How Many Dips is TOO MANY for One Mask?

[hurricane7]

So, I've been testing out some new dyes (RIT Proline & Dyemore). I cut a mask with a bunch of small circles spread out throughout the disc, then cut slightly larger circles to cover each one so that I could hot dip one circle at a time and ultimately compare the new dyes with others I have been using for a while on the same piece of plastic.

Each circle was being split in half, dyeing one half by "hot dipping", then covering that half with a new mask. Later, the other half was to be done with a brushed on mixture of detergent/dye/acetone with the same color to test the difference of applications as well. It never got that far.:wall:

Here's a pic to show the disc and mask...

So, I get home tonight and take the disc out of a mixture of Pylam green/florescent yellow. It was in for just over 9 hours. It was darker than I thought it would be, and darker than it has been when I used it before, but not too much out of the ordinary. This was the 10th color I applied to the disc.

When I peeled the next half circle mask for the next color, I couldn't believe my eyes! The plastic was NOT white under the mask! It was a tan-ish color.Right then I knew my many hours of testing were ruined! I peeled up another circle that had not been dyed yet. Same thing. This is it at this point...

The white half circle on the lower right is the last color I dyed and covered. The tan half circle on the lower left is where I was going to dye the next color. The full circle of tan on the upper right is where I knew I was F*#ked!

I decided at this point to just peel up all the masking and see what I had. The places where there was two layers of vinyl (overlap) were fine. All the rest of the disc, where there was only one layer of vinyl, were stained (dyed) where it shouldn't have been. It happened during this last dye. When I peeled the mask for the last color, the plastic was as white as it could be.

For reference, I'm using Oracal 751C (which is slightly thinner, but more durable than 651). I've been using it for over a year. My mixtures are:

- 16 oz. water
- Approx. 1.5 to 3 tsp powder or 2 to 3 oz. liquid dye
- 1.5 to 2 oz. distilled white vinegar

Colors from top, clockwise are:

-Pylam Bright Green/Florescent Yellow
-Dyemore Sapphire Blue
-Proline Neon Green
-Dyemore Peacock Green
-X
-Pylam Turquoise Blue
-Pylam Violet
-Idye - Red
-Proline neon Pink
-Dyemore Apricot Orange
-X
-Pylam Florescent Yellow

So I guess my questions is... Can a vinyl mask be used to a point where it "gives up"? Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

I've been using pretty much the same method of mixing dyes for quite a while, but this is the first time I've used the same mask for so many dips. Each color was in the dye for 6 - 10 hours and only heated once before putting the disc in.

I'm totally discouraged right now, and looking for any thoughts or explanations anyone may have.

Peace,
-Jeff

 

[roggenb3]

Welcome.....to the twilight zone!

This is bizarre. Judging by the fact that the places with 2 layers of vinyl (the white rings around those circles) were still fine, I would say that the vinyl you are using has a lifespan, so to speak. And the fact that the color was so even, rather than looking like it bled or something supports the theory that after X hours, the dye soaks all the way through your vinyl.

That Atlas I just did was in for 80+ hours, which is the longest I have ever had a disc in dye, and it was fine.

Looks like you have even more testing to do! Do you have any 651? You could try a disc with 50/50 of each type and let it sit for however long this disc was in there.

 

[Eky8]

The only time anything like this ever happened to me I had the disc in too much heat. I actually burned the disc. I never leave my disc in the dye for that long though. I think the longest I have ever had a disc in the dye with any form of heat method is 30 min.

Here is a picture of the disc I burned. This was very early in my dying days.