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Vex wrote:Did you put the lettering on before you dyed the case?
After, The dying process probably would have removed the decal.
That's true didn't think of that. Sooo Uhmm, what would it cost to get you to do a case like your orange one? Or to get your recipe you use to dye it.
Rit dye, acetone (a more generous amount for clear shells) and water.
Hmm, I haven't tried it yet but I read up on Rit dye a couple days ago and all that was said for the mixture was the dye and hot water. What exactly is the acetone for?
Hmm, I haven't tried it yet but I read up on Rit dye a couple days ago and all that was said for the mixture was the dye and hot water. What exactly is the acetone for?
From my understanding of it, there's a very thin clear coat on DMGs and the acetone softens it up and allows the dye to actually take hold to the plastic. Something around those lines.
acetone degrades the structure of plastic, sort of eats it away. this allows the dye to take hold within the plastic itself. acetone dying only dyes the top layer of plastic, whatever the acetone has 'softened' up to accept the dye. think of it as tooth enamel and a soft drink... the acid in the drink eats away at the enamel, allowing particulates into the tooth where otherwise it'd be protected, then discoloration can happen or all sorts of things.
the recipe varies but is essentially a mix of HOT water (the hotter the better/quicker the dye takes), acetone, and the dye. rit dye comes in liquid and powder, if you use the powder make sure to wear a mask. its very fine, and you'll breath it in and have colored snot for a day or so. i did black and it really freaked me out until i realized what had happened.
also, acetone is a carcinogen. a mask is called for anyways. lastly, rit dye will stain most anything! its a cruel bugger. it can stain a sink also, especially when the misture has acetone in it (and if your sink has a porous surface, you've just colored your sink).
this google search should help out, the recipe and approach is basically the same: https://www.google.com/search?q=rit+ace … =firefox-a
edit: i forgot another important thing....
acetone lowers the boiling temperature of water. so, if your water is near boiling, pouring in the acetone will cause it to boil a little until the energy works itself out. this can cause a little splashing. so, keep this in mind and be aware of the surrounding area so you don't end up with splashed spots of color on teh counter-top.
doing this all outside is preferable, on a hot day if possible. it helps the mixture keep from cooling so rapidly.
and, very very lastly i think, acetone will not melt or eat at aluminum, the cheap baking pans in the grocery store are perfect for this. do NOT use a plastic bowl/vessel, the mixture will eat through it (like it does any plastic). well, not 'eat through it', more or less degrade the molecular structure of the plastic...
On the topic of decals, you might want to consider this stuff: http://www.pulsarprofx.com/decalpro/
I haven't tried it yet, but I want to... it can do white labels, which would look awesome on dark coloured DMGs.
@kitsch that was very useful info actually. I knew the hotter the better but I didn't think bowling would work. Has anyone actually tried dying a clear boy black yet and actually gotten black and not a weird copper brown. Also is there a way to "un dye" a gameboy once it's been dyed? I dyed one and it's horrible how it came out. Any one know any fixes?
I knew the hotter the better but I didn't think bowling would work.
I wouldn't recommend it. I went bowling when I was dying a shell and it was completely warped by the time I came back.
...but really, the hotter the water, the better. You just have to find the right temperature. Boiling is definitely too hot, and shells can warp before the water boils.