Need help dying visors

Ozymandius

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
I never claimed to know much about dyes, but this one has got me stumped.

I have a large 5 gallon kettle filled with water and Rit dye and have already done over 30 visors successfully. But then I screwed something up and had to dump the batch and start a new one.

Same dye. Same water from the tap. Same heat. Same PETG. But now it won't dye. Nothing. :confused I've been trying for days with no luck in figuring out what is different.

Went online to see if there was some tip I overlooked.
Bring water near to boil then reduce to temp: Did that
Add vinegar: Did that
Add salt: Did that
Bring clean water to boil before adding dye: Did that.

How can a simple mixture work one minute and then stop working the next?
 
??

I recently got more RIT dye...I wonder if they changed the recipe? I know salt helps to make color more intense but not sure what the vinegar does....

I know even less about the process and just follow instructions I have learned from here....
 
Can't see how that would inhibit the dye. The previous batches were all poured from the same faucet, so the mineral content would have been the same.
 
I would recommend either going back and getting another couple of packs or picking some up from a different store just to try. Who knows, it could have been a bad batch. The same thing has happened to me with clothes.

Is it a different sheet of plastic? That could be it too. You never know, it could be any combination if things.
 
Already did that too. Different dye from different stores; same result. Mix of powder and liquid; same result.

The plastic is from the same sheet that I had successfully dyed not hours before. To double check I have tried other sheets with no result. Even tried redying parts that I had done earlier with no success.
 
Already did that too. Different dye from different stores; same result. Mix of powder and liquid; same result.

The plastic is from the same sheet that I had successfully dyed not hours before. To double check I have tried other sheets with no result. Even tried redying parts that I had done earlier with no success.

Rit Dye works best hot, close to boiling if possible. Is it polystyrene or polyethylene? No they haven't changed the formula. You could try a strip of cotton fabric. Try washing the plastic with dish detergent to see if there is oil or a coating that is preventing the dye from penetrating. This is very strange. Try adding 1/2 cup of non iodized salt to the mix. Rit is supposed to have the salt in it already. You may need to move to an acid resist dye or paint. Check out Dharma Trading. Are you using the same amount of dye to water ratio? This is a puzzler.
 
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