Changing seat belt colours
Moderators: GAHorn, Karl Towle, Bruce Fenstermacher
- minton
- Posts: 764
- Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2005 2:20 am
Changing seat belt colours
Is it possible to "Dye" seat belts to a darker colour?? (Lite Blue to Black). If so what specific type of dye should be used.
-
- Posts: 2615
- Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 11:35 pm
Re: Changing seat belt colours
Approval aside...
Nylon will accept dye. Polyester won't.
I used to clean and dye carpets in another life. Using Rit dye or similar, you can darken but not blacken. The colors will blend. You might be able to lighten them with a very mild mixture of bleach and the dye them black. But the blue will always show thru to some degree.
The bleach will weaken the fibers. Not sure about Rit. Most dyes have agents to make the fibers accept the color at
the cost of fiber strength.
I would just buy new ones tho.
Nylon will accept dye. Polyester won't.
I used to clean and dye carpets in another life. Using Rit dye or similar, you can darken but not blacken. The colors will blend. You might be able to lighten them with a very mild mixture of bleach and the dye them black. But the blue will always show thru to some degree.
The bleach will weaken the fibers. Not sure about Rit. Most dyes have agents to make the fibers accept the color at
the cost of fiber strength.
I would just buy new ones tho.
- GAHorn
- Posts: 21291
- Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2002 8:45 pm
Re: Changing seat belt colours
Vinegar (acetic acid) etches the fibers to encourage them to accept the dye... but as already mentioned by the bag-guy....
.... it weakens the belts. Plus...how would you prevent the hardware from rusting (unless you could remove it.)
I'd have them re-webbed...or buy replacements too.

I'd have them re-webbed...or buy replacements too.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.

- blueldr
- Posts: 4442
- Joined: Thu May 02, 2002 3:16 am
- FredMa
- Posts: 257
- Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:13 am
Re: Changing seat belt colours
SHARPIE! one with a large tip
- blueldr
- Posts: 4442
- Joined: Thu May 02, 2002 3:16 am
Re: Changing seat belt colours
That's one of the advantages of getting the advice of we Aircraft Maintenance Technicians. We have some great ideas on tough problems.
BL
Cessna® is a registered trademark of Textron Aviation, Inc. The International Cessna® 170 Association is an independent owners/operators association dedicated to C170 aircraft and early O-300-powered C172s. We are not affiliated with Cessna® or Textron Aviation, Inc. in any way.