tinting plastic for canopy  
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All Forums >> RC Airplanes >> Questions and Answers >> tinting plastic for canopy
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tinting plastic for canopy - 6/11/2004 10:20:26 PM   
balsa brain


 

Posts: 228
Joined: 10/20/2002
From: FL
Status: offline 		I would like to know if anybody has any experience tinting the plastic for canopys useing Rit dye.I have one to do, have never done it before and am not quiet sure what to do. The instructions say to add salt for certain fabrics and detergent for all dyeing. Not a word about what to do with a model airplane part . It seems to me the dye by itself would do the tinting but would like to hear from some of you people that have been there, done that. Thanks much for any reply.

Bill
       Post #: 1

RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/11/2004 11:02:34 PM   
MinnFlyer



Posts: 19353
Joined: 4/22/2002
From: Willmar, MN, USA
Status: offline 		I just use tint and warm water.

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(in reply to balsa brain)
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RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/11/2004 11:11:42 PM   
balsa brain


 

Posts: 228
Joined: 10/20/2002
From: FL
Status: offline 		Thanks MinnFlyer, thats what I thought but appreciate some experience

Bill

(in reply to MinnFlyer)
       Post #: 3

RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/12/2004 12:33:39 AM   
Tired Old Man


 

Posts: 11367
Joined: 2/25/2002
From: Central, CA, USA
Status: offline 		Balsa Brain.

STOP!!!

Before you tint the canopy, have you already cut it out of the molding framework it came in? If you have, DO NOT try to tint the canopy. The water used for tinting has to be pretty hot. Even with a lot of dye, warm water will often not work. If the canopy has been removed from the plastic framework it came it, it may, and often does, warp beyond repair while it soaks in the tinted water.

Learn from one who made this mistake a long, long time ago and could not obtain a replacement canopy. I have seen too many others make the same mistake.

(in reply to balsa brain)
       Post #: 4

RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/12/2004 1:22:16 AM   
bipeaddict



Posts: 393
Joined: 2/19/2002
From: Montpelier, VA, USA
Status: offline 		Yepp, I made that mistake on a Bel-Air .40 bipe canopy. The kits aren't made anymore. Time to learn how to vacuum form.

(in reply to Tired Old Man)
       Post #: 5

RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/12/2004 1:33:14 AM   
tommy s


 

Posts: 1169
Joined: 1/14/2004
From: houston, TX, USA
Status: offline 		I just tinted the canopy on my Matrix with plain Rit dye and hot water. Don't get
the water too hot. Heat it until it's just a little too hot to put your finger in comfortably.
It will take a couple of hours to tint so don't get in too big of a hurry. Every now and
then you'll run into a canopy that just will not tint , don't know why but sometimes it
just won't work.

tommy s

(in reply to balsa brain)
       Post #: 6

RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/12/2004 4:24:57 AM   
SST



Posts: 1151
Joined: 6/26/2002
From: Mt. Morris, MI, USA
Status: offline 		Save the RIT for what it was made for, and go to the hobby shop and buy some Testors transparent spray paint and use it for what it was made for.

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RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/12/2004 5:18:07 AM   
bojangle



Posts: 275
Joined: 12/20/2003
From: Craig, CO, USA
Status: offline 		I have had successes with Rit dye, and a couple of failures. As mentioned, if the canopy is already trimmed out, it can warp easier. One came out almost black with only a few minutes in the dye, another simply wouldn't dye at all. I don't remember if the Butyrate or Styrene worked best.

As for what else Rit is useful for, consider this. I was in the optical business for 25 years, and we dyed all the plastic lenses with...yep Rit dye. Cosmetan, Trucolor, Rayban gray, any shade made in glass could be duplicated in plastic with the dye. Since the plastic for eyeglasses is consistent, once we found a formula for a certain shade, it could be repeated. Black dye by itself won't produce a true gray, have to add a little blue. The dye could be removed by simply boiling it out. Problem with canopies is they are not all the same material or quality.

Bottom line is, I won't paint, color, dye, whatever, any canopy unless I have another one as a backup.
Bob

(in reply to SST)
       Post #: 8

RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/12/2004 3:40:02 PM   
JohnVH



Posts: 14722
Joined: 12/5/2001
From: Lynden, WA, USA
Status: offline 		I am going to rit the canopy for my new 40% Yak. Everyone I know has had good luck doing it, now I read this and it makes me think twice.. If the water is not too hot I dont see how it can be bad.

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RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/13/2004 4:29:02 AM   
mj147



Posts: 50
Joined: 7/16/2003
From: Brandon, MS, USA
Status: offline 		Dont know if you folks are familiar with this Parma Fast tint product, but has always worked great for me on tinting the windows for my rc cars/trucks.

These paints are for lexan plastic and painted on the inside, its flexible when dried so it wont chip if there is movement or flexing to the canopy.

I would venture to say that most canopies are made from lexan as well


mj147

(in reply to JohnVH)
       Post #: 10

RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/13/2004 1:53:50 PM   
rjbarthel



Posts: 256
Joined: 6/26/2002
From: Minot, ND, USA
Status: offline 		Hi I used the rit dye 3 times and 2 very easy tints and one took time ! the Sig SE tinted easy hot tap water and maybe 20 min. and it turned out as dark as any sunglasses are . and the other was a GP easy sport and the same there hot tap water and maybe 20 min and same results , very nice tint ..
and last was thunder tigers lazy tiger P51 used hot tap water and seems to have taken no dye and then I added a little white vinigar and around 30 min later it looked good not as dark as the sig or GP but i liked the tint results !!
I know also that too hot of water can distort the canopys .And a test on a scrap piece is a good idea no matter weather your dying or painting .. ruining a piece of scrap wont piss you off LOL
Have you ever dyed easter eggs !! some eggs take the dye very easy and some need time and vinigar helps !! not all eggs come from one chicken and nor does canopy plastic come from all the same batch or manufacture! just my experiance

(in reply to mj147)
       Post #: 11

RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/13/2004 2:58:51 PM   
GarySS


 

Posts: 1608
Joined: 4/11/2002
From: Center of the Flyover States,
Status: offline 		These are my notes after tinting many many canopies.

Note: ARF canopies usually don’t take Rite Dye as they are a different plastic than those made in the USA.

Canopy tinting with Rite Dye:
1. Clean your canopy with soap/water, rinse and let dry. Handle only on the edges after that.
2. Mix 2 parts black Rite Dye powder with 1 part navy blue. Using only straight black will give you a BROWN tint! If any think I would recommend a mix of 70/30% Blue/black.
3. Have a container large enough to completely cover your canopy.
4. Have a second container of rinse water ready or at least some way to rinse the canopy off.
5. Buy a cheap candy thermometer (or steal your wife's) I take no responsibility!!
6. Have your container in an area where it doesn't matter if you spill!! You will spill, splatter or drip!
7. Heat your water to about 140-150 degrees. Note, a large thin canopy might not stand higher temps; your risk! Best to leave a canopy in its original frame (mold form) while tinting.
8. Wait until the water temperature in your container totally stabilizes, ……temp. may still be rising from hotter water in the bottom.
9. Thoroughly mix in the dye.
10. Plunge the canopy into the mix with one movement. Any hang up during this process could create a faint line of differing tint.
11. Use a pliers or tongs to bring it out. If not dark enough, put it back in(see #9 and see below).
12. Bring canopy out, immediately rinse and place in a clean area to dry.
13. Dispose the dye water in a safe area??? Hot water will kill the lawn.

I tried Russ Brandt’s method as stated below except I still heated the water and only used about 2 tablespoons of vinegar in my staining bucket. I was tinting Great Planes CAP 232 and GP Ultimate canopies. The results were significantly darker than what I am used to, but they do look very nice. His method is very effective if you want a dark canopy. Also the canopies were somewhat “relaxed” around the edges after experiencing 150 degree heat. They were not misshapen, just loose around the base. If you only want a slight tint then I would recommend omitting the vinegar.


HERE IS THE ALTERNATE METHOD USING VINEGAR AS RELAYED BY Russ "MT" Brandt


Canopy tinting with Rite Dye:
1. Clean your canopy with soap/water and dry. Handle only on the edges after that.
2. Mix 2 parts black Rite Dye with 1 part navy blue. Straight black will give you a BROWN tint.
3. Have a container large enough to completely cover your canopy.
SKIP #5
5. Have your container in an area where it doesn't matter if you spill!!
SKIP #7 & 8 Use hot tap water & add 25% white vinegar.
8. Thoroughly mix in the dye, and the vinegar.
9. Plunge the canopy into the mix with one movement. Any hang up could create a faint line of differing tint.
10. Use a pliers or tongs to bring it out. If not dark enough, put it back in(see #9).
11. Bring canopy out, rinse in clean water and place in a clean area to dry.
12. Dispose the dye water in a safe area???
------------------
Russ "MT" Brandt

(in reply to rjbarthel)
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RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/13/2004 3:52:26 PM   
blw



Posts: 4513
Joined: 3/15/2004
From: Auburn, AL, USA
Status: offline 		I'm need to tint a canopy, so thanks for the good info.

Anyone do other colors with success?

(in reply to GarySS)
       Post #: 13

RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/13/2004 4:09:58 PM   
MX240



Posts: 320
Joined: 11/10/2003
From: PoDunk City, NE, USA
Status: online 		I drill a hole in the flashing and tie a string so I can retrieve it out of the hot water.

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       Post #: 14

RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/13/2004 4:42:50 PM   
JohnVH



Posts: 14722
Joined: 12/5/2001
From: Lynden, WA, USA
Status: offline 		Gary, a buddy just told me also that you have to put blue in with the black... thanks for the confirm

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RE: tinting plastic for canopy - 6/13/2004 5:48:17 PM