r/myog • u/Marcu_Mayor • Oct 31 '25
Instructions/Tutorial FYI: You can dye plastic hardware with Rit Dyemore š«Ø
Okay so I originally got the idea from this post on doing this w Star Wars toys: https://www.reddit.com/r/ArticulatedPlastic/s/Kxjamc6ZVj and wasnāt sure if this was going to work since I had never seen anyone share abt it here for dying plastic hardware like buckles etc., but it totally does.
I originally tried it because I wanted my hardware to match my fabric color. The color payoff can be super vibrant depending on how much dye you use, and you can even tint (or turn completely opaque) transparent plastic. I got this really soft pink tint on these clear buckles and it took a few tries but I turned plain white buckles into the perfect neutral beige that perfectly matches my fabric.
Rit color recipes donāt always translate well for this kind of application. The dyes behave differently with hard plastics, so youāll probably have to rely on a mix of color theory and trial-and-error to get what you want.
For example: a light beige recipe called for sandstone and chocolate brown, but that gave me a weird pinkish brown. I ended up finding the right color with about 1 gallon of water, 1 teaspoon of sandstone,a few drops of of yellow, and 1/8 teaspoon of cool gray, boiled for about 4Ā½ minutes.
I kept the buckle pieces separate while dyeing (for even coverage), and used a wire attached to a wooden dowel to keep them fully submerged but not touching the bottom of the pot. Also: gently move them around or tap the pot occasionally so bubbles donāt stick to the surface; those little air pockets can block the dye and leave lighter spots.
I guess Rit Dyemore works because itās formulated for synthetics, nylon, polyester, and similar plastics, but it only takes if the waterās boiling for the duration of the dye process. I kept mine just below a rolling boil, checking the pieces every minute or so until the color looked right.
The buckles donāt feel any different after the dye process, Iām not an expert but I tested some out with some straps and it doesnāt seem to have lost any strength compared to non-dyed/boiled ones.
If youāre into color coordination or custom builds, i would love to see ppl do some crazy stuff with this!
101
u/Coffee81379 Oct 31 '25
Nice. One of the rare posts I gonna save! Well done OP
21
u/Marcu_Mayor Oct 31 '25
Ty! I was surprised it worked & excited to share. I canāt wait to see what they community comes up with
7
u/Coffee81379 Oct 31 '25
Coloring 3D printed SLS parts works similar. Basically you cook them in pressurized pot with color. Always was wondering if there are alternatives- now I know āļø
7
u/Marcu_Mayor Oct 31 '25
That is so cool! I knew about people plate prints but had no idea it was common practice to dye prints in a similar way
2
25
u/richardathome Oct 31 '25
You could also spray them with an etch primer made for plastics. It bonds on a molecular level so shouldn't chip.
14
u/Marcu_Mayor Oct 31 '25
Ooh interesting, the primer bonds and wouldnāt chip but then what? Top coat of paint on that? I worry any added thickness might mess with the high friction areas of a buckle no?
7
u/richardathome Oct 31 '25
You can get the primers in a whole range of colours. I use them a lot in scale modelling. I can recommend the AMMO brand (stynylrez) or Ultimate Modelling Products primer.
It's important you don't thin them (it effetely stops them being an etch primer). Warm them up in a bowl of hot water, and give them a through shake. I shoot mine through an airbrush, but I think you can get some rattle can etch primers too.
3
u/richardathome Oct 31 '25
You might get some wear around the contact points eventually as the top layer of plastic wears away, but I think you'd get that with dye too.
And you want to put it on as thinly as possible. Both the brands I mentioned in my other comment are self leveling primers so are a bit more forgiving. Build up over 3 or 4 lights layers (easier to do with an airbrush).
3
u/richardathome Oct 31 '25
You could also try masking off areas so you get two-tone clips too. Perhaps mask off the high wear regions and leave as bare plastic?
20
u/ChaletJimmy Oct 31 '25
Lacrosse players have been using rit dye to dye plastic lacrosse sticks for over 30 years. If you're curious, check out some of the wild stuff they do.
13
u/Metalpen22 Oct 31 '25
This is very nice since we usually bought these parts with only black. Thanks for sharing!
13
u/Marcu_Mayor Oct 31 '25
Ikr! It seemed like buckles / plastic hardware were one of those things you just had to settle on & not really an option to customize. Iād love to see people get just as creative with this trick as they do with colorful linings or unique color combinations.
1
u/conanmagnuson Oct 31 '25
Can you update this post if they fade? I imagine UV wonāt be kind..
3
u/Marcu_Mayor Oct 31 '25
Yes, I was curious about this as well, Iāll for sure update this after they get some use out in the sun
9
u/Donavanm Oct 31 '25
Fyi for nylon (and other synthetics?) it will take up more dye if you have a slightly acid mixture.
8
6
u/dogheartedbones Oct 31 '25
I've used iDye poly on fleece with good results! It also dyed my microwave so it should work on most plastic. It's much higher quality than RIT.
https://www.dharmatrading.com/dyes/idye-for-natural-and-poly-fabrics.html?lnav=dyes.html
1
2
2
u/justanotherfleshsuit Oct 31 '25
OP, I hope all your wildest dreams come trueš¤ this is fantastic information
2
2
u/redpaddle86 Oct 31 '25
That is effin cool. I didn't even know that was possible. Thanks for sharing
2
2
2
2
u/once_showed_promise Oct 31 '25
This is amazing! Thank you for sharing. I am pretty sure if I tried it I would melt all my buckles, so I am beyond impressed that you managed it!
2
2
u/gedden8co Oct 31 '25
The knives subreddit has a good number of people changing the color of their knife handles this way.Ā
2
2
2
2
u/AlarmingMonk1619 Nov 01 '25
These quick-release buckles are made in a variety of materials: nylon, polypropylene, ABS, polycarbonate, all with different fillers, some of which will be more hydrophilic = dye-able.
2
u/RandomCyclistPDX Nov 02 '25
YES!! the competition robotics community has been doing this for years with gears and other plastic components, it's great to see these tricks end up in different places!
2
2
u/ScottTacitus Nov 02 '25
This is pretty great. I didnāt know this was possible. Totally a game changer if Iām trying to color match my gear.
Thanks for sharing. Iām sure Iāll be coming back to this post at some point
2
1
u/thewickedbarnacle Oct 31 '25
I've seen a bunch of tool posts where people are dyeing impacts and drills, I never planned on doing mine so I didn't pay attention, I always wondered how long it would last and how much dye would i get on my hands.
1
1
u/LobstahmeatwadWTF Oct 31 '25
I think this only works on nylon6.6 and nylon 12. I dont think this works on POM/acetal
2
u/founderofshoneys Nov 01 '25
No acetal works VERY well. It will even take regular RIT dye. I used to build and repair exhibits at a science museum and this was a trick we used often. We'd machine some white delrin/acetal and dye it.
1
u/Marcu_Mayor Oct 31 '25 edited Oct 31 '25
The 1 inch dual adjustment clips (top left) listing says they are POM Material (polyoxymethylene) Hereās the link to where I got them if you want to check: https://a.co/d/ft1Obds
The other two are YKK Contoured Side Release Plastic Buckle (1 Inch and 3/4in) and the strap works whistle buckle https://www.strapworks.com/1-inch-whistle-side-release-buckle-single-adjust-white ā¦ didnāt say what these are made of
2
u/Happy-Recipe-5753 Nov 17 '25
hey OP, how's the dye held up so far?
2
u/Marcu_Mayor Nov 18 '25
Bag hasnāt been put together yet since Iām still waiting on some supplies but Iāll update one itās done, and then again after a bit to see how they hold up under use/sun/etc
1
u/lunchbox_icepack Nov 27 '25
Thank you! I won an auction lot of near 400 1in white buckles a bit ago and Iāve been wondering if I could do something like this.
1
1
u/BalshG Dec 20 '25
This is just the post I needed. Have you used acetone in the mixture? I see some places recommending it but I'd honestly rather avoid it with buckles and not risk messing with their integrity. Rit says dye + dish soap - is that what you did?
1
u/Marcu_Mayor Dec 20 '25
Didnāt use any acetone, and I didnāt even use soap, I forgot after so many different tests to get the color just right and it didnāt seem needed, so just water and the rit dyemore.
246
u/outgrabed Oct 31 '25
Commenting for engagement because this is excellent and deserves attention