Help Needed

[hygiene903]

I have a couple "generic" grey Royal bags that I hope to dye black, then have logos printed on (silk screen maybe?) for a couple of my pre-war Electro-Hygienes. Having never done any dyeing myself, I would appreciate any suggestions or hints that any of you might have who have dyed bags before. Here's a couple questions for starters: do I need to remove the metal coupler from the bag or can I leave it on? Do I use the widely available Rit fabric dye, or do I need something special? Here's a picture of one of the bags I hope to dye, the other is just like it. Just a plain grey bag with no printing on it. Thank you in advance,
Jeff

 

[human]

I have zero experience about dyeing vacuum cleaner bags, but I had friends years ago who were into tie dyeing t-shirts, and they had a few strong opinions relating to dyes and fabrics that might be applicable. They didn't think much of Rit dye, as it is water based and doesn't fully bond with the fibers. The dye mostly tends to lodge in the spaces between the fibers, and thus fades out quickly with washing and wearing. Of course, a vacuum cleaner bag is not going to be laundered as often as a t-shirt, so this may be less of an issue. The other strong opinion my tie-dyeing friends held was a disdain for synthetic fibers, because they don't absorb the dye as readily. With all that in mind, I would suggest that maybe a dye kit designed for automotive carpet or upholstery, which are applied more like paint, might work better. Perhaps others will have more or better information on this topic.