vettekrazy
Par Member
There are videos and instructions all over the place on how to dye discs. I was contacted by the owner of QuadCitiyDiscGolf.com
He asked if I would write an article for his site. So I did, all this is is an article explaining my method. I wanted to post it here, it might help answer some questions that you have.
This is a basic tutorial. Not a definitive method. It works well for me; there are many different ways to accomplish the same results. There is no replacement for practice. I've done dye jobs that have taken me of upwards of 8 hours; now that I have developed a technique I can do most dyes in less than 4 hours. The bottom line is it takes time, rushing leads to ruined discs.
Here is what you will need: A disc, we'll talk about plastic later. Acetone. Contact Paper, we'll talk about brand later. Masking tape. You will need a fine point Sharpie and an X-Acto knife. Buy several colors of RIT fabric dye, definitely buy black. You can find RIT at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Target, or Wal-Mart. You need a pan large enough to hold one disc at least 6 inches deep. Terry cloth towel. Most importantly you need time and patience.
There are 6 basic steps: Pick a disc and design. Transfer the image to the contact paper. Cut out the image. Transfer the image to the disc. Dye the disc. Remove contact paper and clean the disc.
Step 1 Pick a disc and a design
Ok, you have a disc picked out, or do you? It has been my experience so far that the higher quality plastic discs usually dye better. For example Star plastic from Innova seams to take dye the best. Champion plastic works really well. Pro plastic is ok, and DX plastic is the least dye friendly. Super Stupid Soft will take dye but the lines fade faster than any other plastic. Disclaimer, I have not dyed every brand of disc or every type of plastic out there. I suggest that you experiment with different discs. To keep this simple and less confusing I will talk as if we are dying a white star plastic disc.
White is important because you cannot put white on a non-white disc, so it makes the best base color for dying.
Remove the stamp. Acetone and a paper towel works well. The more color on the stamp the more acetone you should use. Also, take care to remove the acetone quickly, the color in the stamp will mix with the acetone and you can accidentally dye your disc. Rainbow colored stamps do not come off very well there is almost always a ghost image left over from the rainbow stamps. You can dye over the image easily but you may still be able to see the image.
Warning, Disccraft stamps are very difficult to remove. I basically stay away from these discs unless I can work the image around or between the stamps.
Now, pick out your image. It can be anything your imagination can come up with. Just remember the more complicated the image the more cutting and time consuming it will be to make.
Step 2 Transfer the Image to the Contact Paper
You can now draw or trace an image or design to the contact paper using the fine point Sharpie. Use 4 pieces of masking tape to hold the contact paper to your table. If you are tracing an image tape it down too so it does not move. You want to trace the image on the surface of the contact paper not on the backing paper.
The contact paper is probably one of the most important ingredients to effective disc dying. I have never used sign vinyl but I hear that it works well. I have used several types of contact paper. The only kind I will use after having numerous bad experiences is Magic Cover from the Kittrich Corporation. I use the clear with matte finish. You can find this at Target. It has a white backing paper with green print.
Step 3 Cut out the image
Keep the pieces of masking tape. Place something under the contact paper before cutting. I use mat board, the same thick paperboard used in picture framing. It can be used for quite awhile before having to be replaced. Tape the mat board down and place the contact paper image side up over the board and tape the corners down.
It is time to cut. Take your time, slow steady cuts, with light pressure. Try not to cut through the backing paper; this will make transferring the image to the disc easier. Once you have cut out the image and removed the un-needed bits and pieces of contact paper move on to step 4. Remember the parts of contact paper that you cut out and remove will be the spots that allow the dye to penetrate the disc.
If you think you may like doing dyes, and you think you will do multiple projects, spend the extra money on a heavy duty X-Acto knife, like the X-Acto 2000. It costs considerably more but your hand will thank you. Buy some extra blades too.
Step 4 Transfer the image to the disc
The cheap way is the way I use. You can go out and buy transfer tape, but if you want to save money do this. Get 2 inch or wider masking tape and distress it. Pull off 5 to 6 inch strips or longer if you need them, and stick them to the front of your pants or shirt. Pull them off and repeat. You will remove some of the tackiness to make it easier to remove from the contact paper.
Take your low-tack masking tape and cover the cut out image. Rub the masking tape down hard over the design so that you do not rip it or loose important parts of your design. Peel off the backing paper. Take your clean, dry disc and center your design before placing it on the disc. Lay the image down and press it down working front the center to the edges. Rub the image hard before attempting to remove the low-tack masking tape. Slowly remove the masking tape.
Once you have removed the masking tape push out all of the air bubbles out. With the back of your fingernail rub all of the cut edges to insure good adhesion of the contact paper to the disc.
Step 5 Dye the disc
In the pan mix some RIT dye and water. Experiment with different amounts of dye to get different shades of color. Make sure you have at least an inch of water in the shallowest part of the pan. Bring the water to almost boiling, you do not want it to boil, it becomes difficult to prevent the dye from going places you don't want it to when it is boiling.
Once the water dye mixture is ready lightly place the disc face down in the dye. Float the disc and closely watch the temperature, if you see bubbles on the side remove the disc and reduce the heat.
If you are looking for lighter colors don't let the disc sit for more than 10 seconds at a time. For dark deep color you can let it sit for several minutes. To help with the grip of the disc and to combat the heat you can wear rubber gloves, medical gloves work well.
Once you are happy with the color proceed to step 6.
Step 6 Remove contact paper and clean the disc
I remove the contact paper under hot water and scrub the disc with a clean terry cloth towel. This will remove and glue left behind from the contact paper.
You're done, now go throw that disc.
Vettekrazy - Michael Anderson
He asked if I would write an article for his site. So I did, all this is is an article explaining my method. I wanted to post it here, it might help answer some questions that you have.
Disc Dying
This is a basic tutorial. Not a definitive method. It works well for me; there are many different ways to accomplish the same results. There is no replacement for practice. I've done dye jobs that have taken me of upwards of 8 hours; now that I have developed a technique I can do most dyes in less than 4 hours. The bottom line is it takes time, rushing leads to ruined discs.
Here is what you will need: A disc, we'll talk about plastic later. Acetone. Contact Paper, we'll talk about brand later. Masking tape. You will need a fine point Sharpie and an X-Acto knife. Buy several colors of RIT fabric dye, definitely buy black. You can find RIT at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Target, or Wal-Mart. You need a pan large enough to hold one disc at least 6 inches deep. Terry cloth towel. Most importantly you need time and patience.
There are 6 basic steps: Pick a disc and design. Transfer the image to the contact paper. Cut out the image. Transfer the image to the disc. Dye the disc. Remove contact paper and clean the disc.
Step 1 Pick a disc and a design
Ok, you have a disc picked out, or do you? It has been my experience so far that the higher quality plastic discs usually dye better. For example Star plastic from Innova seams to take dye the best. Champion plastic works really well. Pro plastic is ok, and DX plastic is the least dye friendly. Super Stupid Soft will take dye but the lines fade faster than any other plastic. Disclaimer, I have not dyed every brand of disc or every type of plastic out there. I suggest that you experiment with different discs. To keep this simple and less confusing I will talk as if we are dying a white star plastic disc.
White is important because you cannot put white on a non-white disc, so it makes the best base color for dying.
Remove the stamp. Acetone and a paper towel works well. The more color on the stamp the more acetone you should use. Also, take care to remove the acetone quickly, the color in the stamp will mix with the acetone and you can accidentally dye your disc. Rainbow colored stamps do not come off very well there is almost always a ghost image left over from the rainbow stamps. You can dye over the image easily but you may still be able to see the image.
Warning, Disccraft stamps are very difficult to remove. I basically stay away from these discs unless I can work the image around or between the stamps.
Now, pick out your image. It can be anything your imagination can come up with. Just remember the more complicated the image the more cutting and time consuming it will be to make.
Step 2 Transfer the Image to the Contact Paper
You can now draw or trace an image or design to the contact paper using the fine point Sharpie. Use 4 pieces of masking tape to hold the contact paper to your table. If you are tracing an image tape it down too so it does not move. You want to trace the image on the surface of the contact paper not on the backing paper.
The contact paper is probably one of the most important ingredients to effective disc dying. I have never used sign vinyl but I hear that it works well. I have used several types of contact paper. The only kind I will use after having numerous bad experiences is Magic Cover from the Kittrich Corporation. I use the clear with matte finish. You can find this at Target. It has a white backing paper with green print.
Step 3 Cut out the image
Keep the pieces of masking tape. Place something under the contact paper before cutting. I use mat board, the same thick paperboard used in picture framing. It can be used for quite awhile before having to be replaced. Tape the mat board down and place the contact paper image side up over the board and tape the corners down.
It is time to cut. Take your time, slow steady cuts, with light pressure. Try not to cut through the backing paper; this will make transferring the image to the disc easier. Once you have cut out the image and removed the un-needed bits and pieces of contact paper move on to step 4. Remember the parts of contact paper that you cut out and remove will be the spots that allow the dye to penetrate the disc.
If you think you may like doing dyes, and you think you will do multiple projects, spend the extra money on a heavy duty X-Acto knife, like the X-Acto 2000. It costs considerably more but your hand will thank you. Buy some extra blades too.
Step 4 Transfer the image to the disc
The cheap way is the way I use. You can go out and buy transfer tape, but if you want to save money do this. Get 2 inch or wider masking tape and distress it. Pull off 5 to 6 inch strips or longer if you need them, and stick them to the front of your pants or shirt. Pull them off and repeat. You will remove some of the tackiness to make it easier to remove from the contact paper.
Take your low-tack masking tape and cover the cut out image. Rub the masking tape down hard over the design so that you do not rip it or loose important parts of your design. Peel off the backing paper. Take your clean, dry disc and center your design before placing it on the disc. Lay the image down and press it down working front the center to the edges. Rub the image hard before attempting to remove the low-tack masking tape. Slowly remove the masking tape.
Once you have removed the masking tape push out all of the air bubbles out. With the back of your fingernail rub all of the cut edges to insure good adhesion of the contact paper to the disc.
Step 5 Dye the disc
In the pan mix some RIT dye and water. Experiment with different amounts of dye to get different shades of color. Make sure you have at least an inch of water in the shallowest part of the pan. Bring the water to almost boiling, you do not want it to boil, it becomes difficult to prevent the dye from going places you don't want it to when it is boiling.
Once the water dye mixture is ready lightly place the disc face down in the dye. Float the disc and closely watch the temperature, if you see bubbles on the side remove the disc and reduce the heat.
If you are looking for lighter colors don't let the disc sit for more than 10 seconds at a time. For dark deep color you can let it sit for several minutes. To help with the grip of the disc and to combat the heat you can wear rubber gloves, medical gloves work well.
Once you are happy with the color proceed to step 6.
Step 6 Remove contact paper and clean the disc
I remove the contact paper under hot water and scrub the disc with a clean terry cloth towel. This will remove and glue left behind from the contact paper.
You're done, now go throw that disc.
Vettekrazy - Michael Anderson
current dyer. Is DYER a word?
