Microwave Dyeing Nylon Parts

[LosiXXkid]

Hmmmm??? Something is indeed happening here.......

[REMJ666]

In this fast food world of gotta have it now nobody has patience anymore...It is slowly getting there...I just added 2 1/8th teaspoons more to see if it will happen faster...I am afraid to add to much to it because it might turn to tar lol...It could take a week and still not turn completely black...I am not using Rit i am using Walmarts brand of dye...I have Rit but it is the sunburst orange color and I am saving that for another project...Hopefully this works in the end and it gives us another option...I might just zap it in the microwave at the end of the week to see if that helps...I have a 900 watt microwave and it usually takes about 2 mins on high to get the water really hot...But then again I might not...We shall see...

[REMJ666]

I'm gonna try the cold water method for cleaning grease off bearings...I'm sure it'll work if I give it enough time!

And what kind of grease do you all have up North??? When I was in auto shop in high school I also worked at Midas muffler to make extra money and we just used a cold or room temp can of brake clean...The only time we ever used heat was to remove rusty bolts...

[Coelacanth]

It's taking color but it looks blotchy and inconsistent, not rich and deep. It also doesn't look very black. If my wheels turned out like that, after waiting so many hours, I'd call it a fail. My 2 cents' worth of blunt honesty. Anyway, good luck with your experiment.

Brake cleaner is a very strong chemical cleaner; that's what did the cleaning of the grease, not the temperature of the can.

REM, have you ever washed greasy dishes? Try it with cold water, then with hot water, and report back your findings.

http://www.ultimatewasher.com/articles/grease-removal.htm

For whatever reason, you seem to lack an understanding of the physics of heat as a catalyst for chemical reactions. This seems to be a pointless argument, I feel like I'm arguing why the Earth isn't flat.

[GoMachV]

I feel like I'm arguing why the Earth isn't flat.

Wait....whaaaaaaaaat????

[REMJ666]

I feel like I'm arguing why the Earth isn't flat.

Wait....whaaaaaaaaat????

My thought exactly

[jwscab]

cold dye will eventually make the part dark, but not as effective as using any of these three:

heat
acid(vinegar)
salt(ionizes, and further creates unbalanced solutions)

you should have a super saturated dye bath also, it's not effective if the solution isn't saturated.

[REMJ666]

I added some more to it so it will dye faster...I should of started with 2 tablespoons...Oh well...But it is working...Just taking forever

[REMJ666]

Last update...Tomorrow after it dries I will cut it open...

[LosiXXkid]

It certainly looks black!

[REMJ666]

By no means the fastest way to do it but it does work if you are willing to wait...It would probably take a full week to look as good as your part...But then again you still might have to use the microwave to REALLY finish it off...I wish I would have started with a solution with 2 tablespoons of the dye and found some Rit and not the cheaper Walmart brand stuff...Now we know...It just takes FOREVER...I will chop it in half soon to see how far it penetrated...Not ready to wake the wife up with the dremel just yet

[REMJ666]

Kinda hard to see but if you look closely it was starting to absorb the dye..I tried to get a closer pic but the camera would not focus...