The UK loses a fight with battery acid

[Kid Cossack]

Gents:

I guess this is proof that either I really do wear them, or I'm really clumsy. My very first kilt was a UK Original (well, not the original original, the neo-traditional original, sans zippers).

Replacing the battery in my POS POV, I got battery acid dripped on the front apron. Instead of running around in circles screaming and shouting, I dabbed at it with paper, but, alas, to no avail.

So now I have a two inch long drip line "bleached" white on the front apron of a OD UK.

Whence from here?

I was thinking I could kinda sorta do a tie dye type thing, only with bleach, or use bleach and a fine paint brush to "paint" a pattern on it.

Any better ideas?

[KiltedBishop]

Or you could try dying it back to the color it was. at least it didn't burn through! Try some color on the white, what have you got to lose? if it works great, if not try the clorox bleach pen and come up with something funky.

[Riverkilt]

Do like Kate on the UK board...iron/sew a funky patch over it, something you like...

I've got patches on my caramel workman's...works for me.

Ron

[Kid Cossack]

Do like Kate on the UK board...iron/sew a funky patch over it, something you like...

I've got patches on my caramel workman's...works for me.

Ron

I'm just not used to patches on my OD, Ron! Plus, it's right at the edge of the apron---if it was in the middle, I could see it (my joke about Army uniforms notwithstanding ) but right at the edge would probably put my zen all out of whack.

[Riverkilt]

Okay, I see. Kate's also an advocate of adding trims to aprons and hemlines...maybe nice trim that followed the edge of the apron and was wide enough to cover...maybe little daisies to contrast with the military look...60s "Peace" type look....

No, I'm not serious. But maybe a matching trim that was able to cover the white...?

Ron

[Iolaus]

I like your idea. Do random a blotch and splatter pattern all over it, several times - rinsing it between applications, so that some bleaching overlaps.

Someone more experienced might know better, but I think, if you do it while the kilt is wet, the edges of the bleaching will be fuzzy, and if you dry it between applications, the egdes will be defined (sharp). You could even do a combination of both techniques?

[jjoseph]

Don't know if it's too late to help but I've done bleaching on cotton twills before. If you want a splotch or tie-dye look, try this:

Thoroughly wet the garment.

Pack the wetted garment into a mop bucket. (Twist it and pack if you want a more striped effect. Get it packed in there well.

Run an empty washer of water and open the lid to await your prize.

Pour a mixture of 1 part bleach to 4 parts water into the bucket with the garment and let it sit from 30 sec to 3 or 4 min. depending on how much color you want to bleach. (Colorfast levi's take longer.)

Pull it and rinse it under faucet then put in the washer and wash it one cycle alone then another with a bit of detergent.

Dry and done.

(I know vineagar neutralizes bleach, but don't be tempted to use it to "stop" the bleaching process... it may react w/ the bleach and dyes to give you some really GHASTLY results.)

[Yaish]

(I know vineagar neutralizes bleach, but don't be tempted to use it to "stop" the bleaching process... it may react w/ the bleach and dyes to give you some really GHASTLY results.)

Not to mention producing Chlorine Gas, which has some rather ghastly results of its own. PLEASE, be careful when doing bathroom chemistry.

[Doc Hudson]

Not to mention producing Chlorine Gas, which has some rather ghastly results of its own. PLEASE, be careful when doing bathroom chemistry.

I know mixing chlorox (a chlorine bleach) and ammonia will release chlorine gas, and BTW make dirty stuff sparkle, but I was unaware that vinegar and chlorine would produce chlorine gas. Are you sure about that?

[Yaish]

Yup, very sure. Chlorine gas is made whenever you mix chlorine and an acid, and vinegar is acetic acid. Its not as bad as mixing it with a stronger acid is, but it produces a lot more than you want to be breathing in your enclosed laundry room.