DIE!! Um, I mean DYE, not die! whoops.

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Countdown
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DIE!! Um, I mean DYE, not die! whoops.

Post by Countdown »

Hello all... let my rambling begin,

I am considering my first custom. (not my first consideration... just considering to start my first custom.

I would like to customize a figure which I haven't received yet. I actually plan to mimic another customizer. I don't remember where I saw the custom at. Maybe on this website.

I do believe that while the plastic won't be fragile, it certainly won't be durable. I have heard that lacquers and paints can break down weak plastics. So, I was thinking I would dye the entire figure and only paint certain details.

So I am thinking of dyeing the plastic piece by piece. For those of you who have dyed (not died):

What sort of dye do I use? Food coloring? Something else?
How much dye?
What I am dyeing is dark green, and I want to make it either candy red or burgandy I can't decide.
How long should I let the dye sit?
Should I use a disposable container to dye in? (will it ruin the container?)
Other hints or tips?

Oh, and if the figure is hollow, and needs to be filled to be made more durable, what should I fill it with?

I hope to share progress info when and if I get started.

Thank you all for any advice.
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Roar
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Post by Roar »

I've never tried to dye plastic, so I can't help you there, but I found a couple of things that are good for filling in voids in cavities which are plastic, without making it warp or melt.

If you're needing to sculpt a little something extra onto your figure, and use it for fill in too, try getting yourself some Devcon or Harvey's plumber's epoxy.

Not just good for fixing boogered up toilets, leaking pipes, and pools- plumber's epoxy can be sanded, drilled, primed, painted, and when mixed properly cures hard as a rock, literally. It's also food safe, so kids can chew on it, and not get sick.

The only drawback of the stuff is that its open for only five minutes usually, (but starts to harden after three) and if you're doing a precision fitting, it's hard to get right.

I made a Thundercats Lion-O claw shield with it, so you can do anything that needs to be hard and inflexible with it.

For a flush and lightweight fill, I like to use Locktite two part epoxy. You usually find it the form of a two part syinge that you are supposed to squeeze out together so that you get equal parts. It's okay, but I find it difficult to use. I prefer to go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy the large boxed bottles of it. (at least that's where I've found it) It costs close to ten dollars, but you get two great big bottles of it, as opposed to the consiberably smaller syringe type (five dollars or so) so buying the larger set is worth every cent!

Its a five to six minute cure when mixed togther properly in the correct temperature, and is clear when finished. While its open, it's very forgiving, so if you get a bit where you don't want it, you can just wipe it off, or easily spread it to the parts which you want to fill. Its water resistant, sandable, and paintable too.

I've repaired the broken underneath blue nose plate of Mirage with it, heavy weight bearing refrigerator shelves with it (the plastic parts), vacuum cleaner parts, and the turn lamp bezel on one of my cars.

Ooo, I forgot, there is also a product called JB Weld too, but it is brittle. I wouldn't use it for anything but fill in, and it and cures blackish brownish.
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