xpaperman 719 Posted August 17, 2014 Was wondering if anyone is doing this. I love playing disc golf in my very limited free time and I think the dyed disc's are cool. I have been trying to do some of my own but have not any luck with the dye taking to the disc. ( The stencil part I got down ..... right!) Was wondering if anyone else is doing it so I could find out what my problem is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
101LEDs 100 Posted August 17, 2014 What is the material? Not all plastics or rubbers will accept dye. What type of dye is it? How are you trying to dye them, hot, cold or? The answers will help narrow the problem down. We dye 500-1000 parts a month for our business. If we have a problem it is material related 99% of the time. It's not made of what it says it is... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted August 17, 2014 My niece is big into disc golf. (Sarah Hokom, Touring Pro Women's World Champ in 2012) I cut her a bunch of vinyl stencils to dye discs with a few years ago but I don't know the dye particulars. I know they heat up whatever it is on the stove in a pan and set the disc face down in it. I was concerned that the heat would release the vinyl but they said it worked great. Since she has gotten sponsors she hasn't hit me up for any more stencils. I think they have them printed somewhere now. I actually have a couple collectors discs that she has given us when she came through town. They have official presentation papers and all that to be mounted in a glass case. I guess the right discs are worth a lot of money. Maybe hers will be some day. She's pretty awesome. http://www.pdga.com/videos/the-disc-golf-guy-vlog-120-sarah-hokom-crowned-womens-world-champion Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
H2Ohydrographics 25 Posted August 17, 2014 Hey, like 101leds said, it depends on what type of plastic it is. Whenever we dip /hydrographics on plastics, like atvs parts or ice chests, etc, we have to prep. Depending on what type of plastic, decides your prepping process. Sometimes we have to heat, sometimes it takes a chemical prep. Hope this helps, if u need anything please let me know. Anna Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted August 17, 2014 I know (as I have researched) the type of plastic matters. This could be the issue I suppose but not sure. I have tried several different types of discs but still have the same issue of dye not taking. The dye I am using is the RIT fabric dye (liquid form). Most of the info I have found states this is what to use. I am aware that they changed their formula and the new formula doesent work. (I was using the new stuff so went and found some old stuff and is doesnt work either) Most of the info I have read talks about the heating process (I have not tried this way as of yet) but I know there is also a way without heating. Heating can be tricky and damage the disc if you arent careful so I wanted to avoid that if possible. I was trying the process of mixing up the dye (with alcohol) and painting it on.... no workie. I know you can do it without heating because of all the discs done with the "spin method" were they set the disc up to rotate as the dye is dropped on it to give it that spin effect. I have yet found a way to determine what type of plastic my discs are as I don't really see and kind of stamping info on them to tell you. The ones I am using look like the ones in the videos but that doesn't mean anything I suppose. Thanks for the help and info so far.... I am going to try the heat way tonight and see if that works, if not I am going to pull my hair out as this seems like an area one could make a few bucks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
101LEDs 100 Posted August 17, 2014 After a bit of research and talking to some other dye people here is what I found out. This is not a complete list by any means. Will not take a dye.> KC Pro Will take a dye.> Innova Champion and Star, Whamo, Millennium Sirius and Quantum, DiscCraft Elite Z A few suggestions for those who want to give it a shot. Wash with hot soapy water to get rid of oils and rinse with cold before stencils or dye. Always use white or light colored discs/other items. You can't dye dark to light, only light to darker. There is no white dye. Plan colors accordingly. You can mix dyes for custom colors. You must keep exact measurements and times if you want to duplicate it in the future. ( We measure to 1/10 of a gram) Hot dye works best, dark dye colors need less time than light colors. 185-195 degree dye solution, never let it boil. The dye breaks down. If you have hard water, you can use bottled water. Always rinse with cold water. Dab excess rinse water off and let item air dry. The heating will not harm most plastics, they were usually made using a higher temperature to start with.(Injection molding) Some electrical connectors we do look like they would dissolve in hot water but come out perfect. They fit their mating part with no deformation or warping. We have never dyed a disc, so remember these are suggestions and not the final word. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted August 17, 2014 For what its worth.... about 90% of the discs I own are innova champion.... in fact, those are the ones I have been trying. I will be trying the heating method here in a few minutes and will let yall know the out come but I don't have that warm fuzzy feeling inside.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted August 18, 2014 Well, the heating method seemed to work! Not 100% happy as it did not come out as dark as I had hoped but still came out pretty dang good. I know with a little tweeking I will be getting them to come out as I want them to. Just what I needed.... something else to jump off into! I will probably never play with a plain stock disc again! I have a slight advantage over most of the people doing their own tho I think..... everything I read talks about hand cutting contact paper for this..... I have a graphtec! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
101LEDs 100 Posted August 18, 2014 Glad it is working for you, like anything there is a learning curve. Picture? What color did you use? How much dye per unit of water? I might be able to work out a "recipe" to cut down on your trial and error costs and time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted August 18, 2014 I had to use purple as that was the only color I had of the "old dye" . That is most likely the reason it is not as dark as I wanted. I had black pictured in my mind. I used 2:1 ratio as I found online, 2 parts being dye. The design I got from this forum.... not really what I was after but since it was already round.... what the heck. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
101LEDs 100 Posted August 18, 2014 We use 8 grams per 16 oz of water on most singe color jobs. Liquid or powder. The picture makes me think time or temperature needs tweaking. One thing I didn't make clear was that the temperature should stay at 185-195 for the whole dye time. The purple needs longer than black, we usually go 12-16 minutes on it and 6-8 minutes on black depending on item size and initial temp. drop on immersion. I would use my normal ratio, 190-195 degrees, and check it after 12 minutes. If it was not the shade needed it would go back in for 4 minutes before checking again. That is how I would try it as a test piece on purple, black would be 8 minutes/check back in for 4/check. It looks like they will turn out nice, how did the template hold up? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted August 18, 2014 The template was fine. I used oracal 651. The heat did cause a sticky residue to be left behind when peeling it off tho. I was going to heat the dye to 185. I also read not to let it boil as the breaks down the dye. That being said, at 165 it looked as if it was going to start to bubble so I removed from heat and dropped the disc in right away and let is sit for 20 minutes then gave it a cool water bath. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DNA_Vinyl 262 Posted August 18, 2014 I had to use purple as that was the only color I had of the "old dye" . That is most likely the reason it is not as dark as I wanted. I had black pictured in my mind. I used 2:1 ratio as I found online, 2 parts being dye. The design I got from this forum.... not really what I was after but since it was already round.... what the heck. Can I have that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xpaperman 719 Posted August 18, 2014 Have what DNA.... the disc or the design? *correction on the template.... I did not use oracal 651.... I used some of the old greenstar stuff I got with my bundle some time ago..... it is kinda old so that might be part of the problem with the residue left behind..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
