Casa Solid Satin Twill Fabric for Dark Cloth

[Mike in NY]

Recently I decided to supplement my BTZS focusing hood with a full-size (56" x 96") dark cloth. I know where to get them commercially, but wanted to save a few dollars by making my own with high quality cloth of my own choosing. So I went to Joann Fabrics and received a few interesting looks from the clerks and customers as I went around the stalls picking up black fabrics, holding them up to the fluorescent lights, and draping them over my head, looking like some sort of bearded nun. I finally settled on Casa Solid Satin Twill in black. It's a virtually opaque, light weight, but rugged fabric that is machine washable with black, non-reflective twill on one side and black, slightly reflective satin on the other side. Virtually no light gets through the cloth. It normally costs about $25/yard but I waited until it was on sale for 30% off and I had an additional 20% off coupon, so I got three yards for half price ($37.50 instead of $75). I took it to my tailor who charged just $20 to hem it all the way around. Now I have a rugged, light weight focusing cloth that is 4-1/2 feet wide and 8 feet long (I'm 6'2"), for a total cost of just $58. It doesn't have the white or silver side that some prefer, but the satin side has a nice sheen so I'll use that to reflect the sun off my head and shoulders while under the cloth. It's not water proof, but will certainly protect the camera from light rain, and can air dry or be put in the dryer back home. All in all, not a bad dark cloth. For some reason the Joann Fabrics website shows the cloth in every color except black, so maybe black is only available in the stores.

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[Sal Santamaura]

...It doesn't have the white or silver side that some prefer, but the satin side has a nice sheen so I'll use that to reflect the sun off my head and shoulders while under the cloth...I grew up in New York City's suburbs; my late parents subsequently retired to the Hudson Valley. I predict that, after a few uses this summer, you'll be taking that cloth back to your tailor along with some white material and have them sewn together. :)

[Mike in NY]

Possibly, Sal... we'll see. :rolleyes: But I don't want it any heavier or less breathable; I'd like to keep it light for hiking with my pack. I've had a much heavier dark cloth of the same dimensions for years, but I don't like using it due to its weight, except in windy conditions.

[pepeguitarra]

I have one of these, the other one I used it to make a bellows;
https://www.walmart.com/ip/DriftAway-Alex-Solid-Color-Thermal-Blackout-Grommet-Window-Curtains-Set-of-Two-Panels-Black-52-x63/770758514

[Mike in NY]

What a coincidence - I use thermal blackout curtains inside my dark room as added protection around each door, to prevent light from coming in under the door just in case someone comes downstairs and accidentally turns on the hallway lights. And the back of my curtains are indeed white, but they are heavy! All that aside, I never thought to make a bellows out of them. That's cool! Did you use it for an unpleated wide angle bellows?

[pepeguitarra]

What a coincidence - I use thermal blackout curtains inside my dark room as added protection around each door, to prevent light from coming in under the door just in case someone comes downstairs and accidentally turns on the hallway lights. And the back of my curtains are indeed white, but they are heavy! All that aside, I never thought to make a bellows out of them. That's cool! Did you use it for an unpleated wide angle bellows?. That is not exactly the courtains I bought a Walmart (I could not find in the internet the ones I did), but mine were very light and not thermal.

[Mike in NY]

Those are a good width, too. Very economical solution you came up with.

[Willie]

Packpacking Gore Tex cloth? Makes for rain protection as well as a good darkcloth.

[Mike in NY]

I looked at the Gore Tex, but something about the Twill/Satin really appealed to me.

[Roger Thoms]

Packpacking Gore Tex cloth? Makes for rain protection as well as a good darkcloth.

Were are you getting your Gore Tex? Looked all over the internet and can’t find black.

The satin twill sounds interesting, will have to see if any of the Joann’s near me carry it. Need a big a** cloth for my recently acquired 717, which supposedly has a few pinholes in the corners of the bellows.

Roger

[Willie]

Were are you getting your Gore Tex? Looked all over the internet and can’t find black.

The satin twill sounds interesting, will have to see if any of the Joann’s near me carry it. Need a big a** cloth for my recently acquired 717, which supposedly has a few pinholes in the corners of the bellows.

Roger

My Uncle got it some years back from Yvon Chouinard at Great Pacific Iron Works. The rock climber who started Patagonia clothing. Had a couple dark cloths made of it with the black GoreTex on one side and lightweight pale white/gray patagonia fleece on the other. Rainproof, lightweight and works as a lightweight, windproof warmer in cool weather.

[Mike in NY]

Roger, you can buy Gore-Tex fabric by the yard online from dealers like RockyWoods at: http://www.rockywoods.com/FABRICS/Activewear-Fabrics/Waterproof-Breathable-Fabrics?show=48

Seattle Fabrics also has some really interesting fabric that can be bought by the yard or foot, including a Blackout cloth they promote as useful for photography, at https://www.seattlefabrics.com/Fabric_c_1.html

Then there's Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics. See post #23 from five years ago where Jim F. and I discussed their Taffeta with Silver Metallic Coating, at https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?115021-Focusing-Cloth-12-99-at-Target/page3

Outdoor Wilderness has modernized their website since that post was originally made, as well as their purchasing procedures.

Request a sample swatch from any of these dealers and they'll send one to you.

[Roger Thoms]

Mike, I’ve tried all those place and couldn’t find black in any of their websites. Maybe I’ll try emailing them. I am going to checkout the twill at Joann’s. For the 717 the twill will be fine, certainly not going far from the car or out in bad weather.

Roger

[rdeloe]

Seattle Fabrics also has some really interesting fabric that can be bought by the yard or foot, including a Blackout cloth they promote as useful for photography, at https://www.seattlefabrics.com/Fabric_c_1.html


Mike, have you tested this yourself for lightproofness? I'm on the hunt for materials to make a bellows. The material that is used for blackout curtains still lets light through in amounts that won't bother a sleeper but will wreck a negative. The usual recommendation is the BK5 material from Thorlabs, but even that has to be doubled-up to be truly lightproof.

[Mike in NY]

Rob, I haven't tested Seattle's blackout cloth (which is why I was careful to say they promote it for photography), so I can't vouch for it. My guess is they meant it was appropriate as a dark cloth, but weren't thinking of bellows material. But if you request a swatch, you might be able to determine its light tightness yourself, if you get a large enough sample.

[Mike in NY]

Black Basel - Goretex fabric can be purchased online from ActiveFabrics in the UK: https://www.activefabrics.co.uk/basel-gortex-fabric-black.html

Discovery Trekking Outfitters states that "Gore-Tex is so similar to Polartec Powershield that they can't tell the difference," and they carry the Polartec product in black by the yard here: http://www.discoverytrekkingoutfitters.com/fabrics/softshell

[Roger Thoms]

Thanks Mike, ordered some blk Powershield, couldn’t find the Casa Satin Twill at my local Joann’s.

Roger

[Daniel Stone]

FYI guys, you cannot buy GoreTex fabrics off the shelf. Gore(the parent company who manufacturers GoreTex fabrics) are very particular about who they allow to use their fabrics, and they actually go as far as requiring manufacturers to have their production process ok'd by Gore prior to going to full scale production. So in other words, it's not impossible, but not easy.

If anyone needs ultralight blackout cloth, I have a roll I can cut yardage from. It's a rubberized nylon, very lightweight, but NOT considered breathable. But it is 100% opaque(I verified this myself by holding up a section to a 2k HMI)

-Dan

[Mike in NY]

Dan, earlier posts in this thread include links to vendors that do sell Gore-tex laminate and Gore-tex membrane fabrics by the yard.

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[BrianShaw]

I’ve never found a need to use blackout cloth. I suppose if it’s really lightweight, why not. For decades I’ve been using home made dark cloths of two plies of light cotton fabric, white and black, with curtain weights (the leaded string kind) stitched into the periphery. As long as most light is excluded I’ve done fine.

[rdeloe]

I’ve never found a need to use blackout cloth. I suppose if it’s really lightweight, why not. For decades I’ve been using home made dark cloths of two plies of light cotton fabric with curtain weights (the leaded string kind) stitched into the periphery. As long as most light is excluded I’ve done fine.

My current dark cloth is an embarrassment to large format photographers everywhere. It's just a rectangle of black fabric. No weights, no water proofing, not even a miserable scrap of Velcro or some elastic! ;) I made it a couple decades ago as a temporary solution.

(This could easily degenerate into one of those Four Yorkshiremen situations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue7wM0QC5LE "Your dark cloth is made of fabric? When I was a boy, we used dark cloths made out of sewn together scraps of chicken skin. You had chicken skin! We...." )

[BrianShaw]

I have one like that too! I only told you about the fancy one. :)

[Daniel Stone]

Roger, you can buy Gore-Tex fabric by the yard online from dealers like RockyWoods at: http://www.rockywoods.com/FABRICS/Activewear-Fabrics/Waterproof-Breathable-Fabrics?show=48

Seattle Fabrics also has some really interesting fabric that can be bought by the yard or foot, including a Blackout cloth they promote as useful for photography, at https://www.seattlefabrics.com/Fabric_c_1.html

Then there's Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics. See post #23 from five years ago where Jim F. and I discussed their Taffeta with Silver Metallic Coating, at https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?115021-Focusing-Cloth-12-99-at-Target/page3

Outdoor Wilderness has modernized their website since that post was originally made, as well as their purchasing procedures.

Request a sample swatch from any of these dealers and they'll send one to you.

Hi Mike,

Having spoken directly with Gore(as I would gladly implement their fabrics in my own lineup of Stone Photo Gear products if it they were simpler to source than I explained), I questioned them about various vendors selling yardage. "Those are most likely leftover rolls purchased at wholesale auction, when factories close(or are foreclosed upon)" was their reply.

So yes, those might very well be actual Gore fabric products being sold, but they would not be warrantied/supported by Gore unless they had the paperwork/lineage I explained in my original reply.

Just explaining since I've been down this road before :)

-Dan

[Mike in NY]

Thanks for the clarification Dan; that's helpful to know.

[Mike in NY]

Thanks Mike, ordered some blk Powershield, couldn’t find the Casa Satin Twill at my local Joann’s.

RogerRoger, I'm glad you found something. Let us know how well you like it!

[Mike in NY]

"Your dark cloth is made of fabric? When I was a boy, we used dark cloths made out of sewn together scraps of chicken skin. You had chicken skin! We...." )

Rob, which do you find to be more opaque, the double fried, or the rotisserie?

[Roger Thoms]

Roger, I'm glad you found something. Let us know how well you like it!

I’ll definitely report back once I receive the fabric.

Also want to say that Discovery Trekking Outfitters has been a pleasure to deal with. My credit card company flagged the purchase as fraudulent and DTO was very helpful in resolving issue.

Roger