Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
1. Gather Your Materials
come off easily with scrubbing, so if you do
get some on your skin, it can be easily re-
moved.
The first thing that you will need to do is
gather your materials (
Figure 12-2
). You'll
need your nylon 3D prints, your desired color
of fabric dye, a bowl to do the dyeing in,
measuring spoons, and boiling water (not
pictured). We also recommend having ac-
cess to a microwave to reheat your solution
while dyeing as needed.
2. Soak Your Pieces
Before you begin the dyeing process, soak
your prints (
Figure 12-3
) for at least 30 mi-
nutes. We recommend doing this overnight
if you have the time. Having your prints sa-
turated will allow the dye to color the pieces
more evenly. This will also help remove any
dust on the surface of your prints left over
from the printing process. If there is residual
powder on the surface of your prints, it will
affect the color of piece. The powder will be
dyed and will come off easily when the piece
is dry, leaving a white spot underneath.
Figure 12-2.
Supplies
Decide which color you would like to dye
your prints. Rit has a great guide to tell you
which colors you can dye your prints with
ilar guides. Nylon absorbs the dye really
quickly, and we usually use slightly less dye
than the guides recommend. For this batch
of bike planters we will be dyeing them using
Rit's Sunshine Orange. We're using 1.5 tsp of
powdered dye to 1.5 cups of boiling water.
Figure 12-3.
Soaking
The piece shown in
Figure 12-4
had some
leftover powder stuck to it when it was dyed,
and you can see the large white area left be-
hind from removing the powder.
Remember that you are working with fabric
dye that will stain clothes and shoes. So if you
care about the clothes that you are wearing,
wear an apron or change into something
that you don't love so much. Fabric dye can
also stain your skin, so wear latex gloves if
you don't want tinted hands. Rit dye will
