dyeing of rims, need advice

[elscotto80]

i have some white rim s for my car that i want to change the color of. how do you dye them so the color lasts??? thanks
scott

[Ranchdreson]

you can get RIT fabric dye at wall mart, it's by the detergent. You put it in a pot of boiling water with your rims and let the dye soke in. Make it a little darker than wanted, cause when cooled/set/... they will fade a little.

[Top End]

The longer you leave them in the darker they will get. Also, make sure your wheels are nylon, not plastic. I learned this the hard way, and had some oddly shaped plastic wheels when I was done. Besides the plastic doesn't absorb the dye.

[Oyster]

Agreed... only Nylon wheels will take dye. As far as dying them BLACK, make sure you leave in a little bit, or you'll have dark purple rims. Which is ok, if you want Dark Purple rims... but RIT makes Purple too...so yeah. Make sure you get the Powered RIT in the box. Mix it with water (All of it) and heat the water on a stove. Don't let it boil over, put your Rims in (or 1 at a time) keeping the RIT and water at about 180-190. Time each one, and keep it consistant with each wheel. Be sure also to move the rim(s) while in water. On some stoves, you could have a problem with the rim melting to the bottom of the pan. Which would **** . You can also dye nylon a-arms, bulkheads, trannys, shock towers.

While you're buying the RIT, pick up a small-medium sized pan to boil the rit. That way your mom/dad, girlfriend/boyfriend or wife/husband won't yell at you for "ruining the cookware!" Even though I have yet to see a pot ruined by dying. Just in case!! http://www.rccaraction.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Distro]

Personally i like traffic cone orange =) if you can find it. Makes your car stick out hehe, can also cause blindless hehe..

[ZenLosi]

Good question, I was wondering how to dye parts as well. I know you guys said it depends on how dark you want the color, but what would you say is the average amount of time you'd leave a rim in the dye? 10 minutes? Or do you just keep an eye on it? I'm just trying to get a ball park time.

Thanks,

-Zen

[Top End]

I haven't ever left anything in for 10 minutes, probably 4 or 5 is the longest. Just keep an eye on the color and the time.

[JP]

Yea, this topic always confused me. But I heard use all of it and one at a time. How much water do I mix with the little bottle?

ie: 1 cup water to 1 RIT dye bottle

And do I just keep the water at that 180-190 degree mark the whole time? Also, how many bottle will dy 4 rims? 1, 2, 4?

[grandmasterofpool]

Time left in the solution depends on the temperature. Some people put the parts in and then bring the water to a boil and call that good. Others mix up the solution in a bin and just let them soak for a few days. If you have something you could practice on I would do that first. Don't worry you can reuse the dye as long as you don't get it dirty. 1 bottle or box of RIT is all you need to dye unless you wanna make a custom color (ie yellow and blue make green etc..)If you want the color to be lighter than only use like a 1/4 or 1/3 of the box/bottle. Hope this helps some.

[ZenLosi]

Yes, thanks guys, that does help. I'll have to give it a shot sometime.

-Zen

[tc3guy]

Can you spray paint rims with body paint?

[StephenB]

You can paint the rims if you don't mind them scratching the color right off. Dying actually puts the color INTO the wheel material.

If you want deep color, boil all four wheels in a large pot of water for 20-30 minutes. I did this with my 7.5 white nylon wing and wheels with black RIT dye, and the color went totally through...you can't scratch off any color now since the nylon is now totally BLACK nylon! But you can't hurt the parts by boiling them too long.

[Motorhead]

Yep, I turned my wheels and wing black. I used one box of die to about 3-4 quarts of water, added 2 tbls salt ( really does help). Simmered (just below boil) for 30 minutes and then imediatly dunked in cold water to set the color. Color is ALL the way through. Stainless steel pans won't disscolor, aluminum pans will. Black works great, purple works good, red works o.k. Has anyone tried mixing colors? i.e. red/yellow to get orange? Blue /yellow to get green? I also have heard that boiling plastic parts can make them stronger.

[This message has been edited by Motorhead (edited 12-20-2000).]

[FLYBOY7]

boiling certain parts will not make them stronger, but it will make them a bit more flexible, and therefore, less likely to snap and break....

[Ranchdreson]

here my rims
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1411422&a=10553658&p=35874552 oh and my chains


[This message has been edited by Ranchdreson (edited 12-20-2000).]

[SpeeDFX]

sweet chains, where'd ya get them?

[Ranchdreson]

lowes formally know as eagle