Home Hydrographic Printing (or Hydro Dipping)

[Phazer]

My wife decided that she wanted something more unique on her next build. She saw some hydro dipped items and decided that she wants her next furniture done with a leopard print. Well...to make a long story short I've been learning how to hydro dip stuff (starting with $0.25 light switch plates and sections of PVC pipe as sample pieces to paint and dip).

Here is a stock painted white and then dipped into a leopard print film.

Now I've got a few spots to touch up with a small brush and some spare film to donate paint.


Rinsed and dried. Not clear coated.

 

[GOPerfect]

If you screw it up, can it be removed easily?

 

[Phazer]

If you screw it up, can it be removed easily?

No. The item is effectively painted with the print.

To redo a part, it must be reprepped and repainted prior to redipping.

 

[Phauxtoe]

still its very cool!

 

[Phazer]

still its very cool!

It's entertaining. But, there is definitely a learning curve.

What I've learned: Nothing is as simple as it appears on YouTube.

That's why I've had to invest in: Extra paint, sample pieces, extra film, extra activator, dipping vessels, an aquarium thermometer, and TIME. I'm getting better, though.

 

[GOPerfect]

It's entertaining. But, there is definitely a learning curve.

What I've learned: Nothing is as simple as it appears on YouTube.

That's why I've had to invest in: Extra paint, sample pieces, extra film, extra activator, dipping vessels, an aquarium thermometer, and TIME. I'm getting better, though.

Let me know when you have nearly perfected it...

I have a gun that I want done!

 

[MilesTeg]

Let me know when you have nearly perfected it...

I have a gun that I want done!

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Phazer]

Let me know when you have nearly perfected it...

I have a gun that I want done!

I would never, ever, do it as a business. I'm not good enough (I'm certainly no artist) and I wouldn't want the responsibility of messing with someone else's property.

 

[GOPerfect]

I would never, ever, do it as a business. I'm not good enough (I'm certainly no artist) and I wouldn't want the responsibility of messing with someone else's property.

No, no, go ahead and be responsible, if you screw mine up, you can buy me another!

 

[Phazer]

No, no, go ahead and be responsible, if you screw mine up, you can buy me another!

Exactly my point.

 

[Robin]

What kind of material is it? Does it take a beating?
Robin

 

[Phazer]

What kind of material is it? Does it take a beating?
Robin

The material is a film. When on the water, one side of the film dissolves. A sprayed-on activator dissolves the top layer of the film. So, the item is essentially "dipped" onto ink floating on water. On its own, the coating is no more durable than paint.

Clear coating is recommended to preserve the final painted surface. I'm going to apply aerosol automotive clear lacquer and see what happens. The image in the initial post is raw and uncleared. I need to do a little bit of touch up before the clear coat is applied.

There is plenty of additional information on the internet regarding coatings that provide the best scratch resistance.

 

[togmaster]

Sure seems like a lot of work.

 

[tony]

looks great, nice job !

 

[Phazer]

Sure seems like a lot of work.

It is...initially. It took me two weeks, a bunch of film, a can of activator, and a lot of smaller practice pieces before I tried the stock that will go on my wife's build.

Once you've got the process down, it's a simple matter of: Filling a tub with 90F water, laying out your film, and dipping the processed part.

In the end, it'll be an entertaining paint job for a range toy. A conversation piece, at best.

But, since I like learning new things...and I enjoy the process more than the final product...it'll be worth it.

 

[Robin]

It doesn't look like much work to me at all, considering how long it would take me to lay out such a pattern and then apply it. I'm sur there is a learning curve but all in all its pretty cool, never seen anything like that.
Robin

 

[Saltwater60]

Not my style, but it's freaking awesome looking. Cool that you decided to undertake this.

 

[Defilade]

I should put that shit in my pool and through my neighbor in it.

 

[kev74]

I thought an AR stock and fore end would look neat dipped in walnut.

 

[Phazer]

Painted and dipped slim 12" handguard (rinsed and dried, but before touchup):

I believe that the holes in the print are due to too little, and uneven, application of the activator. I was initially scared off from using too much activator because of some prints that completely washed off of my pieces from over-activation. Now, I think I've gone a bit too far in the other direction. My technique will continue to evolve.

 

[ProgSpear]

Hm. now I know what to do with those old MC tanks...

 

[MoMan]

Pretty cool.

 

[rsmitty]

Very cool

 

[Phazer]

Here are images of the upper and lower receivers in raw state, after being painted with the base coat, and after being dipped and touched up.

The receivers remain stripped at this point since the parts still need to be clear coated. To keep additional paint and clear coat out of holes, there are temporary plugs made of dowel in place of the takedown pin, pivot pin, and selector pin. There are surplus trigger and hammer pins in their respective places.

 

[4excal]

It's entertaining. But, there is definitely a learning curve.

What I've learned: Nothing is as simple as it appears on YouTube.

That's why I've had to invest in: Extra paint, sample pieces, extra film, extra activator, dipping vessels, an aquarium thermometer, and TIME. I'm getting better, though.

But at least we live in the era of YouTube. Such a great thing to be anything you desire and do anything you desire just by watching someone else first. Effectively cutting out any trade people from mechanics to electricians..as long as you can follow directions to a tee.

Ps. That was cool experience, I've never seen that before. Good luck.

 

[Automan21]

Nice, lets see some fully assembled pics.

 

[Cooolone]

Nice work... Certainly these methods are used quite often for Camo, tanks, helmets, etc.! Put airbrush artist's out of work, lol ; )

 

[Phazer]

Nice work... Certainly these methods are used quite often for Camo, tanks, helmets, etc.! Put airbrush artist's out of work, lol ; )

Not at all. This is simply a method to add to the options available to real artists (read: not me). A real airbrush artist could easily fix dipping artifacts and glitches. My touch up work with a small brush is passable, but nowhere near what a true artist could achieve.

 

[Phazer]

Nice, lets see some fully assembled pics.

Coming soon. I need to clear coat the parts and then wait a few days for the clear to cure.

 

[NY Leatherneck]

Always wanted to try my hand at dipping a gun. ....trying to resist. Thanks for posting.