Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Costume making, prop building and other '66 Bat-related arts and crafts.

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rickrickrick
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by rickrickrick »

Welcome to the slippery slope of color matching!

A very neutral color like grey will photograph very differently depending on the color temperature of the light - flash, outdoors, indoors with incandescent lighting, indoors with florescent lighting...

Search for images of Adam West's costume online, and you will see every variation of grey possible represented. Don't forget that Adam's tights were custom dyed, and actually there was some variation in color between them as well. They weren't all exactly the same.

So, what is the truth? Well, whatever looks right to you is your truth. Without having a screen-used leotard IN YOUR POSSESSION to compare it to in person, you will never be able to re-create the color perfectly. That's just the way it is. No photographs will ever get you there, because you don't know what the lighting was like when the photo was taken, and god knows how the photo was color-balanaced after it was taken!

I'd say what you have looks good, and you should be pleased that you took on something with as many potential pitfalls as custom dyeing and came out with a nice even color. One of the hardest things about dyeing these is getting even color - they often come out sort of mottled, with darker and lighter patches.

RRR
The most important thing in life is to be yourself. Unless you can be Batman. Always be Batman.
Flyinggrayson
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by Flyinggrayson »

Thanks. They definitely have an even color. I also feel like the color has been settling down in the 24 hours since dying. It's very close to what's in my mind's eye but a little too blue and not enough purple. I almost wish the color were completely off because then I'd know I definitely need to do something. I suspect i won't be able to help myself and will tinker with adding purple first and then a little orange. The fabric also seems to have no cotton in it. On Stage offers a supplex option but not a cotton supplex option. Maybe we should be looking for a source for a cotton blend?
Flyinggrayson
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by Flyinggrayson »

Maybe I should have picked the "cotton/nylon" option and not the supplex option?
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batfan1705
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by batfan1705 »

I purchased the regular supplex tights from Dance Wear and they took the Rit dye just fine. I used the powder and my washing machine and everything came out nicely with no splotching at all.
Flyinggrayson
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by Flyinggrayson »

Thanks. My suit is taking the color evenly as well. I wonder about a cotton blend though since it looks like the version Williamsstudios2 sells is cotton and nylon. I also suspect the original was at least partly cotton. I have done a second dye with just a little purple which I think turned out okay. I think I may just need to mess with the dying a couple of times ti get it the way I like it. The dying seems very easy to do though.
Flyinggrayson
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by Flyinggrayson »

Thanks to all for your tips. I added a little purple and dyed a second time over my first dye job and I am reasonably pleased with the results. The tights really do look a different color depending on the light but now they are a little less intensely grey and have that slight purple cast I identify with the show. I put purple in the first time through but maybe not quite enough. Mine will never be the lighter shade of grey in RickRickRick's avatar though.

I still do wonder whether or not we all shouldn't be using a nylon and cotton blend rather than supplex for our tights. If you look at early posts on this site, it seems like On Stage used to offer a supplex/cotton option but if you look at On Stage's current site you see that they now offer a pure supplex option and a nylon/cotton option but not a supplex/cotton option. I know supplex is a kind of nylon but I would think the nylon in the nylon/cotton option might not be supplex nylon and might not have the same matte finish of supplex.

For my purposes, this is all largely academic but I would be curious as to whether others have a view as to the best material. As I noted above, the description of the tights on the Williams website seems to indicate they produce a nylon/cotton version of the tights rather than pure nylon. We all know Chuck and Lynne don't make those decisions lightly. :)
Flyinggrayson
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by Flyinggrayson »

I may have to take back saying that the Williams use cotton/nylon. In the materials portion of their promo material for the tights it lists the materials as "nylon, cotton" but elsewhere they make clear they are using supplex. I still wonder if a cotton blend might be closer to screen accurate though. Sorry if I created any confusion.
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Chuck Williams
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by Chuck Williams »

Hello,

We use Supplex fabric for the tights. It is clearly marked in the listing.
You are confusing the cotton mentioned in the "materials used" section of our listing.
The cotton mentioned is for the cotton twill tape used to reinforce the snaps in the crotch.

You are also confusing what fabrics are available .
It is Nylon and Spandex for one fabric and Cotton and Spandex for the other. Commonly called nylon/lycra fabric or cotton/lycra fabric.
There is no cotton and nylon mix.

The original tights were 100% nylon fabric.
Old guys like me remember the scratchy fabric that was used for leotards and tights.
The knits were different between the leotard and tights. That's why they looked slightly different from one another.

All the best,
Chuck...
Attachments
Capture.JPGtights2.JPG
Quick, Everyone, Flee for your lives, into the street!!!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/WilliamsStudio ... eller_info
Flyinggrayson
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by Flyinggrayson »

Thanks Chuck. I had figured out already I was confused on my characterization of what was on your site and you've straightened me out on available fabrics as well. Also good to know the original were 100% nylon.
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Chuck Williams
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by Chuck Williams »

You are welcome!

The tights were a project that had taken months of concentrated brain power between Lynne, Mark Hardeman and myself.

Fortunately, the owner of a set of original costumes was willing to put up with my relentless swatches and tight mailings and photographed the results for us.
Attached is a sample of what we were doing.

Many new members here are unfamiliar with the work we did back in the day to help batsuit enthusiasts.

We have tried to make as much of this work available.

Hope this is helpful,
Chuck...
Attachments
tights3.jpgb.jpg
Quick, Everyone, Flee for your lives, into the street!!!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/WilliamsStudio ... eller_info
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Batfanman
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by Batfanman »

Chuck, is that contraption behind those a part of the Instant Costume Changer machine? :)
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Flyinggrayson
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by Flyinggrayson »

Thanks again. I think I am done getting my tights in a bunch over my tights :).
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hobbybuilder01
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by hobbybuilder01 »

I think Chuck probably used more dye than anyone...I think darker is better also they fade over time
Flyinggrayson
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by Flyinggrayson »

Thanks Hobbybuilder. Your avatar is a good argument for that. You and Robin look awesome! I also like RRR's avatar. I guess since the tights look different in all kinds of light and different tights with different dye jobs were used on the show, there's room for quite a bit of variation.
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Chuck Williams
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Re: Calling the Bat Phone for Tights Help!

Post by Chuck Williams »

BTW, the leotard in the center of the photo above is the screen used leotard...
The pieces around it are parts I was dyeing at the time.

Nope not part of the costume changer. Just a Jungle Gym for a couple of energetic kids!

Chuck...
Quick, Everyone, Flee for your lives, into the street!!!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/WilliamsStudio ... eller_info
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