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CaptHunt

anyone know how to clean paintball stains off of tac gear?

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I found a gen 3 blackhawk #3 on EBay for super cheap, and jumped on it.  Unfortunately, I was so thrilled to find it I didn't take a close look at the pictures.  Now that I have it in hand, I can see that it's got a bunch of pink stains on the back panel, which I think are probably from paintballs.  Does anyone know a good way to get those stains out?  I imagine I can't just throw it in the wash.

 

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You should be able to just throw it in the wash just fine, it is just nylon after all, although you probably would want to take the laces off first. Failing that, you could always just hose it down and scrub it by hand with some soap.Paintball stains should wash right out no matter how you clean it though, they're not meant to permanent.

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thanks! this vest is in pretty rough shape, I'm glad I didn't spend very much on it.

Edited by CaptHunt
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One thing I wouldn't worry too much about is getting it spotless, just get it to where the stains aren't red/pink. Leaving in any other stains or dirt and grime help give it that weathered look and make it look like it's been used in the field for a good while instead of brand new, off the shelf. I actually wore mine paintballing a few times before I got into Stargate costuming and I'm glad that I did because now it's all broken in and has a nice used look to it.

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16 minutes ago, Dr Rodnay said:

Play airsoft instead, less messy, less dirty-painty 😉 😛

 

Would probably be just as good for weathering/breaking in gear.

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On 7/8/2019 at 2:40 PM, Dr Rodnay said:

Play airsoft instead, less messy, less dirty-painty 😉 😛

 

believe me, I would never have worn a Blackhawk vest paintballing.  And, now I'll be a lot more careful when I see them posted for $10 on ebay.

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3 hours ago, CaptHunt said:

believe me, I would never have worn a Blackhawk vest paintballing.  And, now I'll be a lot more careful when I see them posted for $10 on ebay.

It's not that bad. Like I said, I have one that I've worn paintballing in the past and I'm rather glad I had since it gives it a more worn/used look and not so fresh out of the package looking. Personally, for this sort of costuming I prefer things to look a little old and used, it gives the costume a little more believability and makes you look more like a seasoned vet as opposed to someone who's just joined and everything is brand new from supply. And I'm sure that all of you who've been in the military know that you seldom (aside from uniforms), if ever, get anything that's brand new from supply; helmets, vests, packs, etc. are all old and have been around the block a few times, if not more.

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"I" wouldn't just toss it in the wash, but I WOULD hand wash it. Dish soap, warm water and a cloth will do wonders. And hang it dry. Do NOT tumble dry.

Some lite scrubbing should get the paint residue mostly off.

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4 hours ago, Rook said:

"I" wouldn't just toss it in the wash, but I WOULD hand wash it. Dish soap, warm water and a cloth will do wonders. And hang it dry. Do NOT tumble dry.

Some lite scrubbing should get the paint residue mostly off.

I think machine washing would be fine on cool or warm at most and either by itself or with other things you don't mind possibly getting dirty from the paint. However, if you do decide to machine wash it I'd take out the cords first, otherwise they're liable to tangle and knot up. But I do agree on not machine drying, just hang it out to dry and it should be fine. You could probably get away with just hosing it off and scrubbing it of with a bit of soap and a stiff bristled brush.

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I have a vest I bought "used" years ago.  It looked okay, but smelled like the bottom of a cat litter box.

Literally. No pun intended. 

 

As I recall, I used dawn dish soap for the basic cleaning, rinsed it thoroughly with warm water so all the soap was gone and then used several spray baths of febreeze.

 

Clean and not stinky now. 🙂

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On 7/7/2019 at 5:32 AM, CaptHunt said:

I found a gen 3 blackhawk #3 on EBay for super cheap, and jumped on it.  Unfortunately, I was so thrilled to find it I didn't take a close look at the pictures.  Now that I have it in hand, I can see that it's got a bunch of pink stains on the back panel, which I think are probably from paintballs.  Does anyone know a good way to get those stains out?  I imagine I can't just throw it in the wash.

 

IMG_0182.thumb.JPG.7e5911c9cd69a309a0d7a76ad73cc035.JPG

So, how has it turned out?

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3 hours ago, CaptHunt said:

ok, I put it through the wash and set it out to dry.  Looks like the paint came right out.

An excellent result.

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