Plastic Dyes?

[Omega Metro]

Does anyone know where I can get plastic dyes from? They are similar to the fabric ones you can get from Coles, Spotlight but needs to be 'all purpose' dyes I think.
Or has anyone used certain dyes to dye Transformers.

[Ae-Evolution]

Are you talking about vinyl dye? If so, Super Cheap Auto and Autobarn are the places to go.

[Omega Metro]

Are you talking about vinyl dye? If so, Super Cheap Auto and Autobarn are the places to go.

I don't think it's the same thing but might have a look there. Thanks

[Ae-Evolution]

I used them in Nerf applications. Apparently it etches into into the plastic and is scratch proof.

[lancalot]

i was looking into this a while back...there heaps of tutorial on youtube...
but the risk and cost is too high a price to do ... i rather paint it better ..
have to boil the dye and then you can warp the plastic if not done right .. plus the dye not that cheap either ... and also factor in the pot that you cook the dye in etc...

[Cat]

Plus the colour you get at the end isn't always predictable. I've seen some hilarious ones (eg black dye on Starscream to make a Skywarp. It came out looking like a mix of caramel and chocolate).

I know the brand the Americans use most is called RIT. No idea of its availability or equivalent here.

[Omega Metro]

I'm thinking of doing a 'Top Secret' custom project. I might just paint it instead. Too much faffing to dye it.
Thanks

[Jinto]

I'm thinking of doing a 'Top Secret' custom project. I might just paint it instead. Too much faffing to dye it.
Thanks

The benefit of dye would be the ability to play/transform it without scratch marks. I'd like to try my hand at dyeing.

[Omega Metro]

I would still like to give it a go. The warping is a concern though. But the thought of putting an ugly unloved Transformer in a pot of boiling water is quite tempting.

[Bumbleb33]

Dying works great, I have done it many times. You just need to be considerate of the fact that if the water is too hot it can warp your plastic and that the final colour may vary.

I have personally found dyes designed for polyester to be superior to cotton dyes as polyester is obviously synthetic and the dye compound responds better to synthetic material.

As for final result consider the basics of colour to determine what the final result is going to look like, eg red dye + blue transformer = purple transformer. You can always go darker but you can never go lighter, therefore for brilliant colours always try and start with a yellow or white robot and then add a colour.
Lastly remember all plastics react differently to dye and transformers are made of many different plastic types.

The best advice I can provide is:
1. Start with a junker and see if the effort is worth the result, only then proceed to working on a piece you wish to keep.
2. Good prep is critical, dye will stain anything it makes contact with so use utensils that are expendable furthermore lay tin foil down on your benchtops otherwise your wife / girlfriend will kill you when you have permanent red dots all over her white bench tops.

My process for dying is to:
1. Make up the dye (do not boil)
2. Turn off the heat and allow the dye to cool to about 65 - 70 degrees celsius.
3. Use a pair of pliers or a soup ladle to submerge the part you wish to dye in the solution for 10 seconds.
4. Remove the piece from the solution and place in a bath of cool water (tap temp).
5. Remove the piece from the cooling bath and re-submerge in the dye, repeat the process until the colour is idea.
6. When the colour is right place it into the cooling bath until you complete all the pieces to be dyed.
7. Wash (under cool water) all the pieces until no more dye comes out in the water.
8. Allow the pieces to dry (do not use hair dryers etc to accelerate the process, just be patient) for a good couple of days as many of the tiny spaces will retain water for days.
9. Re-assemble.