Jogging Stroller Fix-Up

[biglew]

I decided to get a double jogging stroller so that I could exercise on the weekends while my wife is at work and I have the girls (who just turned 2 and 5). I also needed something to haul them around in when we go fishing. The 5 year old probably won't fit in one of these for more than a year or so, so I didn't want to go out and spend a few hundred dollars.

I posted on TBH classifieds for one and got a couple of nibbles but no bites. After a few weeks of searching, I finally found one on Craigslist for $20!!! It was in Pflugerville which was about 10 minutes away, so I knew this was the deal for me.

The stroller had been left outside for a year or more, so the red fabric was faded to pink and the stroller was covered with leaves, dirt, rodent droppings, and had grease stains on it. The tires were low but not flat and the brake needed adjustment. Well, for $20 I went ahead and bought it, but I knew I had some work to do. Pictures of the progress will follow shortly...

[biglew]

I decided to take the water hose to it and give it a hefty cleaning before putting the girls in it. That effort got some of the dirt out, but this thing was NASTY DIRTY! I knew I had to do more than just spray it down.

[biglew]

I then took all the fabric off the frame (2 separate big pieces - top cover and seats) so that I could run it through the washing machine with some OxyClean. After I removed the fabric pieces I removed the torn handle bar grip, fixed the brake, and aired up the tires. The frame was in good condition.

[biglew]

I ran both fabric pieces through the washer and dryer but it was still stained and faded pink.

[T-Bolt]

Looking good

[biglew]

How to Dye Nylon - Part 1

I decided to attempt to dye all the fabric black. This is cordura nylon and I had to do some research to see if the fabric would accept the dye. I was particularly interested in this because there are other items that I have that I would like to dye, so the knowledge would come in handy for future projects

You have to do a water test - if the nylon is coated with some sort of weather-resistant substance, the fabric will have trouble absorbing the dye. If you put water on the fabric and it beads up and doesn't absorb, then this is a good indicator that the dye will not work well and maybe not at all.

When I had previously hosed the stroller down, I noticed the water beaded up at first, but soon soaked into the fabric (probably because the water-resistant substance had worn off over time). This was a good indicator that that the dye might work, so I went to Walmart and bought a few boxes of RIT black powder dye and some rubber gloves. I probably spent around $12. I had some 16 gallon black plastic bins for the dying process and a piece of pvc pipe to stir the solution.

[biglew]

These were the only gloves that fit my big hands

Walmart did not have camouflage chemical gloves

[Shake N' Bake]

Lookin good!

[biglew]

How to Dye Nylon - Part 2

An important step for dying nylon is to get the fibers to loosen up so the fabric will absorb the dye. This is done by soaking the fabric in very hot water before applying the dye solution.

I gathered up all the pots and buckets and started heating up water on the stove until it started to simmer. I poured the hot water into the plastic bin and then added a few buckets of room temperature water to bring the temperature down enough for me to put my hands in it. The water was still VERY hot and I put the fabric in the hot water to soak and open up the fibers.

In a separate bucket, I mixed the boxes of RIT dye, water, and vinegar. Vinegar has to be added when dying nylon and I think it was 1 cup for every 3 gallons of water and 1 box of RIT (the precise details are printed on the inside of the RIT dye box).

After letting the fabric soak in the hot water for about 30-45 minutes, I added the dye solution and began stirring and agitating the fabric and dye solution in the plastic bin.

[biglew]

How to Dye Nylon - Part 3

After mixing and agitating for about 30 minutes, I took a break and let the fabric soak in the dye solution for about 30 minutes. The biggest problem I had at this point was the mosquitos and I didn't have my Thermacell!!!

I checked on the fabric after a short break from the mosquitos and it looked like it was absorbing the dye. The parts that were originally black were even darker and the red part were a very dark purple. I was hopeful that the purple would eventually turn black.

I had a problem with the fabric floating in the dye solution (due to the foam padding in the seats) and the exposed fabric was not submerged and getting soaked. I had to come up with a plan...

I had another black bin the same size, so I filled it with some tools I had close by and put it on top of the other bin and this kept the fabric suberged in the solution adequately. I let it sit for another hour.

[biglew]

How to Dye Nylon - Part 4

After letting it sit for another hour, I drained the dye solution from the bin (in an environmentally safe manner of course)

I took the fabric pieces and sprayed them down with the water hose until the water draining form the fabric was clear. At this point both pieces looked like they had successfully absorbed the dye and they looked black. So far, so good

[yellowcat]

These were the only gloves that fit my big hands

Walmart did not have camouflage chemical gloves

you got you some purdy gloves..

[biglew]

Final Result

I decided to run the fabric through the washer and dryer again so the dye wouldn't bleed out onto my daughters' clothes (the wife would NOT be happy about that). After a good wash/dry cycle I took the fabric outside to inspect. I was disappointed that the previously red fabric did not retain the black color. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out a very deep, even, beautiful purple.

So, I assembled the fabric back onto the frame and was taken aback by how beautiful and new it looked! This $20 faded, dirty, red stroller turned out to be a beautiful purple and black that looked brand-spaking new! This is an older model and is made much sturdier than some of the strollers on the market now that have all the plastic parts. Hardly any plastic on this stroller. Certainly better than some of the newer models.

My wife was very happy and impressed with my efforts. The kids came out and admired it too! I am very happy with my efforts and this took just one afternoon (maybe about 3-4 hours).

[biglew]

I bought some SRAM super cork bar tape and wrapped the handle bar. I think I paid about $10 for this (including shipping), so now I have invested a total of around $22 on top of the original $20 purchase.

[sharkhunter]

nice job!