How to Properly Spray Paint Your ACU Molle Gear

Howdy all , Pastor Mike here , I’m a new guy but please don’t hold that against me , hehehehehee Anyway I thought that I would share with you a little something that might help some of you. I originally posted this over at my main hangout … http://www.threepercenters.org/index.php/topic,1141.0.html

This is an updated response for a well written article over at American Partisan , Repurposing Gear: The Power of Dye , Posted by Patriotman | May 16, 2019 https://www.americanpartisan.org/2019/05/repurposing-gear-the-power-of-dye/

DISCLAIMER … DO NOT DO THIS TO YOUR UNIFORMS AS IT WILL STIFFEN THEM UP , USE RIT DYE FOR THEM !

THIS IS ONLY FOR GEAR !

https://www.krylon.com/products/fusion-allinone/

Krylon Fusion All-In-One spray paint is what you need if you don’t want to dye surplus ACU gear . I’ve written about it in the past myself at a few websites and showed my Teammates up here in the hills how I do it.

1- First wash out your washing machine with a rag a White Vinegar , then run a short washing with NOTHING in it but water , just a couple of cups of White Vinegar added to it, and just run that as a normal wash cycle. What this does is help wash away most of the U.V. residue that is found in just about all washing detergents . When that is trough just wash the items in cold water and add about a cup or two of white vinegar again in place of detergent , this will kill any mold spores that are in the seams making your gear “stinky”, along with reducing any U.V. glow that has happened from washing it in a machine with detergent soap before.
As a side note … I ONLY wash any of my field clothing , including hats , gloves, scarf , etc in this very same manner so as to not have them glowing in the dark in the eyes of any animals or N.V.D’s.

2- Put out in the sun to dry for a day on a clothesline , just take a single molle strap and hang it on the line and then closing the snap shut. But don’t leave out over night as any dew that settles on it will effect the outcome in a very negative way.

3- Place items in a clean cardboard box that is large enough to have plenty of room between the items without them touching one another . Stuff the inside of pouch with newspaper. If you use just one sheet or so the surface will be uneven which will help you with casting shadows later if you choose to use more then one color. But if you just want one color like flat Olive Drab , then just stuff that sucker with newspaper until it looks like an inflated Puffer Fish. Then use some duct tape to cover up the male and female ends of the metal snaps , otherwise your going to have some real issues trying to get them to open and close when you are completely finished.

4- Then while wearing rubber like gloves start spray painting but closer then you normally would , as you want the spray to soak into the material , say about 12 inches away more or less . Give it a overall good spray and then let it rest to dry for and hour, then flip it over and do the same , not forgetting to hit both sides of the molle straps and the material behind them .

5- Keep repeating Step-4 until you are satisfied with the coverage that you like. The paint will leave the item with a rougher looking finish then what many of you are used to but it definitely aids in reducing any shine.
Once it is completely finished and has had a day to dry , twist the item in your hands back and forth and you will see that the paint will not flake off but you will just be knocking loose any loosely adhering paint residue .

Doing it this way will give your gear a new life and save you buku bucks .

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