Want black mag followers? D.I.Y.

[Gatillo]

I've been asked a few times about how to do it, so here it is for everyone to use.

Using Rit dye to change the color of polymer parts is very easy and can be a fun experience. It doesn't flake off or wear out like even the most expensive spray on finishes. If you have a buttstock, grip, magazine, etc. in the wrong color or you just want to change things up, the best solution is at the grocery store.


I got my info from Recoil magazine and a few threads on another forum. These are just my quick notes.

link to narrowed google search https://www.google.com/search?source=ig&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS306&q=rit+dye+site%3Aar15.com&oq=rit+dye+site%3Aar15.com&gs_l=igoogle.3...2043.22927.0.24407.33.14.11.8.2.0.80.896.14.14.0...0.0...1ac.1.OXYFn1cxJeY
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What you need:

a pot big enough for the part being dyed
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Meat thermometer (can do without)
Tongs
Rit Dye (powder works better for black)

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Liquid ratio: start with a 1/4 teaspoon to one cup of water. Drops can be added to darken.

Powder ratio: 1/2 teaspoon ""
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Don't get it on yourself and clean anything it gets on asap. Old worn out porcelain tubs will change color as soon as the dye hits it. Be careful where you clean up. I didn't have any problems with a white sink or a stainless.
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Step 1 - Heat the mixture to 150-175(meat therm.) After the first time I heated it to just before boiling (no therm). I've done several items and the polymer hasn't melted or deformed in any way. I always kept the parts in a spoon or on a grate so they didn't sit directly on the surface the burner was heating.

Step 2 - Use tongs to gently submerge the part in the solution. Check it every minute or so to get your desired color. Move the part around in the solution so all the surfaces get colored. Black takes about 10-15 minutes to get it nice and dark. Most colors will take anywhere from 1-10 minutes depending on the opacity you're looking for, so check it often.

Step 3 - Pull the part out and pat it dry with a clean cloth.
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If you want to experiment with colors, you can return a part to about 90% it's original color by doing the same procedure with bleach water @ 140 degrees F. The ratio for that is 1 part bleach to two parts water. Soak time is 30 minutes to an hour.


my followers ( sorry for the poor quality pics)

before

after

the dark swirls are in the polymer, not the color.

NOT MY PIC - example of camo dye jobs

Feel free to add your methods and finished products.

How did you prep your followers? Because, I haven't had any luck tonight using this method.

I'm guessing Hoppe's Elite followed by denatured alcohol isn't how you did it.

 

[OliRage]

How did you prep your followers? Because, I haven't had any luck tonight using this method.

I'm guessing Hoppe's Elite followed by denatured alcohol isn't how you did it.

I would like to know too, I could never get mine to work.

 

[Gopher Slayer]

On the first batch I used Dawn and some water. With the second batch I didn't prep the followers at all. I can't see any difference.

 

[Gatillo]

Mine didn't take at all. I even used a thermometer to get the temp right. I did however, use the liquid rit. I'll try the powder next time.

 

[Beuford T. Rimfire]

Just noticed something... Looks like this dye method won't work in the South.

Since I didn't have any Rit, I tried a Sharpie as Kayback suggested since I did happen to have a couple on hand. I can't speak for the durability, but it did work. You'll need a very fine point to get to the inset areas and 90 degree inside edges. Even then some spots you just cannot get to. Once assembled however, you cannot even notice those areas.

 

[raemhild]

This is likely your problem...

I'm an avid disc golfer and we have had an issue with doing our custom dyes in the past few years. Rit changed their formula and it doesn't work on plastics/polymers anymore. There is hope, at least with Rit dyes, you need to look for a specific lot number on your box before you buy it:

An update on this. Rit has admitted on their facebook page that They have changed their formula so that it will no longer dye plastic. The change is in the works. All liquid dyes have been changed and some of the powders have been changed. So now is the time to stock up on old stuff if you want to continue using rit dye. Look for lot numbers that end in 10 or earlier. Source

Gopher, can you check your dye and report back on the lot numbers for these guys?

Thanks and good luck.

Edit: Did some digging and there appears to be another product that can replace the Rit; Jacquard iDye Poly:

The Good: Much higher quality than RIT, being a specialized dye and not general purpose like RIT it does not contain salt which is needed for natural fibers. The dye comes in a sealed packet that dissolves in water which makes things much easier to work with and no dye powder flying around to get on your fingers or make a mess with. A little extra stirring and hunting to make sure it's completely dissolved, but iDye seems thicker and completely dissolves much quicker and more thoroughly than RIT powder. It says to let it simmer for 30 minutes, but about 10 minutes sitting just below a simmer produced a good dye bath in 32oz of water.

As for the dyeing, there were 2 dips, the first for ~5 minutes and a second for 2, total time in the dye about 7 minutes. It took very quickly and evenly, and seems more vibrant a black on this first test. Compared to the purple undertones in RIT's black, iDye is more on the blue side although not nearly as noticeable. For a thin champion disc, it looks much more black than the results I've seen from RIT's black on similar plastic. Curious to see how it turns out on a white disc. Source

 

[Dikinalaska]

^^^ DING DING DING!!! We have a winner!! Why is it always something so ridiculous that has us staying up at night with these dumb problems?

 

[Gopher Slayer]

I'm an avid disc golfer and we have had an issue with doing our custom dyes in the past few years. Rit changed their formula and it doesn't work on plastics/polymers anymore. There is hope, at least with Rit dyes, you need to look for a specific lot number on your box before you buy it:



Gopher, can you check your dye and report back on the lot numbers for these guys?

Thanks and good luck.

Edit: Did some digging and there appears to be another product that can replace the Rit; Jacquard iDye Poly:

I posted a link to that article in post #30.

I went and bought a brand new box from Walmart too see if I had problems with the new dye. Post #37 shows that I didn't have any issues. I guess it could still be an old box though.

SKU 85967 83150


Nice find on the new dye. I'll have to try some next time. Looks interesting.

 

[RED ZMAN]

Great DIY man, I wanted to do something like this. Any updates on how the modern dye is working out? I used to dye some plastics back in my RC car racing days, but that was like 20 years ago.

Not really worth setting this all up to do my one lonely follower right now.

 

[Gopher Slayer]

Great DIY man, I wanted to do something like this. Any updates on how the modern dye is working out? I used to dye some plastics back in my RC car racing days, but that was like 20 years ago.

Not really worth setting this all up to do my one lonely follower right now.

The dye still looks like it did the day I did it. I'll add some follow up pics in a bit.

 

[Incredible Me]

Nailed it.

Been a while since i checked this topic.

You sir, almost made me pee my pants from laughing.

 

[515DSM]

I used a piece of wire through the thumb assist hole and bent it to keep them off the bottom and hooked to both sides of the pot. Seemed alot easier than holding a spoon for the hour it took me to get the dye to take.

 

[DanoBolick]

I used denatured alcohol with powdered dye. Mixed in a food saved bag then used food saver to vac out air and seal. I then let set over nite. Next day all good! Changed desert tan to purple and olive to black. If color is not good then just bleach and re try.No heat was used!

 

[pershing]

I have just attempted this and got 0 results. They are just as orange as when I started. I used some zip ties to dip the pieces and they seem to have taken the dye. Not sure where to go from here. I have gone with more dye, more heat and more time. I did put the mix on a separate container so I can let the pieces sit in it, it occurs to me that that will make the temp slowly drop. Do I need constant heat? Anyone else had success with this method?

 

[gdnagle]

Thanks for the tip I wonder if a pink dye would work on the whole mag for my lady but I guess pink over the black won't come out pink..

 

[Majorlk]

Thanks for the tip I wonder if a pink dye would work on the whole mag for my lady but I guess pink over the black won't come out pink..

Krylon Fusion spray paint ... use plastic primer first.

 

[pershing]

So after failing miserably with Rit, i tried idye poly and it somewhat worked. Black turned the orange into a dark golden brown, almost camoish. So I tried another round of blue since I was experimenting with some rail covers. This is what they ended up looking like:



Foliage green magpul rail covers after blue dip:



Fde magpul rail covers after blue dip:



Rail covers turned out a bit on the purple side.

Mag with the new look.



Thanks to everyone that answered my questions...

 

[pershing]

So decided to try the un-dyeing process with bleach and got the following:



Blue were the foliage green dyed in blue and the grayish were fde dyed in blue as well. Previous pics shown on last post. I like how the blue came out.