Jump to content
Falcon#5

Dying plastics

Recommended Posts

I want to dye some Falcon wheels black.

Because I want to go black, will the yellow wheels be fine?

Or will I have to get some white Striker ones?

Cheers.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I want to dye some Falcon wheels black.

Because I want to go black, will the yellow wheels be fine?

Or will I have to get some white Striker ones?

Cheers.

White would give optimal results. But yellow MIGHT be ok as well, just give it a try!

You can re-use the dying color & salt. I boil my rims in an old cooking pot. When cold again, I store it in an old soda bottle to be used again.

So you've got nothing "to loose"! B)

Oh, and it might be worth:

-boiling them for a long time

-let get cold and repeat process

(for a darker colour)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
White would give optimal results. But yellow MIGHT be ok as well, just give it a try!

You can re-use the dying color & salt. I boil my rims in an old cooking pot. When cold again, I store it in an old soda bottle to be used again.

So you've got nothing "to loose"! :D

Oh, and it might be worth:

-boiling them for a long time

-let get cold and repeat process

(for a darker colour)

I had no idea I had to boil the parts in dye!

I imagined it was like a paint that was absorbed into the plastic.

Maybe I should do some research into it.

But I'm still keen to do it. B)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, you could put it in the washing machine. But that gives a poor result (not black enough), the machine gets dirty, and you can't re-use the NYLON dye...

Very easy to do though, just don't spill it all over the kitchen! B)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Well, you could put it in the washing machine. But that gives a poor result (not black enough), the machine gets dirty, and you can't re-use the NYLON dye...

Very easy to do though, just don't spill it all over the kitchen! B)

Boiling sounds like the best option!

Cheers.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Can anyone please tell me what the wheels are made of, and what dye to use?

Cheers.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

pretty sure those Falcon & Striker wheels are nylon (aka PolyAmide) which is dyable

buy RIT or Dylon from your supermarket, haberdashery etc

you can't dye most other thermoplastics, they'll just melt in heat

heated dye makes the job faster... but even unheated dye will work, just a lot slower.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
pretty sure those Falcon & Striker wheels are nylon (aka PolyAmide) which is dyable

buy RIT or Dylon from your supermarket, haberdashery etc

you can't dye most other thermoplastics, they'll just melt in heat

heated dye makes the job faster... but even unheated dye will work, just a lot slower.

Thanks WillyChang.

That's exactly the info I was after! :lol:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

easier than you think :)

nylon wheels of olde will resist acetone, so just dip them in and they'll come out clean

newer polystyrene wheels can't take dye, melt in heat and become a blob of jelly in acetone...

to test, just wet your finger in acetone and press against inside of wheel... if it leaves

your fingerprint molded into the plastic then its not safe to dip the whole thing in.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
easier than you think ;)

nylon wheels of olde will resist acetone, so just dip them in and they'll come out clean

newer polystyrene wheels can't take dye, melt in heat and become a blob of jelly in acetone...

to test, just wet your finger in acetone and press against inside of wheel... if it leaves

your fingerprint molded into the plastic then its not safe to dip the whole thing in.

They are vintage Tamiya wheels, so should be ok.

The edges of the rims are damaged.

It should be ok to tidy them up with emery paper or file I imagine?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Don't have your dye boiling, water should be off the boil and a bit cooler, have destroyed a nice pair of Monster beetle rims trying to get the tyres off in a boiling pot of water. They were warped completely and went into the trash, the gold was perfect too ;)

James

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Don't have your dye boiling, water should be off the boil and a bit cooler, have destroyed a nice pair of Monster beetle rims trying to get the tyres off in a boiling pot of water. They were warped completely and went into the trash, the gold was perfect too :(

James

Ouch!

Comment noted. ;)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

just don't let the parts get anywhere near the bottom of the pot... eg suspend them on a coathanger

can't go too far wrong with Black... usually you'd want to keep the liquid stirring continuously

so that the colour is absorbed evenly. Parts gotta be totally degreased and free from glue etc

if you can, boil the water for about 5-10mins before adding the dye then the parts.

The boiling removes a lot of the air bubbles in the water which loves sticking to your parts.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I dyed my Baldre, and my son's Rising Fighter wheels black.

My method which was based on a guide I saw:

I filled an old pot with enough water to cover all the wheels, I took the wheels out, added the dye and brought it to the boil. When it had started boiling I added salt, put the cooker on it's lowest heat setting and put the wheels in making sure they were sitting flat and didn't have any trapped air. I put the lid on and left them for a couple of hours. Convection will keep the liquid moving around so there's no need to stand over it stirring. They came out really well, completely black and the dye appears to have penetrated pretty well as the scuffs from use show black too. They're still round and not buckled or warped at all ;).

When you take them out, do it carefully and put them on some kitchen paper flat until they cool down. Once they're cool enough you can put them in a sink full of cold water to rinse any excess dye which might be left on them off.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

sorry to bump an old thread, are Focus/Escort WRC whees alright to dye in a boiling pot or will they not take or worse, warp?

it's the 5 spokes that come with the Focus WRC '99, the other ones are the ones that come with the '98 Escort WRC and also the Escort Cosworth style wheels by HPI.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...