TURNTABLE FELT FADING or BLEACHING

[johnwilla]

Has anybody on the list had experience with fading the bright kelly green modern turntable felt to approximate an old piece for a turntable? Either with liquid fabric bleach, or maybe exposure to light source?
Thanks for any thoughts--

[Retrograde]

The Kelly Green craft felt that one finds in the local art & craft store is not the correct shade of green, and I doubt any amount of massaging will make it so.

There are some sources of felt that have color closer to the original. search back through the forum for references.

[Zeppy]

I had to replace the felt on a Vic 1 of mine. I used a 100% wool felt picked up from the local fabric store, and it faded to a rather convincing pale grayish green just through regular exposure to normal light over the course of a couple years. Granted we're talking about a couple years, but sometimes it's best to let nature run its course.

[johnwilla]

Thanks for your suggestions. I see that replacement felt can be purchased through George Vollema and others; I pursue it.
Cheers--
JS

[Tinkerbell]

Thanks for your suggestions. I see that replacement felt can be purchased through George Vollema and others; I pursue it.
Cheers--
JS

I've used a technique for other felt projects that required a vintage look, though you may have to experiment a bit to see if you like the results since you will not be fading it so much as giving it an older look. Use scraps of the same color felt to experiment on, not your cut piece.

Steep several Lipton's tea bags in boiling water until the tea is very concentrated, and then allow it to cool completely. (You do not want to put felt into hot water.) Once completely cooled (you can refrigerate it, if you like), place it into a shallow pan large enough to hold the felt and allow it to soak. Pull it out periodically to check the color. Rinsing it in cold water actually helps if you would like a less uniform color because the water content will allow a less uniform color to penetrate.

As they used to say (and perhaps still do) on shampoo bottles, rinse and repeat. When you get it the color you like, set it out flat to dry away from any heat source (unless you want to risk shrinkage).

[estott]

The problem is that most felt you find is synthetic and won't fade the same way wool felt fades.

I don't know where to find proper wool turntable felt, I bought what was advertised as being a proper replacement from an Ebay dealer, but he sent me a piece of typical synthetic craft felt that I could have bought anyplace.

[Tinkerbell]

Here are a few sites that carry wool felt for anyone who is interested:

http://www.onlinefabricstore.net/craft- ... productads

http://www.countrystitchesonline.com/ca ... =19&page=2

http://www.thefeltpod.com/Willow_3mm_p/3mm-wi.htm

[johnwilla]

Thanks, all, for the suggestions.
J