Using Starch

[dave023]

ill admit, i have been cheating on my one wash jeans. i use starch. i know its wrong, but i cant help it. its a problem that my jeans and i will have to work out.

simplicity we use to survive, do what you doing properly, thats the way thru life

I have a one wash levi's 501somewhere in my closet and am considering to use some starch on it, since that jeans really doesn't fade at all....we'll see the results....

[I_miss_lily]

I was actually researching this last night as a friend of mine bought some cheap black jeans and he wanted to stiffen them up for creasing, I also have a pair of black dry Slim Jims that have lost there rigidity. After using spray starch and not liking the results I started looking for other methods. What I've found is a recipie using Rice flour, corn starch, wheat starch and water. I plan on eliminating the wheat starch and adding more rice flour as it is said to give fabric a very nice silky finish. I'll post pics once the project is done.

[__3xL]

Sounds good lily !

Post up a pic and your recipe if it's truly all that please !

[Chicken]

hope this is worth bringing up an older thread, but what are the consequences of starching your denim too much, other than the fact that it looks fake? is there such a thing as over-starching? this is the post that made me wonder:

http://www.superfuture.com/city/supertalk/showthread.php?p=177652#post177652

[__3xL]

I think overstarching would make the denim crack in area of most wear over time and also keep the indigo from shifting properly ..

I lightly starch areas of creasing then wear my jeans about a month - then starch hard then do a water soak after about 3 months on those parts to let loose the starch and indigo and continue wearing ..

[999misscalls]

how about hair spray

[__3xL]

sugar water is great no doubt ..

[justbrowsing]

this is how i starch: say it's a new pair. i do a hot soak for several hours. i get a little basin ready next to the washer. i grab the jeans out of the washer while they are still soaking wet, throw them in the basin and dump some "staflo" liquid starch all over them. i slosh the jeans around in the starch for about a minute, run out side with the basin, and hang the jeans up to dry. if it's an old pair that i'm washing and need to be restarched, same applies, i just rewet the jeans after the spin cycle if they're not wet enough to be sloshed around in the pure liquid starch. i only starch about once every 3-4 months, and i never apply excess spray starch anywhere like the backs of the knees. anyone have comments on my method?

[horriblyjollyjinx]

this is how i starch: say it's a new pair. i do a hot soak for several hours. i get a little basin ready next to the washer. i grab the jeans out of the washer while they are still soaking wet, throw them in the basin and dump some "staflo" liquid starch all over them. i slosh the jeans around in the starch for about a minute, run out side with the basin, and hang the jeans up to dry. if it's an old pair that i'm washing and need to be restarched, same applies, i just rewet the jeans after the spin cycle if they're not wet enough to be sloshed around in the pure liquid starch. i only starch about once every 3-4 months, and i never apply excess spray starch anywhere like the backs of the knees. anyone have comments on my method?

starch as much as you want as long as you let them dry before you wear them.

otherwise you'll get wack honeycombs. same goes for jeans that are just wet.

[justbrowsing]

starch as much as you want as long as you let them dry before you wear them.

otherwise you'll get wack honeycombs. same goes for jeans that are just wet.

my philosophy exactly. i let them get bone dry before wearing.

[Superstar]

So basically starch makes jeans look aged ?

Im a denim-noob, teach me. Haha

[brizzle]

right, i don't know much about denim, but i was wondering if it's possible to make ordinary jeans stiffer, or more rigid. for example, people have posted photos of 'hard' jeans standing freely... or is that only possible with raw denim?

the reason why i'm asking is that i have a few pairs that, although they are a little too big in terms of waist size (belt works for me), have legs that are cut according to my liking. the problem is, though, that since i'm quite skinny the fabric around the legs flares too much and often falls in way so that it piles up at the ankles (not a good look).

so, basically, is there a way to prevent that from happening and make the jeans stay in place more, other than sizing down? i'm also pretty tall so whenever i try smaller sizes the result is often that the whole outfit looks slightly disproportionate, with the legs apprearing too long and skinny. unfortunately, that's just not my style.

any help is appreciated.

[SanLC]

If you use a dryer, that make them softer, so try hang drying.You could also try spraying them with starch.

[fadingblue]

the jeans youve seen standing up are hardcore jeans

probably around 19oz or 21oz (most jeans are around 12-14oz i think), and yes they are raw

[XX]

you can stiffen jeans with starch - but its better to make your own starch rather than use the storebought stuff. just mix some water with corn starch (about 1 tbsp corn starch to every cup or two of water, you might need to dilute it more than this)

rather than dipping the jeans, go outside, take some paper towels, and coat the outside of the fabric evenly. once youre done just let them dry in the sun

ive dipped a pair before and they were so stiff they were unwearable! so i recommend just wiping them

theyll be pretty wrinkled when youre done, so just mist them with water and iron them flat

good luck!

[Superstar]

the jeans youve seen standing up are hardcore jeans

probably around 19oz or 21oz (most jeans are around 12-14oz i think), and yes they are raw

my ande whalls are 14.5 oz, and they stood up aswell, also the contest sammies stood up themselves, they are 15 oz. i believe... so the thickness if denim doesnt mather that much...

[diewhitegirls]

Viagra? 1234

[Seething Tortoise]

Some guy overstarched his jeans to the max and they stood up. They're somewhere in the scones and tea thread.

[toufu]

o yeah, if your gonna use liquid starch, u gotta dilute ATLEAST 1/3 with water

lol first i was like "ima be hardcore and not dilute" fuck it turned WHITE

then i did a 1/2 mix and it still turned white-ish, it does go away but the starch is there forever (or until u wash em which i wont in a long long time)

once the stifness goes away, if i just add a lil bit of water the starch comes back again

[justbrowsing]

starch as much as you want as long as you let them dry before you wear them.

otherwise you'll get wack honeycombs. same goes for jeans that are just wet.

i've since changed my mind about all this. i don't starch, just air dry and wear. too much hassle to starch.

[__3xL]

I think overstarching would make the denim crack in area of most wear over time and also keep the indigo from shifting properly ..

I lightly starch areas of creasing then wear my jeans about a month - then starch hard then do a water soak after about 3 months on those parts to let loose the starch and indigo and continue wearing ..

a little every few months should do them some good though . If worn hard + no rinse

[salaami]

true, but it seems that to the majority of esteemed denim purists, anything done other than "natural-wear" to increase the fade or "vintage-look" of denim is ""cheating"". if you are the kind of person who wears pre-aged/distressed denim, you wont care. real-recognize-real. starching clothing was, and is, generally regarded as normal by most people who publicly present themselves in more than their birthday-suits. lets be reasonable. but rubbing sandpaper on your ass,etc. is wack. if you are one of those "pre-wash" cats, just rep yours, and go drink something with a little rainbow umbrella in it. if not, keep it trill.

[cheep]

i have not starched since the last time i posted in this thread.

[homi29]

i dont starch anymore

i agree with the whole "brittle thing"

and thus i suggest only starching if ur jeans are getting really soft from multiple wears..

[poonpower]

so the general consensus is spraying a solution of starch and water right side out and letting it dry.

NICE, now I revive my old Gap jeans.

[nel]

after you starch jeans do you wear them until they are dry or hang them until they are dry and wear em?

[tomahn]

Everyone here has different ways of starching so you probably won't get a single way of letting the starch set after application. Some don't even starch at all.

Here's another thread which links to starching. http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showthread.php?t=36495

Click the link that says Superdenim Encyclopedia.

And in the future, you might wanna use the search function. If the answers are already out there, newbies with questions dont usualy get answered. haha.

[nel]

i read the other thread and this thread before i posted but some people are saying to let them dry and some people are saying to wear them after you strach em so i was wondering which method is better

[__3xL]

If you wear them right after straching to get your creases set a lot of times it is counterproductive .

-Your jeans may not fit just right

-You probably wont wear them exactly the same everytime

-They are going to stretch after wearing and/or sweating in them

Now if your jeans are a really good fit and you pull them up so they sit in the same place every time they sag or pull down then yeah go for it .

I have done both starch and set and starch / let dry then wear .

I wear my jeans more loosely than sufu fit though so I like starch / let dry wear a week or so then reactivate with some water mist and wear to set myself .

Ill starch once or twice then go back and loosen up the hold some with water .

after you wear your jeans months on end the creases stay anyways for the most part - even after washing

[poonpower]

Well, I just starched a pair of old levis, just as an experiment.

They turned out less than ideal. I sprayed the outside all over, and they turned whiteish after they dried, and it dont go away. However, they werent very stiff at all.

Im guess Im suppose to spray the inside of the jeans?

Anyone has detailed instructions as to how to stiffen jeans?