Dyeing your plastic bits.

[OSP1340]

So after reading MrMike's super moto thread he mentioned plastic dyeing.

I did a search and found no previous threads so I decided to share my experience with plastic dyeing.

Now when I did this it was for a firearm but it works on all plastic types.

First thing you'll need is a large metal pot. Those cheap aluminum pots work great.

The pot must be big enough that the part can be completely submerged.

The dye you will need is normal clothing dye.

If you want to dye the items black you will need two (2) black and one (1) green.
You need one green otherwise the item will come out with a shade of purple.

As far as other colors alot depends on the starting color of the plastic.

Now, boil up a liter or two of water to start. pour that in the pot and mix in the dye.

Now you need to boil up a bunch of water. water must be boiling hot for the dye to work.
Once you have enough water to cover the item your going to dye you need to cover the pot. I did not have a lid so I just used aluminum foil to cover the pot.

Leave the item in the pot until it is cool to the touch.

Then just remove the item and rinse it completely off to ensure all the dye is off.

If the color is not dark enough you can reheat the pot and give it a second go.

The water needs to be hot so it penetrates the plastic properly.
The items I dyed were a forearm, receiver and stock from a H&K SL8.
They were grey from the factory and I changed it to black.

After I did mine I had several other people ask me to do theirs.
Any questions feel free to send me a IM.

[The Saint]

It's "dyeing" mate.

Not being pedantic Tim, it will help people find the thread if they search on that term.

[OSP1340]

It's "dyeing" mate.

Not being pedantic Tim, it will help people find the thread if they search on that term.

So you have nothing to add to the thread out side of that?
A simple pm could have worked but we all know you couldn't do that.

[Sean'o]

If you use an aluminium pot, will the plastic get alzhiemers later in life?

Other than that, great post, im thinking it could work a treat on plastic in fill panels and maybe switch blocks that have faded over the years, cheers OSP1340, will be giving it a go on some old bits

[Gambino]

How does it looks, like can we get some before and after pics?

[OSP1340]

If anyone has something they want dyed I'll dye it and post pics.
Posted via Mobile Device

[rc_sam]

This will NOT work on all plastics.

Only do this to nylon based plastics, otherwise you'll just end up with a melted deformed bit of plastic. If you're not sure how to clarify the type of plastic you have then you should'nt try it.