Paint on Delrin?

[Vaderman]

Hey folks,

I have a couple of pieces that were cut out of a plastic that I think is Delrin.
My friend who cut it just used a scrap he has had for years and he doesn't know what it is.
So, even suspecting it of being Delrin, I tried to paint it anyway, with Krylon Fusion and also with Rustoleum plastic primer.
The Kryion did a slightly better job of sticking, but either paint can be scratched off fairly easily.
So, I ask you, has anyone had any luck painting this stuff?
How about a dye?
It has (naturally) a nice smooth surface, that I would like to retain, so I haven't roughed it up for better adhesion.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[franz bolo]

No, you can't paint Delrin and have it stick permanently.

FB

 

[SD Studios]

Yah, what HE said. Delrin is specifically made to NOT stick to stuff.

But You MIGHT be able to DYE it.

I know for a fact, you can dye polyethelene (because I have done it) in boiling water and RIT dye. We made several hundred white poly rings... pure, solid black.

Worked great.

Try that.

 

[Pilot]

Delrin can be dyed just like polyethylene. They're chemically very similar, and the techniques for doing pretty much any work with either material will be the same.

If you think painting it is bad, try gluing it to something!

 

[SD Studios]

Good to know!

Zap makes delrin adhesive. I found that out AFTER I finished a big project for Sony using delrin parts that I had to screw and PC-7 together.

 

[Vaderman]

Yeah, I knew of it's slippery properties and this might not be Delrin, but it is a similar plastic, none-the-less.
Unfortunately, I want the pieces white, so the dying is going to be tough going.

Still, dying them any color will be better than the off-white color they are now, I will certainly try it!
Thanks for the feedback!

 

[EricHart]

I know for a fact, you can dye polyethelene (because I have done it) in boiling water and RIT dye. We made several hundred white poly rings... pure, solid black.

You dyed white polyethelene to be pure solid black? Dang, I wish I knew that a few months ago when we tried every paint in the world to make a black 7 gallon bucket! (You can't buy them, for some reason).