TWINSET 1793 Posted August 26, 2022 Been using midi controllers for photo editing for a while now and fancied something that didn't look 'repurposed' All the Hydro dipping kit came from https://www.hydrostyleuk.co.uk/ The most essential part after the design film is the Activator - this makes the transfer stick to the part Their stock films; https://www.hydrostyleuk.co.uk/product-category/all-hydrographics-products/hydrographics-films/ The other parts; a 48 litre 'Really Useful' box from HobbyCraft - cost £18 I think Drain tap was from Amazon, £6.50 Need the drain tap as the box will weigh about 40 kilos when there's enough water in it and I'm not sure it's too portable at that point - both in terms of whether I can carry it without spilling it, and whether the box is actually strong enough to be moved when full of water. The box is easily big enough to dip a Sand Scorcher or even a Clod Body That's pretty much it for kit The whole process is very simple: if you're capable of painting a hard body this is a piece of cake - My hard body paint skills suck but even I got a reasonable outcome These are test pieces, 'Speed Shapes The design is matt when applied, any gloss comes from top-coat sprayed on once the part is dried off The controller First, sand off the original screen printing Cover redundant holes and prime/paint. The transfer I'm using is black and clear, so base coat shows through transfer Painted the casing with Tamiya Plastic Primer, then top coated with X8 Lemon Yellow acrylic paint, thinned with X20A Thinners, airbrushed on Dipped casing - The dipping needs to be done a minute or so after placing the film in the water, so no pics of that, but plenty of Youtube vids on the subject Gloss top-coat And a trackball 10 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superluminal 3750 Posted August 26, 2022 Does it not get any bubbles trapped underneath it? Looks great 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Willy iine 18806 Posted August 26, 2022 @TWINSET Nice job! And excellent idea on the spout! Is the spent water okay to just drain down the sink? I mean is there anything that can potentially stick to the sink? That could suck.. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TWINSET 1793 Posted August 26, 2022 46 minutes ago, Superluminal said: Does it not get any bubbles trapped underneath it? The film isn't solid like a decal sheet, it's basically pigment printed onto a disolvable carrier film Once the carrier film liquefies, you're left with pigment and the sludge of the carrier film - that needs rinsing off the dipped part before it re-sets Take a look at this - At 9:00 you can see the pigment swirling around behind the dipped part 23 minutes ago, Willy iine said: Is the spent water okay to just drain down the sink? I mean is there anything that can potentially stick to the sink? That could suck.. The carrier film is PVA based so I skim the water with a few paper towels then drain the tank thru a plant-pot lined with a couple of coffee filters and some material from a cooker hood, into a bucket The water then goes on the garden plants. 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juggular 4964 Posted August 26, 2022 That's a nifty trick! When I read "Hydro Dipping," I thought it was this... 1 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin_Mc 411 Posted August 26, 2022 @TWINSETfor a long time I've considered getting into hydrodipping. I remember seeing it at a car show in Germany in 2005 or 2006 and being blown away by it. I think I'll dedicate an area of my work bench to a set up when I get it finished. Thanks for sharing the info 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TWINSET 1793 Posted August 26, 2022 1 hour ago, Kevin_Mc said: I think I'll dedicate an area of my work bench to a set up when I get it finished. Thanks for sharing the info I set my tank up on a Black and Decker workmate near the garage door - easier to clean up splashes then. For the trackball, I used a far smaller tank; an approximately A3 sized, Really Useful 18 litre The more film you use, the less the design gets distorted during the dip - The film is sold in metre lengths, you just cut off the appropriate amount. As I'm using a splash design the distortion isn't really an issue but, on cartoon character or logo designs, it might be Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACCEL 2014 Posted August 30, 2022 That's very cool, like the camo stuff they use on hunting and camping equipment. On 8/26/2022 at 9:25 AM, Willy iine said: @TWINSET Nice job! And excellent idea on the spout! Is the spent water okay to just drain down the sink? I mean is there anything that can potentially stick to the sink? That could suck.. You'd be left with an unusual sink. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
