GMballistic Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 (edited) So when I had my Zed I paid a local company called "AquaGraphix" to hydro dip some interior bits for my car in a gold carbon fibre weave effect. Link: http://www.350z-uk.c...ls-grab-handle/ Their work was fantastic imo and from that moment on I was intrigued by the whole process. Now my job and a lot of my hobbies/interests involve spray painting at times so I'm no stranger to different paint processes/techniques. In fact I have dabbled before in what's called "swirl painting" which in its own way is a form of dipping (picture below of one of my swirl dips). Anyway I decided that knowing part of the process involved with hydro dipping should at least make it a little easier to get to grips with so with that in mind I ordered a £55 hydro dipping starter kit from an eBay seller. The kit came with: 2 meters 50cm Wide Film of your choice (I chose sticker bomb) 1 x 400ml Can of our Actvivator 1 x 500ml Primer Of Your Choice (I chose white) 1 x 500ml Base Coat Of Your Choice (I chose gloss white) 1 x 500ml Ultra Clear Laquer 1 x Tack Cloth 1 x Scotch Pad 1 x Sand Paper 1 x Face Mask 1 x Roll of Masking Tape 1 x Digital Thermometer 1 x Water Tub / Storage Tub 13" x 11" with a 9" Depth 5 x Speed Shapes (3 x White & 2 x Black) & Instructions To attempt my first dip on I selected an old plastic "Cherry M5400" mouse that I wasn't using anymore. Firstly I dismantled the mouse down to its component parts and chose the part that I wanted to dip. I then used 800 grit wet & dry sand paper to remove any imperfections from the shell as well as remove the makers name. I then masked off some areas that I didn't want to dip. Then I primed it with white primer.... ...followed by a coat of gloss white as my base coat. This was then left to fully dry for 24hrs. The next day I prepped my hydro dipping film by cutting it big enough to wrap around the part. It was then taped around the edges with masking tape and I cut slits in the corners & centres in order to allow the film to expand slightly. The container that came with the kit was a bit large for my mouse so I used a smaller more suitable tub that I had in the kitchen. It is important that the water you fill into your dipping tank is around 27-30 +/- degrees C (also don't fill up the tank to the top as you need to leave at least an inch or two for when you put your part & hand in the water). I then slowly lowered my film onto the surface of the water trying to ensure I didn't trap any air bubbles under it or got water on top of the film ~ it's also worth noting you need to place the film shiny side down into the water. You then leave the film on the surface of the water for around a minute whilst it hydrates the film. After the time has passed you then use the activator (well shaken) in a left to right motion followed by an up & down motion in order to ensure you've fully covered the film with the activator (you should see the film start to expand outwards slightly). You then have around 30 seconds to dip your item/part ~ this should be done at an angle of around 25-30 degrees whilst you slowly submerge your part completely under the water. Once your part is completely submerged under the water you then need to clean away any remaining film from the surface of the water before pulling your part upwards out of the water. Sounds easy so far right? Wrong. Not sure whether my kit has either a cheap Chinese hydro dipping film (the good hydro dipping films are from Japan) or my activator is sh*t but it ended up taking me a 5-6 attempts before I finally got a half decent result. The problem I was having is that my film didn't seem to be liquefying properly so refused to wrap correctly around the part. Anyway result below which I used 1000 wet & dry on the front to try and give it a blended in look with the white paint... I then lacquered it, waited for that to fully harden and then rebuilt the mouse. Appreciate any comments on what you all think of the results and I would love to hear any tips from other DIY hydro dippers or the more professional/experienced dippers like Ricey & AquaGraphix. Thanks all. Edited October 17, 2015 by GMballistic 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsexr Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 and 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted October 17, 2015 Author Share Posted October 17, 2015 and I know. I accidentally pressed submit before I had finished writing everything, ...had to edit it but hopefully you've noticed that now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEUS Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Interesting thread Gareth I thought you had a new house, why do you have time to do this ? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 (edited) Looks good for a first attempt. Expensive kit though, ay? I've not looked into the prices of these before but that would be a bit off putting for me (especially if its going to take a few goes to get right....) So what's next to be dipped then? Edited October 18, 2015 by marzman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirag1988 Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Good effort Gareth, looks really good! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mopedmark Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Nice job mate 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Utter swine of a job isn't it mate!? Honestly I go from loving it to hating it every job we do. Problems I can foresee: - Rattle can activator is quite difficult to apply in a uniform way with sufficient coverage. - Activator costs us something like 30 quid for a litre so it's likely to be bobbins in a £50 kit. - Same with the film. Cheap film is like using cheap vinyl wrap to learn with .....you won't learn because it's harder to work with to the point of failure. - Your 'tank' isn't giving you enough room to really play with even for a small item. I know it's a ballache heating up a bigger tank but I might be worth it. - rinse gentle, quickly and thoroughly with as little touching of the part as you can. - we don't bother taping up anymore as it gave us more headaches than it solved. Problem with that is that you need to ensure your film is otherwise 'contained' to stop it just expanding off into the water. We use a floating grid system. Bottom line we use a cheap tank that we've built. It gives good results but I'm fairly sure only because we use the best products (all from Aquagraphix). Our problem is efficiency. The tank is thermally inefficient and the drainage isn't automatic. Buy a fish tank heater, stacker box sized 'tank', good rattle can activator from Eve, films from Eve and rattle can base coats from eve then I think you'll see very good results pal. Also remember that activator has thinners or something similar in it so certain paints should be avoided. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Oh but for the purposes of 'what went wrong this time' I'd say under activation 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted October 18, 2015 Author Share Posted October 18, 2015 Interesting thread Gareth I thought you had a new house, why do you have time to do this ? This was me taking a break from the mundane home DIY and doing something I found interesting. Although the Mrs wasn't so impressed. Looks good for a first attempt. Expensive kit though, ay? I've not looked into the prices of these before but that would be a bit off putting for me (especially if its going to take a few goes to get right....) So what's next to be dipped then? The kit was maybe a little expensive but I made some money from selling junk on eBay that I didn't need anymore so kind of jumped in. Not sure what I'll try next, ...probably have a play with the speed shapes first to see if I can get some better results. Utter swine of a job isn't it mate!? Buy a fish tank heater, stacker box sized 'tank', good rattle can activator from Eve, films from Eve and rattle can base coats from eve then I think you'll see very good results pal. Also remember that activator has thinners or something similar in it so certain paints should be avoided. Oh but for the purposes of 'what went wrong this time' I'd say under activation Thanks for the tips Ricey and yes it is a swine of a job. I watched loads of videos on the subject before attempting it and thought that looks so easy, ...but it's really not especially when like me you're trying to figure out just quite what's going wrong. As I mentioned above I think I'll have a bit of a play around with some speed shapes next time and as you mentioned I'll make sure I'm using the big tank (storage box) I've got. I'll also definitely get some different film & activator from Eve (AquaGraphix) to see if that's my problem. Thanks for all the comments everyone else. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Not sure what your garage set up is bud but if you have a small air compressor you'd be better picking a cheap HVLP gun up and delivering the activator by gun rather than can Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted October 18, 2015 Author Share Posted October 18, 2015 Not sure what your garage set up is bud but if you have a small air compressor you'd be better picking a cheap HVLP gun up and delivering the activator by gun rather than can Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Well I've got a huge garage in the house I've moved into but it's a work in progress currently. The old owner basically knocked it up himself using Blue Peter building skills so it may well be partially or all going!. Still getting quotes and finding the best route to take with that but when it's all sorted I would love to get a small compressor to run paint guns, air tools etc. Time will tell though so for now I'll have to stick with the rattle cans. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350zedd Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Appears to be a right ballache of a job, half a dozen goes to get a half decent job. But that could be down to inferior products in a kit. It looks a bit restrictive using that small bowl and you would lose temperature faster as well, if that's critical. However, it turned out well, a good effort on your part and it can only get better (can it? ) Practice makes perfect so they say! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve916 Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Looks a good attempt mate. I love watching vids of how this is done. It's pure magic and certainly looks easier than I'm sure it actually is 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEUS Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 I know what you mean about the house diy Gareth I've been working on my house for 5 weeks without a day off! Oh and if you need a fish tank heater as Ricey suggested I've got several spare so I don't mind posting one out to you foc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted October 18, 2015 Author Share Posted October 18, 2015 Appears to be a right ballache of a job, half a dozen goes to get a half decent job. But that could be down to inferior products in a kit. It looks a bit restrictive using that small bowl and you would lose temperature faster as well, if that's critical. However, it turned out well, a good effort on your part and it can only get better (can it? ) Practice makes perfect so they say! I could have lied and said I got it spot on first time but that just wasn't the case. I definitely have an increased respect for what's involved with hydro dipping as despite how easy the majority of Youtube videos make it look it just isn't as easy as you'd think regardless of the amount of time I'd spent learning the process/tricks before jumping in. Definitely more practice needed and some better products. Looks a good attempt mate. I love watching vids of how this is done. It's pure magic and certainly looks easier than I'm sure it actually is Cheers Steve. The videos are very impressive to watch especially when you see some of the larger more complicated parts being dipped. I know what you mean about the house diy Gareth I've been working on my house for 5 weeks without a day off! Oh and if you need a fish tank heater as Ricey suggested I've got several spare so I don't mind posting one out to you foc. You definitely need to take a break from the work/DIY etc otherwise it'll just run you down. I just spent 3 hours in a cramped loft today removing two water tanks that the previous owner couldn't be bothered shifting. Finally got it all cut up, out of the loft & off to the tip so feeling quite satisfied about that. It's not a huge house so the extra loft space is definitely needed for more storage space. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsexr Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 for having a go 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted October 18, 2015 Author Share Posted October 18, 2015 ^^ Cheers mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Good effort for trying, I am sure a few people on here have thought about trying this, and I bet we all underestimate how difficult it actually is 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted October 18, 2015 Author Share Posted October 18, 2015 Good effort for trying, I am sure a few people on here have thought about trying this, and I bet we all underestimate how difficult it actually is Definitely more challenging than I thought it was. Glad I gave it ago though and I will definitely be trying it again to improve on my first effort once I get some more decent materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 I liked the comparison with vinyl, having used cheap eBay stuff compared to something like hexis its chalk and cheese couldn't be more different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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