and into the washing machine
**Washing machine- delicate cycle, small load, cold-cold (to set the dye), no soap
(This won't mess up the washing machine; I just ran an empty load with soap after I finished in order to rinse out any lingering dye)
Step 9 – Air dry the pack, or put in the dryer with no heat on the 'air cycle' (useful in humid environments)
Voila! A successful navy blue ULA Circuit.
–Here are some photos, though I didn't take a 'before' picture, but you can see the color 'Purple Blaze' on ULA's site as their background http://www.ula-equipment.com/ (already sort of a blue color, but still purple)
