Hey MaulMaus,
I need the soap to wash the chrome-tan white finish of the vest, cummerbund, and gloves. Right now they repel water because they were professionally tanned white. If I wash them, I can strip some of that repellent off, which will improve dye penetration and the color.
If I dyed them right now, the dark purple I'd use would look like easter egg light blue.
And since the last posting, I finished weathering on half the silver armor pieces. I'll post pics later tonight.
11 days and counting.
Deunan