plastic dying

[homer15]

hey everyone,

i've read a lot about vinyl dye, so i went out and bought some black stuff... it didn't lay down very well... it was blotchy and faded, and more coats of the stuff didn't work. so then i went out looking for something else. i found krylon fusion, which "bonds to plastic." is this the same thing? i used some blue on a test piece of plastic, and it went on beautifully. i haven't tried chipping any of it off or anything, but i want to make sure it's the right stuff... i'm planning on dying a keyboard and mouse, which our finger-intensive pieces of equipment. thanks.

[Joeberg]

This thred discusses the paint ( http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.p...threadid=78866 ); I've been thinking of buying some for a project myself....

[homer15]

thanks a lot, joeberg... i used the navy blue krylon fusion on a drive bezel (the inside, though, so if i messed up, it didn't show on the outside) and it looked really good. give it a try.

[Joeberg]

Glad to hear it worked out for you Homer. Did you do any type of prep to the bezels before you painted it?
Thanks,
-Joe

[morriswindgate]

With the Krylon Fusion you are not suppose to have to do any prep. But I would atleast clean the surface with rubbing alcohol and let it dry in order to remove any skin oils.
When I have painted/dyed plastic, I also wear disposable latex or plastic gloves to prevent skin oils from getting on the surface.

[homer15]

the can recommends the following:
if it's a new piece of plastic, just wipe it down with a piece of lint free cloth.
if it's older, rub it down with some paint thinner and let it dry.

also, the listed temperatures on the can (i forget offhand) are really important... i tried painting in my garage when it was like 40 degrees and it came out horribly (i think that was the black dye's problem).

[moose48fox]

I have used the Fusion paint and it is amazing for anything plastic. I recomend rubbing the plastic with paint thinner, it ensures that the surface is perfectly clean.

[homer15]

Originally posted by moose48fox I have used the Fusion paint and it is amazing for anything plastic. I recomend rubbing the plastic with paint thinner, it ensures that the surface is perfectly clean.

also, i think the paint thinner helps the fusion dye seep into the plastic

[Joeberg]

Thanks Guys, I appreciate the help