Girth shrinking problem in need of solution (not what you think)

Hey guys and gals

So I am in the process of finishing up my soft parts, and one of the trickier ones is my girth. I bought an english 14-strand mohair girth that is 40 inches long and a second 44 inch girth incase I screw up the first one (which I very well may have done:facepalm).

I have dyed the 40 inch girth using the latex stain method and it is now currently drying. My problem, however, is that my waist is not in fact 40 inches. I am a 34 incher (and thats after a good meal:cheers). My plan is to hope to god it shrinks enough so I can add some flat webbing to the buckles and still have it barely wrap around me with snugness. I can then use the webbing to adjust it to fit me with the cod armor in place.

BUT..if it does not shrink enough, is there a way to shrink it more without messing up the dye job? Or is there even another solution that doesn't involve shrinking it anyfurther? Basically my problem is the exact opposite of what people normally have when dying their girth.

Any thoughts welcome

James

how many inches are you off? usually if you have a 40 inch waist/belly, that is the length you want to get, cause by the time you put it over the suit and cod it wont go all the way around full length...i would think that when you stain it, it would shrink some, i know mine did...let it dry and see what it does...i dont what else would shrink it, maybe put it in the sun for a couple of days? you may be better off just getting a 38 and going from there...i am sure someone would pick up the one you have already done to compensate any loses...=)

FettDad said:

usually if you have a 40 inch waist/belly, that is the length you want to get, cause by the time you put it over the suit and cod it wont go all the way around full length..

Click to expand...

Thanks D. Thats the best answer that I have heard to that question. I have been putting off grabbing a girth belt until I had a wearable fett becasue I didn't want to screw that up.

ya, you want like 2-4 inches, maybe a tad more between the buckle ends? it is such a sketchy thing...just make sure to not measure your waist, where most of our jeans rest...that really isnt our waist, that is our hips...the waist is actually around the torso at the belly button...so we are mislead when we order girth belts that match our pant size...way too small! darnit! lol! so ya, measure around your belly, and then get that size...that should leave some room between the buckles once you have your gear on...

thank you D for the help! it finally finished drying up and i wrapped it around myself without the cod piece and theres about a 2-3 inch gap between the two pairs of buckles which i think will be plenty of room to add the webbing =D
one quick question tho...
is there something i can use to seal in the stain? like a fixative...? i noticed that if i get a few drops of water on the girth the stain sort of bleeds out and comes off. not that i plan on taking a swim all geared up but it would be nice to know if i spilled something it wont wash away..