[kind2311]

I'd like to give a small update as i have recently improved my pads slightly. Per the advice of Jairus, I decided to give my pads(and belt, originally a white Rothco canvas pistol belt) a soak in my sink with black liquid RIT dye.

The coolest thing about this is that the cut ends of the armband, where I singed then with a lighter and added the Dritz Fray Check, took the black dye very well for some reason and are now much darker than the rest of the band, just like in the movie. So for those of you who read this, I suggest you cut and trim your pads and apply the fray check before you dye, it is safe.

I filled my sink about halfway, just enough for the pads to float freely, then added 1/4 cup salt and about 1/4" cup liquid RIT Black Dye and let them soak for about 2 hours, stirring them once and awhile, dunking the pads underwater and whatnot. Once again, you need to have the water as hot as your water heater can make it, so find it and crank it up . . . . .but remember to crank it back down when you're done

The results where far better than I ever got using gray dye. The black turns the white band the perfect shade of gray and even gives the bubble a little more grayness than gray dye does although it still needs to be hit with gray paint of some kind.

[abntroop]

those look great!

[Butcha]

Okay, I really don't want to do all the things to get pads this way. Where do I buy these all ready to wear? Lazy, but honest... LOL!

[kind2311]

these are hard to find already customized. occasionally you will see a pair for sale here or on ebay that have already been customized, but they are few and far between.

[AMC78]

You need to get at least the dye part done yourself, you can then print some reference photos and get an alterations place to do the rest?

[Butcha]

Okay, so I've seen the Defender volley ball pads on eBay that are all white. They seem to come in different sizes. As a rather thin guy, can I just go with the size SMALL ones or is that too small? Thanks!

[kind2311]

small will be too tight. dont buy defender pads as they are out of the accurate size(large/adult). buy century judo kneepads from here: http://www.karatesupply.com/Judo-Knee-Pads_p_801.html

[abntroop]

Hey kind, sorry to disagree, but if you pm that eBay seller, he still has some larges left. I just bought and received a pair, and yes, regardless of your size, be assured, you don't want anything but the larges unless you plan on removing the elastic and replacing it for yourself.

[Butcha]

Hey Ghosthead, could you please PM me the eBay sellers info? Thanks.

[abntroop]

This post may contain an affiliate link that helps support GBFans.com when you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

Naa, no pm, here's the info again for all those too lazy to do some sleuthing around this site and these boards.
http://myworld.ebay.com/typj?ssPageName ... EM:US:1181

[Butcha]

Yikes, was that a shot at me?! I've already had a member on here this morning send me a PM giving me some "friendly advise" that I might be "posting too much" on this forum. I can always go into stealth mode for a bit I suppose and just keep poking around instead of posting.

[abntroop]

no man, not a shot at you, just saying that the info is here on these boards, and in the time it takes to type up a question that gets asked a million times on these boards, you can use the search box to find your answer. This is for anybody looking to put together a GB rig. please use the search box 1st, that's standard forum etiquette, otherwise, enjoy yourself, welcome, and get to buildin with the rest of us.

[Butcha]

That's cool. Thanks for the warning. I'll check out that search box from now on.

[Butcha]

So the Century Judo pads sounds like it's going to be. I contacted the other eBay seller and he said he only had large in the black ones right now.

[kind2311]

but if you pm that eBay seller, he still has some larges left. I just bought and received a pair

they still have large white pads? pics?

[Butcha]

Like I was just saying, I messaged that seller just today telling him that someone I knew told me he still had large pads available. He said, "No, I don't. I only have large pads in black". So, I went and bought pads from the company you suggested Kind.

[abntroop]

So the Century Judo pads sounds like it's going to be. I contacted the other eBay seller and he said he only had large in the black ones right now.

Really? I just got a set of large whites from him last week.

[abntroop]

but if you pm that eBay seller, he still has some larges left. I just bought and received a pair

they still have large white pads? pics?

I can take a picture of the upper edge that i cut off with the "Large" clearly marked if you'd like LOL! maybe that guy is rationing them out, or maybe I got lucky, I dunno, but they're definitely larges, they fit great.

[Doctor Venkman]

I definitely think I need to take a shot at re-dying my pads... I have the Defender's... bought them a few years ago. I dyed them back then, but the dye didn't really take all that well, they're kind of an off-white/light gray.

I might try buying some dye or fabric paint this weekend and see if I can't get them to look a bit better.

[kind2311]

if you go with dye, make sure you use black as it creates a much better gray than gray dye does.

[heslimedme25]

Just looking through the Uniform section (as I'm finally gonna get round to making my own uniform) and managed to find another source for the Century Knee Pads in the UK.

http://www.combatgear.co.uk/product.php?productid=100

I'm guessing I go with the Senior.

[Doctor Venkman]

if you go with dye, make sure you use black as it creates a much better gray than gray dye does.

Do you have a recommendation on any brand or anything exact?

I'm also thinking I need to dye my flightsuit, because it appears to be more tan than khaki/grey... might need a recommendation for dye for that too.

[kind2311]

RIT brand liquid black dye.

thats not at all what you would use on your uniform. What brand suit do you have? do you have pics?

[Doctor Venkman]

RIT brand liquid black dye.

thats not at all what you would use on your uniform. What brand suit do you have? do you have pics?

This is probably the best picture I have of my uniform (please ignore the shit-eating drunk grin).

[img=http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/9645/n ... 019730.jpg]


I'm going to buy the RIT dye for the elbow pads later tonight I think. Is there any extra steps I need to take on them to ensure the dye doesn't over-do them or anything?

EDIT: And should I dip my belt in the black dye too?

[kind2311]

oooh, ouch

that is the infamous rothco uniform.

I highly recommend ditching it and getting a Nomex or Tru-Spec, but if you're not into buying a new suit then i suggest trying Jairus' GB1 Khaki recipe.

as for the pads, it's not really possible to overdye them due to their elastic content. just let them soak in the sink and keep in mind that when they are wet they will appear much darker than when they dry.

yes, as long as your belt is white and not khaki, throw it in there with the pads and soak it the same amount of time.

[Doctor Venkman]

Crap, I've been afraid that I might've bought a Rothco suit... I bought it several years ago. Now the debate will begin as to if I should bother trying to dye it, or if its worth the money to just spring for a Truspec.

On the plus side, my belt was ordered from J Kerezman so I'm pretty sure its already dyed. Its definitely not white, so I probably won't need to dye that.

Thanks for all your help though... your name suits you... you're very kind.

Hopefully I don't have too many more questions.

[kind2311]

I think tru-spec is worth it but in the end it's up to you.

My belt is a kerezman belt as well and he uses white belts dyed a very light gray so they still appear white in pictures. I threw mine in the dye bath with my pads and i am very pleased with the darker gray results using black dye.

[Doctor Venkman]

I think tru-spec is worth it but in the end it's up to you.

My belt is a kerezman belt as well and he uses white belts dyed a very light gray so they still appear white in pictures. I threw mine in the dye bath with my pads and i am very pleased with the darker gray results using black dye.

Oh excellent... maybe I'll throw it in there for a bit to get it darker.

EDIT: Just bought a Tru-spec considering it was cheaper than my current Rothco originally cost me. Now I'm just going to need to try to dye the Rothco either GB1 style or GB2 style (if I can find a good dye job for that). Then I'll need to get another name patch for my second uniform.

[Doctor Venkman]

These are dying now... I'll post pictures once they're done... should've taken some before pictures, but I was too excited. You can kinda see them in the picture I posted of me in my uniform though.

[Doctor Venkman]

Well I gotta say, I'm pretty damn satisfied with how they came out.

The arm band is definitely a much darker shade of gray, as is the bubble. I might need to buy a little bit of fabric paint to touch the bubble up a little bit more, but already they look a LOT better.



(This is a crappy picture on my camera phone, so the bubble still looks a lot whiter than it actually is.)

You can also see the belt in this picture, which I think looks a lot better too.

I don't think I'll be dunking the pads or the belt again (def not the belt)... since the fabric parts already look perfect, nice and dark. I don't want to overdo them. I think they look great, aside from maybe a little fabric paint on the bubble, but I might not even do that. These look SO much better than how they've looked for the past few years.