Hello guys,

I need some help. I am a Lego customizer who uses creates and uses waterslide decals like crazy:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/ga...cgi?m=Kaminoan Lego makes most of the parts in the colors I want, but lately I have been pushing the limit and have run into issues where Lego doesn't make the color I want and the solution, "Vinyl Dye," or so I thought.

I have been working on a new custom where I need a light blue color and RIT dye which has worked in the past has not worked for me for this color. I have looked for a commercial color of light blue vinyl dye and have been unable to locate it locally at all, but I was able to find a custom auto paint mixing store where I purchased some "vinyl dye." Custom color, but the can reads R-M Diamont C2S SB004.10 (color) Now comes the issues. I know that I have not applied it at the correct temperatures as it is cold outside and I have been working in the garage, but this was more of a test than anything else. Under these conditions it seems to be working more like paint and less like dye. I can scratch it off with my thumbnail, although there is less build up that when I paint a brick so it is better than paint, but it isn't absorbing into the plastic. I have contacted a friend who has successfull used vinyl dye to color Lego elements and he has told me that the primarily component in the dye he uses is acetone. The primary component in my is n-butyl acetate, but it also contains a lot of some pretty hazardous reagents (Benzene and Xylene). I have to dilute the stuff I use and place it in the two part spray can. I was wondering if I could mix in some acetone to get the desired effect and if you have ever done anything like this before? Or is it really the temperature that is the issue? Do you have any advice on mixing this stuff? Currently I am thinning the dye with 2 parts of thinner to 1 part of dye. It appears the thinner is made of the same components as the dye (no Acetone). Any thoughts you have would be greatly appreciated as this stuff was fairly expensive (dye + thinner + sprayer was $50) so I would really like to get it to work. Thanks in advance.

Jared

so your adding paint thinner to the vinly dye and spraying it on using a gun?. have you tested the dye without using the thinner?

I am using a Preval spray gun, which is an aerosol can attached to a glass bottle. The paint store told me I would have to thin the dye to get it to spray. The thinner is not paint thinner, but UR50 (universal mid temp reducer).

I have not tried the dye at full strength, but the basic components of the dye according to the dye can are similar to the thinner.

My thought was to mix in some acetone to the dye and thiner mixture and try spraying it. The vinyl dye which has worked on Lego elements in the past has a primary component of acetone, where as the dye I have has a primary component of acetate.

On the dye that you guys use, what is its primary component?

I have not tried the dye at full strength, but will. Any other ideas?

Thanks

Jared

Tried Full Strength dye, didn't work

Mixed 1 to 1 with Acetone, didn't work

Mixed 5 parts acetone to 1 part dye, didn't work.

Any ideas? Just trying to dye the plastic.

Jared

Couple of things come to mind ..

What color are the pieces and have they been dyed before?



also Gideontech site has a small guide on it as well.
http://www.gideontech.com/content/articles/202/1

I will check out the guide, thanks.

I am trying to dye parts that are yellow (as I have a ton of these and they are cheap), but I have also tried white ones as well. I won't go into it but there is a whole Lego Market ( http://www.bricklink.com/ ) and some parts can get quite expensive. These parts have not been vinyl dyed to my knowledge as Lego cast them in these colors when they made the parts so I assume they use a different colorant. I know that Lego can be vinyl dyed as it has been done successfully before:

http://www.minifigcustomizationnetwork.com/forum/1158

http://www.minifigcustomizationnetwork.com/forum/1426

Granted this person was going from lighter shades to darker (blue or red starting to grey) but he has gotten penetration of the brick with the color and my dye seems to only surface coat more like paint. I can easily scratch it off. I am trying to get a light blue color (66 mustang powder blue actually) and I can't get it to work no matter how much acetone I add. I know that Acetone will solubilize bricks:
http://helmethair.gluestain.com/ (1/2 way down the page) and I am actually suprized that my last mixture didn't start melting the parts, but it didn't.

Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated.

Jared

I would take it back to the store and show it is acting like paint and not Dye like you paid for. Maybe they mixed something wrong.

Could it be that this just isn't the right kind of dye for Lego?


Let me elaborate... I've used MoTip/Duplicolor Vinyl Dye with great success on plastic (ABS to be
precise) parts of PC's... the stuff really acted as a dye, it "seeped" into the plastic... those parts
were drive covers, bay covers & such.... could not scratch the dye off when it was dry...

The other day I tried it on some "flexible tubing"... my guess is that it is somekind of PVC...
At first sight it looked just fine... unfortunately... it was a failure... after a couple of hours I could
peel it off with ease... the 'tubing wasn't even "colorized"...

So... my guess would be that what you are using now isn't the right stuff/mixture for Lego.

TDR

Thanks guys I will give the store a call. Any suggestions on the right dye to use and a good place to get it? I have hunted all over the area (Autozone, O-Reily's, Advanced Autoparts, & Walmart) and I still can't find light blue vinyl dye? Is there a good online seller?

Jared

I have found some other colors of vinyl dye in rattle cans that work with Lego ABS, so I think you were right. The custom color I have must not have the correct carriers to properly permablize the plastic to allow absorption of the dye. So I have finally had some success, thanks for the help.

Jared

Could you tell me the kind of vinyl dye it is (brand name or something of the sort)? Also, could you tell me what kind of stores/shops I'd find it in?

Marlhyde seems to work well as does VHT (I think that is what it is called, or VTH). I found both at autoparts stores like O'Reily and Autozone.

Kam