iDye Poly Problem, dark spots?

[SiGeCore]

I just finished dyeing a PETG visor for a custom project, and I've run into a weird problem. Two sections of the visor have patches of dark black spots (collected dye?) on the outside, and the dye seem to have scratched/etched the surface as well. Has anyone seen anything like this? I'd rather not have to put in another order of PETG and have to re-vacuum form the visor, is there a way that I can buff out PETG and hopefully remove these marks while maintaining a glossy finish on my visor?

Thanks for the help!

 

[wwbubba0069]

Had the same problem with the dye. I was using a stock pot with 3 packs of dye with the intensifier for a Thomas visor, no matter the temp I got the splotches. Did some searching and ran across this http://youtu.be/lGUf1VpvICI

Then I realized I didn't have enough water for the amount of dye I was using. I practiced with some scrap sections and turned out much better with more water, had to set longer in the mix, but no splotches.

Also, this stuff gets everywhere when boiling. The dye is in the steam, turned my white microwave/vent hood grey. Those Mr. Clean Magic Eraser's got it cleaned off.

 

[SiGeCore]

Had the same problem with the dye. I was using a stock pot with 3 packs of dye with the intensifier for a Thomas visor, no matter the temp I got the splotches. Did some searching and ran across this http://youtu.be/lGUf1VpvICI

Then I realized I didn't have enough water for the amount of dye I was using. I practiced with some scrap sections and turned out much better with more water, had to set longer in the mix, but no splotches.

Also, this stuff gets everywhere when boiling. The dye is in the steam, turned my white microwave/vent hood grey. Those Mr. Clean Magic Eraser's got it cleaned off.

Interesting, I'm only using 2 packets in 5 gallons of water. Is it possible I didn't let the dye boil long enough?

 

[wwbubba0069]

I got the 2 stock pots of water up to a rolling boil. To 1 of them added the dye, stir, added intensifier, stir some more, then turned heat down to a slight boil while I made sure path from stove to deck (20ish feet) was clear of pets/kids, and dunking bucket ready outside, wasn't risking my floor. Dumped dye pot, then other pot with just water, occasionally stirred some more while I waited for the temp to drop to 140145*F'ish range, took about 10 minutes or so. Then I started dunking the visor, two 5 minute rounds it was dark enough for my son's liking.

Took to playing with the stuff as it cooled, if its too cool sub 120*F range the color is purple'ish and gets a fog to it.

 

[Mitcheg1]

I'm having the same problem. I'm using two dye packets in an 18 gallon bucket, about 3/4 full. I just cannot get a good clean dye job! HELP!!

 

[ChickenHaunt]

I just went through this with a big batch of pieces last week. Yes, you have to be careful not to overload the water with too much dye, and you have to let it boil for a long enough time to fully dissolve before bringing it back down to a safe temp for the plastic (I did 130-135 F). I also found that after it sat over the weekend, a lot of the un-dissolved dye sank to the bottom, and I got some cleaner results after that.

 

[Mitcheg1]

After letting it sit, did you just warm the water back up and then dip?

 

[ChickenHaunt]

After letting it sit, did you just warm the water back up and then dip?

Yeah, just back to the 130 range. Mind you, it didn't totally solve the problem. Instead of big spots there was more of a graininess going on, but it made a big difference.