Golden GAC 900 Fabric Medium

You've been asking us for years and we are proud to present GAC900! Do you want a soft hand from your acrylic paints? Check! Do you want them permanent and washable? Check! This medium has it all, y'all. It can be used for so many techniques: Hand painting, Airbrushing or Spraying, Tye-Dyeing or Stamping, Silk-Screening and more...

GOLDEN GAC 900 is a liquid acrylic medium that is blended with artist acrylics to create fabric paints intended to be applied to fabrics, textiles, and garments that need to hold up to repeated laundering cycles. 

Start at a 1:1 mixing ratio of paint to GAC 900, and adjust as needed to modify the consistency for your intended paint application. The amount of GAC 900 may also be increased to improve softness of hand (such as when working on delicate fabrics).

Apply the paints as desired and allow the paint to dry completely before heat-setting. Heat-setting is necessary to fuse the GAC 900 into the fabric and improve the “hand” or softness of the laundered garment. Properly heat set the painted areas by following the time and temperature recommendations noted below. The temperature setting and heating duration impact how well the paints adhere to the fabric through repeated washing and drying cycles.

TECHNIQUE NOTES FOR FABRIC PAINTING

Hand Brushing

Filling in large areas with thick paint will produce a very stiff, uncomfortable garment. Blend color with GAC 900 to reduce the stiffness of the acrylic paint. If painting thickly, short strokes of paint will hold better than long lines. The longer the line, the greater the chance of cracking when washed. A washing machine’s agitator may stretch the garment beyond its limit and thus cause cracking.

Airbrushing/Spraying

Fluid Acrylics can be mixed 1:1. GAC 900 has a tendency to become sticky inside an airbrush, resulting in more frequent cleaning of the needle and nozzle, so it can be tedious for highly detailed work, however, spraying GAC 900 as a base layer or topcoat works well.

Tie-Dye/Staining

The viscosity of GOLDEN High Flow Acrylics is ideal for tie-dye and staining applications. However, the binder used is harder than the other paint lines and therefore color washes out more than when using Fluid and Heavy Body Acrylics.

A 1:1 ratio of GAC 900 and paint helps improve the stain penetration, fabric softness and launderability. Pre-wetting the fabric with water, followed by wringing out the excess water, helps the paints penetrate into the fabric and creates a more “Tie-Dye” effect. If the fabric has been folded into a pattern (such as a spiral), allow the fabric to partially dry, then carefully remove the strings/rubber bands, but do not completely open up the fabric. If the fabric is still very wet, the colors will merge and the pattern will be less distinct.

Silk-Screening

1:1 with GAC 900 creates silk-screen inks for wearable fabrics. The mixture used is dependent on two factors: the material to be printed and personal preference of paint consistency. Fluid Acrylics and other paints lines can be used, but they tend to become too thin of a consistency which can “bleed” more readily after printing.

HEAT-SETTING RECOMMENDATIONS

It is important to properly heat-set garments that have been coated with GAC 900 or paint mixtures containing GAC 900. ALWAYS TEST TO BE SURE THE DESIRED TEMPERATURE AND DURATION DO NOT RUIN THE FABRIC OR THE PAINTED SECTIONS.

Temperature & Duration: The amount of time necessary to properly heat-set GAC 900-painted fabrics is based on the device temperature setting and the duration of time the heat is applied to the garment. Hotter temperatures heat-set faster, but lower temperatures may be necessary with certain fabrics.

Proper Ventilation Necessary: Heat-setting GAC 900 releases low levels of formaldehyde; therefore, adequate ventilation is recommended when heat setting. For example, if you heat-set using your home clothes dryer, the air is vented outside during the heat-setting process. When using a clothes iron or a heat press, work in an open room near a fan exhausting air outside and have a fresh air source to ensure positive airflow.

Heat-Setting Devices

Clothes irons, clothes dryers, and heat-presses may be used to heat-set a garment painted with GAC 900. The heat-setting device’s temperature range to heat-set may not be ideal for the type of fabric and/or the acrylic products painted upon the specific fabric type.

Note: Using home dryers and irons to heat-set painted designs is a different purpose than they were intended to be used for. Take proper precautions and avoid scorching the paints or fabrics.

Residential Clothes Dryers achieve a maximum temperature of 135°F (high setting), and you can heat-set multiple pieces at once. Place the garments in the dryer on high for around 40 minutes.
Laundromat (commercial) Clothes Dryers can potentially reach temperatures up to 176°F (high setting). Place garments inside for about 20 minutes depending upon how hot the dryer is getting (not all commercial dryers achieve the same temperature, even the same models).
Clothes Iron can reach around 440°F and many will heat unevenly. Use the appropriate temperature that will heat-set but not scorch the fabric.
Heat-Presses can reach over 450°F and are adjustable to a precise temperature and duration. Because of this, you can set the temperature at 390°F, and press for 10 seconds, but lower temperature reduces the chance of scorching the paints and discoloring or warping fabrics.

Recommended heat setting starting points: 

• Delicate Synthetic Fabrics (i.e., Nylon, Lycra, Spandex, Acrylic) - Low (110°C/230°F) - 3-5 minutes
• Moderately Heat-Sensitive Fabrics (i.e., Silk, Polyester, Wool) - Medium (150°C/302°F) - 1-2 minutes
• Temperature-Resistant Fabrics (i.e., Rayon, Cotton, Leather) - High (200°C/392°F) - 15-30 seconds