Color of Batmans costume?

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MattNes
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Color of Batmans costume?

Post by MattNes »

I did a search thru the forum and I didnt see anything talking about the actual color of Batmans costume. Im specifically talking about the Blue for the cape and gloves and underwear. I think I read that its a Polyester Satin. But is there a known name for the color? Or would you just have to guess or match it the best you can?
Thanks
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Chuck Williams
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Re: Color of Batmans costume?

Post by Chuck Williams »

Hi Matt,

You have our Williams Studio 2 patterns with the Pantone color numbers (for your personal use) printed in the instructions to compare your fabrics with.

There were several expensive silk fabrics used for the original Batman capes but the most economical available costume cape fabric is a polyester satin.

The types of the original fabrics and suggested fabrics are printed on the back of the patterns.

Hope this helps,
Chuck...
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MattNes
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Re: Color of Batmans costume?

Post by MattNes »

Chuck,
Yes you are right. I only glanced over the patterns to see what they looked like.
I just want to be able to match what I got from you. Which is a WORK OF ART. Worth EVERY pennie. And I never would have been able to do anything remotely that awesome...
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AndyFish
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Re: Color of Batmans costume?

Post by AndyFish »

A lot of the scenes filmed on a set were lit with purple hued or red lights which often made Batman's cape and cowl look Purple on camera. When you look at the shots taken with natural light outdoors you can see how blue it really was, but to a lot of us, the purple looks right.

It doesn't help that the original cowls faded to a magenta shade over the years (see the photo with Wally in one of the real ones) so there was definitely a twinge of purple already in there.
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Chuck Williams
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Re: Color of Batmans costume?

Post by Chuck Williams »

Thanks so much Matt!! :D

Yes the batsuit fabric is a moving target for lots of reasons and darn near impossible to nail down in photos.
I just thank my lucky stars that Wally Wingert had some of the original fabric dyed under Jan Kemps directions at the original dyehouse AND that he was generous enough to send me a couple of chunks to match our color to.
I can't thank him enough for that!!!

A swatch of that fabric is still one of my fondest possessions.

Chuck...
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Batfanman
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Re: Color of Batmans costume?

Post by Batfanman »

In my mind's eye, it will always be Crayola Midnight Blue & Black! :)
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MattNes
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Re: Color of Batmans costume?

Post by MattNes »

OK, since I dont want to start another thread for a slightly related question...
What would be a decent sewing machine that I can use do do most of my Bat Suit. I dont know of anyone or have any relatives that have an old sewing machine laying around. So I would need to purchase one. Im thinking that most any decent sewing machine will work with polyester satin. But what about sewing thru the thick leather for the belt?
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Chuck Williams
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Re: Color of Batmans costume?

Post by Chuck Williams »

Hi Matt,

Yes, it takes specific machines to do the various parts of the costumes.
Image


The guys here can tell you what Adam had for lunch before a shoot but for the info on sewing machines it's probably best to talk to your local dealers.

I will say that sewing satin is not easy so get the best machine you can.
Also be careful, this costume is addicting!!! :D

Wishing you all the best,
Chuck...
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MattNes
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Re: Color of Batmans costume?

Post by MattNes »

I am starting to realize that Chuck. On the one hand I want a perfect costume to match what you did with the cowl. But On the other hand I do consider myself somewhat handy and I already dabble in stuff like scratchbuilding sci-fi models. But thats not quite the same. I also want to keep the whole project under 1000. So I figured a good project to start with after the cowl would be the Utility Belt. Then I saw that to do it right I will need to be able to sew leather. As I have never sewn before I was thinking, geez, Im gonna need a heavy duty sewing machine to get thru leather.
Thanks for the ideas and the pic. That will help Im sure...
gerryd54
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Re: Color of Batmans costume?

Post by gerryd54 »

Does anyone know what exactly caused the various blue costume pieces to turn purple?
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Chuck Williams
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Re: Color of Batmans costume?

Post by Chuck Williams »

While I bristle at the word "exactly", after having dyed hundreds of yards of this fabric and years of results , good and bad, to gauge my opinion, I believe it was the type of dye originally used that was the culprit.

I've said it before, there are two ways to dye this fabric.

One uses smaller amounts of fabric and is cheap, fast and doesn't use nasty chemicals. The down side is that it is not very colorfast.

The second method requires bolts of fabric and an expensive dye process including some nasty chemicals to make it as colorfast as possible.

I believe the first method was used for the fabric on the show.

We use the second method.
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gerryd54
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Re: Color of Batmans costume?

Post by gerryd54 »

Is there a particular action that starts the purpling(not sure that's a word) process? Moisture from sweat, the dry cleaning process etc.?
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Chuck Williams
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Re: Color of Batmans costume?

Post by Chuck Williams »

From what I can tell I'd bet UV exposure from sunlight or a process called "outgassing", or both.

I still have part of the fabric swatch Wally Wingert sent me that was dyed in the 90's by the same place used on the show in a plastic bag in a drawer and it's still dark blue.

I also have samples dyed early on in our cowl making with the similar dye process used on the show that have been in the dark but have still turned purple. Not full on purple but the shift in color is clear.

I think we perceive the cowls showing it more only because they were next to a non shifting navy blue cape and they were not remade as frequently as the gloves and trunks because they are much more involved and more expensive to remake than the gloves and trunks.

Before I learned more about the dye process I thought the same thing that heat, sweat, studio lights and drycleaning were possibly to blame. While none of that helps the fabric by any means and it does speed up the process, the type and quality of the fabric dye color is the biggest culprit in my opinion.
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gerryd54
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Re: Color of Batmans costume?

Post by gerryd54 »

Thank you Chuck, I find that really interesting.
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