I actually have a question about this, if you don't mind me asking. Would putting masking tape over certain parts of the HDPE prevent the dye from penetrating that part? Or would it just bypass the tape completely? Because I could imagine doing so would create some funky patterns on the HDPE part itself, and I might just give this a quick go with some scrap HDPE I have lying around the shed.
Maybe, the problem I see is getting the tape to stay stuck to the HDPE while submerged in hot dye If you can do that I think it will work, but you'll probably still get some colour bleed under the tape
Nice, looking good!! Been doing a similar method on 2HDFlamingo but with a powder fabric dye which comes with an intensener liquid which presumably is vinegar? Only been doing half hour simmers but getting similar results but it needs a wash after coming out :)
It could be, or it might be some other semi-weak acid, I think thats all the vinegar is really doing, just nudging the PH of the solution Interesting, I found that an hour simmer gives just a bit more vibrancy in the colour but you have to be careful, too hot or too much past an hour and you can boil off the bath, burning the part. I wonder if yours needs a wash off because of the powdered dye or the length of time in the bath... I might buy some powered dye to test it
I havent tried Rustoleum, but all my experiences with spray paint have gone poorly, the paint chips and flakes off if you handle it even a little roughly. I've tried a bunch of specalist "plastic" primers, tried heat treating, tried cleaning the surface, tried rough sanding the surface, tried cheap nasty primer. all of them have the same flaky outcome
@@TeamPanicRobotics I can't say the same for other brands of spray paint but I've never had a bad experience with Rustoleum. It works on virtually any material and doesn't flake as long as you don't drastically warp the surface for extended periods of time. It even works great on chemical resistant polypropylene. I recommend trying it. You can also buy certain plastics such as HDPE in different colors from mcmaster carr.
I'll put it on my list to try then! Hpde is also very chemical resistant, but if it works on polypropylene, it might work here. It's great you can get HDPE in different colours from mcmaster carr, the USA is blessed with mcmaster carr. The UK can also get different colour HDPE from a supplier on Ebay, that anyone could buy, but shipping costs triple the price of the plastic if you arnt in the UK I can get one other colour of HDPE here, black, but I've found that whatever die goes into the black HDPE makes it much harder to machine, it melts rather than cutting. So it's easier (for me) to buy the white stuff and die later
neat, I will definitely be doing this to my bots. 2 question tho does it make the plastic brittle or softer? and have you done any comparative strength tests?
I haven't done any strength testing, but from my last set of tests the dye only penetrates the HDPE half a mm or so Which means that if it is changing the properties, it's only for the surface layer
@@TeamPanicRobotics ok thanks. can I make a suggestion for a future video, it would be great if you could make a video on all the different kinds of drive motors like n20, n10 and ga12. it would be nice to understand what the differences are.
I'm thinking about making one for the ratios to use But I dont think there is enough for a full video on the difference between the 3 listed, because: an N10 is just a shorter (so lighter) harder to find N20. It will have a little less power, but should be fine for 150g bots An N20 is the standard of the class, cheap and readily available A ga12 or a g12 are "ga12-N20" or "g12-N20" I havent used them but from a quick google they look identical to an N20. My guess is that "ga12" and "g12" where intended to denote a reputable manufacturer, so its a claim to be higher quality, but as with all labels of the type, as soon as it gets well enough known, anyone making clones will also use the lable, making it worthless
@@TeamPanicRobotics Perfect thank you, that is exactly the information that I was looking for. Last question what do you think of the "FingerTech "Silver Spark" 16mm Gearmotor."
so can this method/recipe be used to add colour to white upcycled HDPE prior to melting HDPE for use in a mold? It seems this would work (on the recycled chips and bits I have collected) but maybe not?
@@glasshalffull2930 no, not yet. I have also considered using different colours of chips and mixing them (somehow? while melting) to achieve a desired DIY colour much the way that manufacturers would do. I would prefer doing the 2nd method, mostly because it seems more predictable, but would definitely not be cheap considering it would require mixing at the same time as adding pressure/energy so the colours can merge thoroughly.
@@QuentinKarmark I’ve actually seen a few videos on this topic since my question to you. The best way to get a uniform color would be to collect bottles or bottle caps of the color you want. Another method I saw was to use colorants from Michael’s Crafts. I cannot recall the exact item, but it was some kind of ink. Someone on UA-cam also said you could mix in acrylic paint from Michaels. The ink method was performed by melting the plastic and then adding the ink drops onto the blob and then kneading it in. This would require plasticized gloves and this method is translucent.
@@glasshalffull2930 You will find that coloured bottle caps need far more heat to melt than the white/clear HDPE. Be very careful about kneading the melted plastic, it will stick to your gloves and will still be hot.
I actually have a question about this, if you don't mind me asking. Would putting masking tape over certain parts of the HDPE prevent the dye from penetrating that part? Or would it just bypass the tape completely? Because I could imagine doing so would create some funky patterns on the HDPE part itself, and I might just give this a quick go with some scrap HDPE I have lying around the shed.
Maybe, the problem I see is getting the tape to stay stuck to the HDPE while submerged in hot dye
If you can do that I think it will work, but you'll probably still get some colour bleed under the tape
Nice, looking good!! Been doing a similar method on 2HDFlamingo but with a powder fabric dye which comes with an intensener liquid which presumably is vinegar? Only been doing half hour simmers but getting similar results but it needs a wash after coming out :)
It could be, or it might be some other semi-weak acid, I think thats all the vinegar is really doing, just nudging the PH of the solution
Interesting, I found that an hour simmer gives just a bit more vibrancy in the colour but you have to be careful, too hot or too much past an hour and you can boil off the bath, burning the part.
I wonder if yours needs a wash off because of the powdered dye or the length of time in the bath...
I might buy some powered dye to test it
How well does this work on UHMW compared to HDPE?
I’d like to know too
Can I re dye white, white?
I'm looking into dying HDPE for the use of recycling single use plastic shopping bags into plastic yarn :) this tutorial looks great thank you.
Yo same, did you ever do it?
Can you mask and do stripes on HDPE
I would love if I could do this on my kayak 🤔
have you ever tried dyeing it in a gradient?
I havent, that might be difficult to do and require dying in stages
I've never thought of dying HDPE. Wouldn't Rustoleum spray paint also work?
I havent tried Rustoleum, but all my experiences with spray paint have gone poorly, the paint chips and flakes off if you handle it even a little roughly.
I've tried a bunch of specalist "plastic" primers, tried heat treating, tried cleaning the surface, tried rough sanding the surface, tried cheap nasty primer. all of them have the same flaky outcome
@@TeamPanicRobotics I can't say the same for other brands of spray paint but I've never had a bad experience with Rustoleum. It works on virtually any material and doesn't flake as long as you don't drastically warp the surface for extended periods of time. It even works great on chemical resistant polypropylene. I recommend trying it.
You can also buy certain plastics such as HDPE in different colors from mcmaster carr.
I'll put it on my list to try then!
Hpde is also very chemical resistant, but if it works on polypropylene, it might work here.
It's great you can get HDPE in different colours from mcmaster carr, the USA is blessed with mcmaster carr.
The UK can also get different colour HDPE from a supplier on Ebay, that anyone could buy, but shipping costs triple the price of the plastic if you arnt in the UK
I can get one other colour of HDPE here, black, but I've found that whatever die goes into the black HDPE makes it much harder to machine, it melts rather than cutting. So it's easier (for me) to buy the white stuff and die later
neat, I will definitely be doing this to my bots. 2 question tho does it make the plastic brittle or softer? and have you done any comparative strength tests?
I haven't done any strength testing, but from my last set of tests the dye only penetrates the HDPE half a mm or so
Which means that if it is changing the properties, it's only for the surface layer
@@TeamPanicRobotics ok thanks. can I make a suggestion for a future video, it would be great if you could make a video on all the different kinds of drive motors like n20, n10 and ga12. it would be nice to understand what the differences are.
I'm thinking about making one for the ratios to use
But I dont think there is enough for a full video on the difference between the 3 listed, because:
an N10 is just a shorter (so lighter) harder to find N20. It will have a little less power, but should be fine for 150g bots
An N20 is the standard of the class, cheap and readily available
A ga12 or a g12 are "ga12-N20" or "g12-N20" I havent used them but from a quick google they look identical to an N20. My guess is that "ga12" and "g12" where intended to denote a reputable manufacturer, so its a claim to be higher quality, but as with all labels of the type, as soon as it gets well enough known, anyone making clones will also use the lable, making it worthless
@@TeamPanicRobotics Perfect thank you, that is exactly the information that I was looking for. Last question what do you think of the "FingerTech "Silver Spark" 16mm Gearmotor."
@@GregoryStark2 Personally I've heard good things about them.
so can this method/recipe be used to add colour to white upcycled HDPE prior to melting HDPE for use in a mold? It seems this would work (on the recycled chips and bits I have collected) but maybe not?
Did you try this out? Seems like it would work if you can get uniformity of color on the pieces.
@@glasshalffull2930 no, not yet. I have also considered using different colours of chips and mixing them (somehow? while melting) to achieve a desired DIY colour much the way that manufacturers would do. I would prefer doing the 2nd method, mostly because it seems more predictable, but would definitely not be cheap considering it would require mixing at the same time as adding pressure/energy so the colours can merge thoroughly.
@@QuentinKarmark I’ve actually seen a few videos on this topic since my question to you. The best way to get a uniform color would be to collect bottles or bottle caps of the color you want. Another method I saw was to use colorants from Michael’s Crafts. I cannot recall the exact item, but it was some kind of ink. Someone on UA-cam also said you could mix in acrylic paint from Michaels. The ink method was performed by melting the plastic and then adding the ink drops onto the blob and then kneading it in. This would require plasticized gloves and this method is translucent.
@@glasshalffull2930 You will find that coloured bottle caps need far more heat to melt than the white/clear HDPE.
Be very careful about kneading the melted plastic, it will stick to your gloves and will still be hot.
Is this method work for pvc/upvc?
I dont know sorry
This is your friendly reminder to set up your business.
Trying to place your accent. English, but maybe spent a lot of time in Australia or New Zealand?
I'm an Aussie, but come from a part that doesnt have the super thick accent
@@TeamPanicRobotics Melbourne? 😁 Unlike my own thick accent.
Ben: So this is how to dye your HDPE
Jevan: Welp, time to go back a day to unpaint my HDPE…
Oh no!
Got the timing just wrong