Walnut Dying Fabric; Making ACU Usable

Howdy Folks, Walnut Dying Fabric has been done for nearly 300 years in North America! It is an amazing dye color that blends in perfectly with our Appalachian Autumn and Winter Forests. It will mute any color to blend in with the Autumn and Winter landscape. I found that it will also dye U.S. G.I. Issue ACU pattern clothing and actually make it "CAMOUFLAGE"! ACU is the worst "camouflage" pattern ever to be adopted by the U.S. Military! If you happen to have some ACU items of clothing lying around gathering dust, you might want to try this free and natural dye to make them usable!

[@branni6538]

To achieve a lighter colour, use less dye fluid and water it down. Also a garden plant spray bottle will dye the fabric like spray paint. You will get a patchy mottled effect on fabric. If you use a stencil you can spray shapes and patterns. Another method is tie dying. Learned all this in infant/junior school. I doubt they teach it anymore.

[@boonedockery7220]

Thank you for posting this comment! Typical fabric dying is a good bit different than walnut dying. Given the expense and time necessities, experimenting with color mixing to develop ideal hues for your particular environment would be challenging. The techniques you've shared would work very well with developing effective patterns, especially when dying pre-patterned items like ACU. I wish there was some way of sharing photos on the comments, I'd love to see some examples of what you've dyed! Thanks again for your comment, it's appreciated!

[@branni6538]

@@boonedockery7220 I'm 42 now. Its been a long time since I did those methods mentioned. Lol......... it worked back then though. Last thing I dyed was a rabbit hide with black walnut. Last year. I didn't boil the liqueur. It was cold stored in a jar with the husks and hide in for a few plus weeks. The tannins tanned it too. Needs smoking though. Old rotting oak bark works too but not as dark as walnut.

[@boonedockery7220]

@@branni6538 Yeah, boiling the hide would have just cooked it. I've not tried walnut dying on anything but fabric and wood.

[@isshinryu11]

Found your channel by looking for way to change ACU pattern. I never knew the ACU hate could run so deep! Everybody be hatin on this camo. Thank you for this video- I'm subscribed. Now I have a new project to do with my ACU's. I love projects -just ask the wife. Excellent Idea! and very informative. These fell all over my wife's garden where nothing would grow. Seems to be iodine in them nuts. But , the other uses, including die, was amazing to learn about. Thanks!

[@boonedockery7220]

Thank you very much for your kind words and subscription! I will do a future video on it in the future, but, I'll share the idea now. There are several natural sources for good natural green dyes. I plan on dying some ACU with green, then doing a tie-dye technique with the walnut dye to create a bit of a pattern. It may be some time away and I really hope it works. Regardless, it's going to be a lot of fun to try! Thanks again for your comment!

[@burgeryoufoundbehindthegrill]

It is not iodine.

[@JohnPatrick-mylifecademy]

Yes, there are a lot of folks who wore the ACU pattern and hated them.

[@Astralpains]

Awesome video, just got my new bivy bag in the mail and it def needs this dye, thanks!

[@boonedockery7220]

Awesome! After dyeing a lot of packs and pouches, I would recommend NOT boiling and DWR treated items. Hot is fine but not boiling. Good Luck! I hope it turns out the way you envisioned it!

[@Astralpains]

@@boonedockery7220 10/4!

[@bondee5865]

Very informative video, the info about the soldering on the rims was helpful too! My husband and I dyed a pair of boots with our walnut hulls a few years ago; they turned out very dark as I evaporated alot of the water out on a low simmer. Also I recently discovered that ink used to be made from black walnut hulls. The Declaration of independence is written with this type of ink. Thank you

[@boonedockery7220]

THAT IS AWESOME!!!! Thank You For Sharing This!

[@wadefriedlan6339]

I love your videos! As a western artist, color mixing with oil paints can come in handy. If you want to dye something od green, but can’t find Od green dye, mix an equal ratio of yellow dye with black. The blue hues in the black mix with the yellow, and create a decent olive green. Hope this little tip helps!

[@jaybyrdsshenanigans]

WOW!!!! You never disappoint brother John and I love the walnut dyed ACU!!! 🙂👍🇺🇲

[@boonedockery7220]

I walnut dyed several articles of clothing when I reenacted and it amazed me how well it blended in the the forest year round. There are probably a million articles of ACU clothing out there that are completely undesirable and unwanted. Dying them really changes ACUs usefulness. Walnut dyes a fantastic natural neutral warm gray brown that subdues any color, not just ACU. God Bless You And Yours Brother Jay!

[@jaybyrdsshenanigans]

@@boonedockery7220 I couldn't believe how much it changed it!! BOONEDOCKERY Brown camo!!! Trademarked 🤣🤣🤣 I'd buy it!! God bless you and the family Timms brother have a fantastic and truly blessed day my brother 😁🙂❤🙏👍🤜🤛🇺🇲

[@trentnichols5075]

Idk where I’m at. Little kids screaming & playing is the sound of joy. 👍🏼

[@boonedockery7220]

😂🤣😅😆!!!!! I'm With You Brother! I have my Grandmonkies here all the time and as much as they drive me crazy they fill and lift my heart! As Jesus said, God Bless The Children! THEY ARE TRUE BLESSINGS!

[@notaproject8575]

Great video, always think outside of the box.

[@jacksonbenefield1778]

Thanks for your video! I'm gonna try this with some white shirts I have. Always get them dirty. Might as well stain them so they don't instantly get dirty once I wear them outside!

[@scotttucker5331]

Stumbled upon this video and thought it was interesting I'm going to try this! Thanks for posting it

[@boonedockery7220]

Thanks for watching Scott!

[@brianvannorman1465]

Sounds like a great weekend.

[@boonedockery7220]

That It Was Brother!

[@darkcorsair247]

great video! thank you for sharing your knowledge with us

[@boonedockery7220]

Thank You! If I can add to anyone's bushcrafting or wild camping bag of tricks, I'm a happy man!

[@LuckyFoxKnits]

Thank you for a detailed, quality video.

[@boonedockery7220]

My pleasure! I'm glad you watched and liked it!

[@ed5042]

great idea and now I know what to do with all these walnuts!

[@boonedockery7220]

Thank you! There are places that buy them in any condition by the pound, however unless you've got a few friends to help you pick them up, it might not be worth the money😆😅😂😄👍

[@Killianwsh]

Great video! thanks for teaching!

[@boonedockery7220]

Thank You! I'm happy I could provide something useful!

[@masonlemons113]

THATwas great man. I love stuff like that and I see you've got a great many videos I will be watching. I'm hooked sir fantastic job!

[@boonedockery7220]

Thank You Very Much Mason! I sincerely hope you find one or two that you like! I deeply appreciate your kind words! Blessings!

[@wildrangeringreen]

"browning" is literally red-iron-oxide... it's rust. It's just done in a controlled manner so it doesn't pit the surface. The Porous surface created by the rust formation holds wax and oil better, and prevents further rusting. "Rust-Bluing" (as opposed to heat bluing) is converting red-iron-oxide to black-iron-oxide through a reaction involving heat and water. The Tannic acid in Walnut hulls and acorns rusts the metal fast, which is important in a rusting treatment, so that it's thin, even, and doesn't pit.

[@boonedockery7220]

Thank You For This Amazing Information! I hope everyone on this thread reads it!

[@jamesellsworth9673]

I built a LOT of raised beds and retaining walls out of those cement blocks! I learned a bit of masonry work along the way.

[@boonedockery7220]

Brother, I am certain you have volumes of life experiences you could pen! The term Renaissance Man comes to mind!

[@davidcolby7641]

Walnut oil is a "drying" oil, like linseed/flaxseed oil. Coating metal with walnut oil will cause it to form a plastic like polymerized layer on the metal. In the polymerization process the oil bonds with oxygen.

[@justpain365]

Now this was a epic one!! I use different dyes on my leather projects but this is definitely out of the box and smart as hell... I mean you covered SO much, on it seriously.. when I was thinking of a question you already where talking about the answer lol. I really loved this video my friend this was an educational one for me for sure and I appreciate it to no end... Your jackets gonna look badass btw, I'm sure of it... Looking forward to your next one, give love to the fam n enjoy the gr kids.. Kyle

[@boonedockery7220]

Thank you very much Kyle! I deeply appreciate your kind words! I'll be wearing it during my next excursion to the woods. Next Sundays video was actually shot the weekend I made the stuffed pumpkins, so I won't be wearing it in my next video. Blessings for you and yours Kyle!

[@dennislock3415]

Was taught by my cousin at a young age to gather the hulls in a bucket pour in some water then crush/stir the hulls until the water took on a good color.The water was then poured unto the ground in wormy looking places,it didn't take long and the worms would come up,it's how we'd get bait.For another dye boil onion skins for an OD type green, dyed feathers this way,learned from an old fly tying book.Never knew about dying clothes with walnuts thanks for the info.

[@boonedockery7220]

Thank you for posting this! Awesome, Practical Information!

[@dennislock3415]

@@boonedockery7220 👍

[@ralphsawyer9535]

Well now I know what I'm going to do with all of my inexpensive yet ineffective ACU. THANK YOU👍

[@boonedockery7220]

Thanks for watching

[@ralphsawyer9535]

@@boonedockery7220 I must confess, I didn't use walnut, only bc I don't have any walnut trees, I used RIT kelly green on a bunch of UCP, but the whole idea of dying them I got from you. I am very pleased how it all came out... everything came out greener and with more contrast between the light and dark and the in between shades. Really helped it a lot. No more pinkish tint and the contrast in shades really break it up MUCH better. Hey I bet pecan husk would be good, too. Not the shell but the super stainy messy husks that cover the shell, catch them while they're still green before they dry up and bust open. Anyhow thanks for the ideas bc you know they just about give that UCP away 🍻

[@oldschoolwithamoderntwist6074]

..i did not know you could dye military anything. I was told they were treated to keep the enemy for dying them. Iv learned something new . i like that. I love the black walnut i have been using them for cooking for many yeas.. My record for cracking them out is 30 Quart jars.. Interesting video thanks for sharing god bless my friend..

[@boonedockery7220]

The "Treatment" was a gimmick. After a few washings the treatment is gone. The boiling of the walnut dye with the garment in it removes the treatment. The "Digital Pattern" was also a gimmick. The two gimmicks combined was supposed to limit the enemy to see it with night vision. However, they soon found it didn't work and if the garments were washed with color enhancing detergent it would literally make the garment "GLOW" when viewed night vision! Blessings be upon you and yours my friend!

[@jason-oh6qr]

I live in sw Missouri and worked at a black walnut factory as a teenager. I can attest to the walnuts ruining clothes lol. I have a set of acu given to me by a natl guard friend a couple years ago. Definitely gonna get the walnut treatment! Then I'll have another set of quality clothes that are actually functional. Thank for the great video!

[@boonedockery7220]

Awesome Jason! I hope you have fun dying them and they turn out great!

[@jason-oh6qr]

Me too! Lol

[@jamesfoster9256]

Something else about black walnuts I think that when black walnuts which grow next to creeks and small or large rivers that one of the black walnut falls into the water it not only stay in Stillwater but it somehow paralyzes the fish the Indians used to do this or know this trick

[@Firefox13A]

Never underestimate field craftsmanship. Outfucking standing.

[@boonedockery7220]

Thank You! I deeply appreciate that!

[@noname-nq5zn]

When I was a kid I gather Mulberry used a strainer to separate out the seeds it made really good purple dye I end up making Play-Doh with it and it lasts for many years in the air tight dish

[@boonedockery7220]

Great tip!

[@buckstarchaser2376]

The wallnut thing is just the way you want to go about setting a piece to the color you want, but RIT dye doesn't need such a long video. The reason these ACUs are $10 in the surplus store is because they rip out after a few camping/hiking adventures. This could be fun practice for mending gear on the fly, but you should probably have underpants on hand, because the favorite part of these uniforms to fail is right in the crotch. You don't want to discover that you're a crotchless commando in the middle of a briar patch.

[@boonedockery7220]

Sage Advice! Thank You!

[@ddoherty5956]

@@boonedockery7220 You mentioned rust bluing traps, do you know if it's ever v Been used with firearms?

[@Barnes-ml9wg]

@@ddoherty5956 I actually just rust blued my hi power a few months back.

[@ddoherty5956]

@@Barnes-ml9wg with walnuts?

[@jjw5165]

@@ddoherty5956 yes Hawken rifles and many others historically.

[@DarkWolff.]

Really enjoyed the vid, buying some ucp camo now wanted to do in candy apple green but after seeing this now I'm not so sure

[@boonedockery7220]

The apple green is fine for tropical regions as it is very bright green. RIT's website has a color mixing guide that tells you exactly how much of what color to mix together to make specific colors. There are A LOT of colors!

[@jamesellsworth9673]

WE had a mature butternut tree by one of our residences. STAIN is the word, alright. I never knew the other uses of the nut hulls! I understand the hulls have a whole lot of tannins to produce a chemical action on the cloth.

[@boonedockery7220]

There a so many sources for natural dyes and stains. I'm just fortunate to have the Black Walnut Trees. There use to be a place near here that would buy them by the pound. They would process every part of them and then sell the "components" to other businesses. I guess the make a walnut hull mulch as well. The tannins must be pretty powerful to stain the Velcro and zipper! I'll have to try it with some ACU nylon pouches. If it works, it would open up a lot of opportunities for packs and field gear. There is a ton of ACU gear out there collecting dust.

[@frankalvarez7387]

My granny used them for wool and it works really good doesnt fade and it was pretty dark compared to your results but still thats much better compared to the ACU that glows lol

[@boonedockery7220]

Frank, I hope this opens up a flood of walnut dying of any and every thing! I've used it with plaid flannel shirts with fairly bright colors and it subdued all of them to wear them in the woods without drawing attention. I have enough documentation to do a long video about the trials and final adoption of ACU but it's a sad tale full of corruption that literally may have cost the lives of many of our service members. But, that really isn't what this channel is about. Perhaps another time in the future.. Cheers My Friend!

[@geolighthouse9618]

It's funny, this camouflage is really ineffective, and I can attest to it. I lived in a place where the sun charred everything, and made everything, the dirt, the plants, I mean everything, grey. Even there it didn't work. but that almost made it better, because when we would do milsims, my team wore ACUs (because they were the cheapest camo out there, making it easier to be uniform), and because we knew the terrain, we would always win. It was so demoralizing to the enemy teams, because they could see us, they knew where we were, yet we always managed to outflank and out gun them. Now that I have seen this, though, I think I might dye my stuff with this method. it is really cool. thank you for sharing this really neat method.

[@les3449]

My National Guard unit was mobilized in 2005. We went to Ft. Sill where we were issued the ACUs. WHAT A JOKE! I took art classes in College and have always been interested in camo patterns. I couldn't believe the Army actually thought this "pattern" would work worldwide (that was what the Army was attempting). On the way to the range one day I noticed the similarity our ACUs had to sagebrush. Sagebrush! That was the only vegetation we blended with! When we got to Iraq it was even worse. Thanks for this video. I now know what I can do with the ACU uniforms I have left.

[@boonedockery7220]

Les, God Bless You And Thank You For Your Service. The adoption of UCP/ACU was a scandalous travesty! Corruption, malfeasance and dereliction of duty at the highest level! Considering this fiasco cost several service members their lives I'll add TREASON to the list. It wasn't just a bad decision grounded on ignorance accidentally, It Was All On Purpose, and a lot of people made millions upon millions of dollars because of it. I pray you have a blessed evening!

[@les3449]

@@boonedockery7220 thank you and God bless you too sir! You're right about the corruption. I was also a Gunnersmate (GM) in the Coast Guard when the Beretta hand gun was chosen for us. My Chief GM went to an introductory school in Maryland that Beretta gave to senior NCOs and CPOs in the military. Well, you know how those guys are. They cornered the Beretta rep. and asked him WHY we were going to their pistol. He basically said that when WE wanted land for an air base in Italy there had to be a trade off. The Beretta pistol as well as the 75mm and 25mm automatic deck cannons were the trade. I believe that airbase is USMC.

[@boonedockery7220]

@@les3449 😡I have no doubt of the fact of that!🤬

[@ddoherty5956]

On Captain Barbosa's Black Pearl all illness and injury is treated with a dose of Walnut 🤣🤣🤣

[@boonedockery7220]

I had no idea! That Is Very Cool!

[@williamwright82164]

That is a M65 field jacket minus the liner, the shirt buttons. I like that you are capable of not dying out the anti night vision pattern, could you test to see if it is still effective against night vision?

[@boonedockery7220]

William, you're not the first person to ask about the night vision reduction of the pattern. I am going to reach out to some of my friends to see if the have a night vision device in which I can test it.

[@ab5olut3zero95]

Outstanding info. Would love to know where to find either pre-dried hulls or if there’s a good source for em, other than harvesting them yourself since to my knowledge, they don’t grow much around APG, MD.

[@boonedockery7220]

You can buy them from multiple sources on line!

[@noshame7472]

All you have done is made it like coyote which is good for one environment. You should gets some UCP-D material and have a look at its ability in Urban, Dust, Early morning, smoke screen with smoke bombs like we did and finally ocean beach and desert, especially when it gets dirty its great, I would not change it at all it really does work, Give UCP ACU a real go and you will be surprised.

[@boonedockery7220]

No thank you. I do what I do, how and why I do it because of where I live and what I do where I live. It works for me and I am very happy with the results. I can tell from the four comments you posted that you are very passionate about this topic. I VERY MUCH appreciate passion. Please consider the context and environment in which I "Changed" the color of the pattern. Seeing speaks louder than words. Hold on to that passion, but don't allow that passion blind you from considering differing opinions and ideas. Even if you wind up believing your opinion is validated. Just take a moment to consider differing ideas. I pray peace upon you my friend. Thank you for the comments you shared as they are an Important element to the conversation. Your opinion is always welcome here.

[@noshame7472]

@@boonedockery7220 Much appieciated for getting back to me and letting me have my say. I've found that most are very harsh with responses and don't take the time to consider a different way of looking at the camo especially about the UCP topic and feel I need to stick to what I believe about it effectiveness. But will always be open minded and appreciate good solid conversation about it. So thanks again for getting back to me. Here's to digital Universal Camo, 👍 Andrew. Ohio.

[@boonedockery7220]

@@noshame7472 Brother, I believe most people have to deal with a good deal of negativity, throughout each day. Unfortunately, sometimes we let it get to us and we do that which we dislike and lash out rudely or hatefully. I don't like that place. I will be honest with you. I haven't delved to deeply into the physics of digital camouflage in any pattern. But, I believe I will now. Knowing part of the story is almost as bad as knowing none of the story. Having learned what I have thus far, I owe it to myself (AND VIEWERS) to complete my education. Thank You Andrew! I Pray you have a blessed day!

[@augustvonmacksen2526]

I’d be curious to see if walnut dyeing provides NIR properties.

[@ElementBushcraft]

Love this topic. Any chance you'd like to do a demo for the Central Ohio Bushcraft Gathering this year? 😅

[@boonedockery7220]

I would love too! My trees don't always produce from season to season, so if you know of anyone with black walnut trees that might be able to help with supply If I were to need it, that would be fantastic!

[@ElementBushcraft]

I can definitely check around. About how much would you need to stain a bedsheet or something like that?

[@henrynordman]

Amazing video and yet so few views?? Cheers from Finland

[@boonedockery7220]

Thank you Henry from Finland! I don't think I'm everyone's cup of tea. The few folks that follow me seem to like the way I do things. I'm good with that. Have a great day and thank you very much for commenting!

[@jeffreymcintire8273]

I'd love to see a browning process done on a flintlock with walnut hulls. I have to wonder if that was done in history.

[@boonedockery7220]

Brother, we'll find out. I have two brown Bess muskets that have to be fully restored! I'll try the walnut hulls with one of them.

[@microlling3582]

walnut shells were used to clean early thrust jet engines

[@boonedockery7220]

That is cool! I had no clue!

[@joeparker7508]

Thats the acid I was talking about.eye had to be painful

[@boonedockery7220]

Okay! Yes, it was the worst eye pain I have ever experienced! I got a bad eye infection from it as well.

[@terryqueen3233]

Well I know this was a year ago and maybe you'll read it and maybe you won't. I did the same thing that you just did except I didn't boil mine I left the hulls in for a long time before I put anything in them they didn't turn out as dark as yours they actually was a almost tie-dye looking color but all parts of it died and I used canvas like a painters canvas and I like the way it turned out but I would have liked it darker so I'm going to redo them maybe next year I'm not sure I'm not going to do them this year I've got too much going on. I saved all of the liquids and I even put the hulls after draining them in a container. I got all the hulls last season left them in the bucket which was the same size bucket you had all over the winter and did it last spring. I haven't looked in the containers yet. Since I didn't boil them maybe they won't ferment I might let you know later on how it turned out. I'm glad I found this, this is the first time I've ever gotten on this channel and I'm sorry that I wrote a book I'm sure that's what it's going to look like. Anyway thanks for the video and the instructions on this and I'm going to look into your video log and watch some of your stuff. Thanks again for the video. Stay vigilant! PS I don't know if your walnut trees had fruit this year or nuts I mean, but mine did not and neither did any near or around where I live. You probably guessed I have them in my yard also. I thought I would add that after I got to thinking about it whenever I finished. Anyway thanks for the video.

[@boonedockery7220]

Terry, Thank You Very Much for visiting the channel and commenting. I've done a lot of walnut dyeing over the past 30 years and found that boiling the items you're dyeing with the hulls work best. Up until I dyed the ACU blouse I had only dyed natural fibers. I found if you just cram the fabric in the walnut dye baths and leave it alone until you remove it it creates a modeled effect like tie dying. On some of the reenacting hunting shirts I dyed, I liked that effect as it created a pseudo camouflage effect. I still have the dye I made a couple weeks ago in a 5 gallon bucket and it's hasn't turned rancid. It was boiled. As I said in the video, you can dry the hulled and keep them indefinitely to use whenever you want. The hulls I dried 5 years ago still work great. You can even pulverize them into powder to conserve space or to create a highly concentrated dye. Lot's of possibilities with walnut hulls. I am very pleased you enjoyed the video and you found the information helpful. Hopefully you'll find one or two more of my videos you like as well. Finally Brother, Vigilance And The Lord Is They Only Thing I Cling to Anymore! This world has turned upside down, inside out and it's only going to get worse. I believe we are are the same sheet of music in this regard. Gob Bless you and I hope you have a great weekend!

[@ab5olut3zero95]

Any idea on how well this dye works under NODS compared to RIT or other commercial dyes?

[@boonedockery7220]

Being 100% natural and organic, it should be much better than synthetic dyes. The fabric on the other is still geometrically woven, in my way of thinking natural woven fibers would be best.

[@UnknownUser-pf9rk]

Awsome! But doesn't boiling the fabric make it shrink - at least for cotton and such?

[@boonedockery7220]

It's quite negligible if the fabric has been pre-washed and dried.

[@removerinnawoods8536]

"Look at this!" Oh, it went from UCP to Ukrainian Camouflage Pattern Look it up

[@boonedockery7220]

Extremely Similar!

[@DriveCarToBar]

I live in the desert SW of the USA and I'm wondering how some walnut dye would do if I bleached out a set of ACUs to lighten it up first and then dyed them. Maybe do a relatively short soak time to get a lighter color since there isn't actually much dark brown in the Mojave desert. Plus a little lighter is nice when its hot.

[@boonedockery7220]

The longer you leave it in the bath the darker it gets. It might take some experimenting to get the perfect amount of soaking time down, but I think you'd be able to find the color intensity you'd like.

[@DriveCarToBar]

@@boonedockery7220If the first dye job doesn't darken it enough, can I run it again? Will that work or should I try something else like Rit?

[@the_LuckyPenny]

Could you link to the video of the it dried? Really interesting!

[@boonedockery7220]

I apologize for the extremely late reply! I wear it for the first time in my Firebox G2 Stove video. Fast forward it to about the 35 minute mark and you'll see how it turned out. I'm glad you found it interesting!

[@vigilante8175]

How long does this last? Can we see an update of the dry finished product?

[@boonedockery7220]

If you wear it frequently, depending on the fabric, it should last a year before it fades to the point you need to re-dye it. Natural fibers hold the dye far longer than blends and even longer than synthetics. The next NON throwback Thursday video, i did not wear it, but the two following it, I did. You can see how it turned out in those videos.

[@feetoorourke]

So after staining, is it still IRR compliant? I imagine it would be fine, but it'd be cool to know for sure

[@boonedockery7220]

If the IRR capability is within the fabric it's self, it should be fine. If it is a fabric treatment, I would say not. In addition, surface treatments must be reapplied frequently.

[@maxmannsperger2816]

I'm dyeing with different treebarks for some years but i've never seen such a dark color on NyCo /Polyco fabriks. Also the 100% synthetic velcro took the colour. Is it possible for you to try this dye on Cordura or bagpacks? Cheers from Germany

[@boonedockery7220]

Max, I have not attempted dying any packs, pouches or equipment with walnut hulls. However, I believe I am going to have to try it. The issue in my mind has always been the coating or treatment done to Cordura. I believe it's "possible" that the boiling process could open pores of the coating enough to permit the dye to stain the actual fabric. As the item cools and dries those pores could contract trapping in the stain. I still have several gallons of dried hulls I could use to test a few pouches. Between now and the time I try it I will procure a few pouches that range from new to heavily worn to compare the effectiveness of the die with varying conditions of wear of the fabric. Vielen Dank! Prost!

[@maxmannsperger2816]

@@boonedockery7220 thx for your fast answer and your effort. I'm looking forward your upcoming experiments.

[@WB-uk9gq]

Great video would you ever sell any in the bags I can’t find any in my area

[@boonedockery7220]

William, I'm going to be doing a few more Walnut Dyeing videos within the next couple of weeks. I have no idea how many I will need. If I don't have to tap into dried supply, I'll send you some. Email me your address to [e-mail]. I'll let you know as soon as I know.

[@allenwilson8913]

Any idea how the walnutted material shows up on NVGs?

[@boonedockery7220]

Going to find out in late Spring.

[@philippinesunriseanexpatvi5459]

My GrandFather made chairs funiture he would use walnut dye to outline them

[@boonedockery7220]

It does a great job as a wood stain. Beautiful and it penetrates the wood surface very well.

[@coppertopv365]

Do you need to use a bit of vinegar to keep the color? Does the stain color fade?

[@boonedockery7220]

No Vinegar needed!

[@DirtyDirtbath]

Wow... I always search for brown clothes when I could just be dying my own!! Excellent color! Does it matter what the fabric is? A little bummed I didn't see this earlier! I was at the surplus store lol this is way better camo color

[@boonedockery7220]

From my experience 100% natural fabric dyes darker faster. Synthetics or synthetic blends require more time and may not darken as deeply as natural fibers. I purchased my ACU/UCP sets at $20.00 a pop. You can always pick some up a little at a time and have a dye fest next fall. You could set yourself up to have brown woods wear for decades to come.

[@DirtyDirtbath]

@@boonedockery7220 thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, I can't wait to do this

[@boonedockery7220]

@@DirtyDirtbath It's my pleasure. A good spark that ignites a flame is gone in an instant but the flame burns for a long time. I want to spark many flames in the time I have left on this earth.

[@myself7630]

Does it stank like a black walnut after staining an washing ?

[@boonedockery7220]

Not at all!

[@brianl426]

I deal with walnuts from 11 trees between mine and my neighbor's yard. Easily 25 plus 5 gallon pails just from my yard alone. Fortunately most of the trees seem to produce a large crop bi annually. Yes the nuts themselves are awesome. My question is. Do you know if anyone has tried to stain ACU pouches or packs with this method? I will assume they would probably use a cold soak method to stain these items in order to preserve the rubberized coating that is on the inside. ?

[@boonedockery7220]

I have not tried dying any Cordura fabric. I was very surprised with how well the stain took to the Velcro and plastic zipper. I know a lot of people that cold soak items. It worked but if the weather is warm the dye bath gets full of maggots and smells pretty bad. I will have to try it out on a couple small pouches and see how it works. If I damage any rubberized areas I could use "Flex Seal" to repair it. If it works, it will open up a whole near realm of surplus to me that I would normally ignore. There are other patterns that could be used as well, including desert patterns. I could also use some tie-dying techniques to play with patterning. Thanks for commenting! Have a fantastic day!

[@brianl426]

@@boonedockery7220 Awesome idea. Didn't think about flex seal.

[@SCREAMstackz247]

can you do a follow up video on the shirt since it was wet at the end

[@boonedockery7220]

I will!

[@SCREAMstackz247]

@@boonedockery7220 awesome appreciate the quick response! I got a desert storm camo bdu jacket and was wondering if i should use rit synthetic dye or rit all purpose dye for the best results?

[@boonedockery7220]

@@SCREAMstackz247 Rit is the most readily available fabric dye available, however, the color options are limited. If you're wanting a good "woods green" try Dylon Olive Green. www.amazon.com/dp/B000FNDZN6?tag=bier88-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1&keywords=olive%20drab%20fabric%20dye I plan on doing a tie-dye project with the Dylon OG and Walnut Dye next fall.

[@scottmclean58]

Would pecan hull work?

[@boonedockery7220]

I personally have no idea. However, one of the commenters to this video is going to try it. As soon as he let's me know, I'll let everyone know in a future video.

[@johntuffin6665]

What is that neck knife?

[@boonedockery7220]

My ESEE Izula II. I have a video review of it posted on my channel.

[@aceman1126]

Anyone know if this dye method affects the IR reflectivity of mil spec fabric?

[@boonedockery7220]

A FLIR Monocular is on my wish list. As soon as I can purchase one, I will produce a video and show everyone if or how well it performs.

[@aceman1126]

@@boonedockery7220 awesome. I appreciate it brother. I may try a dye job on some ACU I have laying around a check under my flir and pvs14. If I do I'll comment back.

[@boonedockery7220]

@@aceman1126 Fantastic! I am "in the market" for a FLIR. Primarily a monocular. Do you have any recommendations?

[@aceman1126]

@@boonedockery7220 I have the flir scout III 640. It's a solid performer but lacking in features that the most current generation of monoculars have. The flir breech seems like a great choice but it all depends on your individual goals. I just wanted something with good resolution and simple to use. Most of the 640 units are fairly high dollar and you might be just fine with a lower resolution. My main recommendation is to borrow several different units if at all possible and go from there. Anything worth a darn is gonna be pricey so it pays to try it out if you can.

[@boonedockery7220]

@@aceman1126 This is solid information and is deeply appreciated!

[@StevenRAssmann-tb7ty]

Instant coffee works much better then apple green

[@paulwolfrey821]

Put your Walnuts in feed sack tie it up then drive Truck back and forth over them to get the hulls off the Nuts.

[@boonedockery7220]

Brilliant! Thank You!

[@paulwolfrey821]

@@boonedockery7220 your Welcome.

[@boonedockery7220]

@@paulwolfrey821 👍

[@JohnDoe-mp1yn]

so how's the camo lookin now?

[@boonedockery7220]

John, I will post a follow-up video ASAP!

[@JohnDoe-mp1yn]

@@boonedockery7220 looking forward to it

[@Dutch.1722]

Woodland Camo rocks. They should have never gave it up. ACU just bites. If I would have know it was gonna be phased out, I would have stocked up on it, the there was a time in my life I was done with it. Could stand it even....

[@boonedockery7220]

When I was issued my Woodland BDUs, There were only poplin uniforms with huge Elvis Presley Collars! A couple years later the came out with the summer weight rip stop uniforms. Once I got those I never wore the poplin again. I "think I might have a couple items left, but off the top of my head, I don't have a clue where they would be.

[@Dutch.1722]

@@boonedockery7220 how long does it smell like walnut?

[@boonedockery7220]

@@Dutch.1722 Pretty much as soon as you finish the final rinse.

[@Dutch.1722]

@@boonedockery7220 Does it still smell like walnuts? This could be a good cover scent.

[@boonedockery7220]

@@Dutch.1722 Unfortunately not. I use to put my hunting cloths in a burlap bag with woods duff and pine bows for several days before going hunting. That use to work well for me.

[@noshame7472]

I'm sorry your facts are not correct Mate! UCP is a very effective Camo that was completely misunderstood? That is why we are in the USA going back to a simular camo such as Digital and universal. The only issue really with UCP was its durability.

[@boonedockery7220]

I agree with the durability statement your last sentence.

[@larryedwards9501]

$10 wow that's cheap

[@JohnPatrick-mylifecademy]

The biggest travesty of ACU? The amount it cost taxpayers...

[@behindthespotlight7983]

ACU is the worst camo ever. Better off back in the 1875 blue uniforms

[@boonedockery7220]

ABSOLUTELY!

[@EstroPuppy]

Hey man, could you please stand back a little more when filming your videos?

[@boonedockery7220]

Of the 556.8K views I have had, this is the first time anyone has ask that question.

[@nicholasdiaz9424]

Now i know why the US army switched over from digital ACU to multi-cam camo pattern. Even my father had on ACU back in those days while he was active-duty.

[@boonedockery7220]

God Bless Your Father And Everyone Else that Had To Wear It!