hydro graphics a.k.a. "dipping"

borednstreched

borednstreched

New Member
Nov 19, 2011
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coulmubs n.e.
well with all the questions geared towards vinyl warps, spray paint, buff kits, fuzion paint, weak decal kits. i figured id spread some knowledge.

there are a few companies out there that do a special kind of dip process. where vinyl is laid on top of water, then a activator agent is applied over the vinyl, then the item is dipped in it.
there also diy kits avaliable for guns. ive mostly seen it used for camo on guns and factory 4x4 atv plastics. but ANYTHING could be done...images,graphics,colors,tiedye,camo,splash.

DIY Camo Dip kit by EZDipKits.com
Hydro Graphics Inc.
Hydro Graphics / Water Transfer Printing / Hydro Imaging

this one offers many patterns, including wood,metal,stone,design,carbon
http://www.outrageoushydrographics.com

im thinking of having my other plastics done in realisitic diamond plate or broken/frosty ice.
 
that stuff seems to hold up pretty well to abuse,
my Remington 1187 turkey special i had for about 10 years never got a scratch on it, and i treated her ruff, LOL
i'm sure thats whats been on the few bows i've owned over the years and they too are hard to scratch
wonder how an atv frame would do ??
 
I had CF done on a dirtbike frame..held up about as good as Powder. All in all its still like a sticker, but it has to be clear coated after being dipped and dried. Powdercoating can be touched up, with this stuff if you scuff or mar it, you have to have it stripped and redone. For a street bike or something that won't get the abuse an ATV does, this stuff is awesome
 
250x said:
I had CF done on a dirtbike frame..held up about as good as Powder. All in all its still like a sticker, but it has to be clear coated after being dipped and dried. Powdercoating can be touched up, with this stuff if you scuff or mar it, you have to have it stripped and redone. For a street bike or something that won't get the abuse an ATV does, this stuff is awesome
Click to expand...

good point bro !
PC for you and me, LOL
 
yep a frame or other metal items would need cleared, but plastics should be fine.
its very durable, i tried to scratch some off a rem 778 stock and it wouldnt even mark up. i drug my buckknife across it hard, and it made a slight abrasion but did not disturb the finish. the mark buffed away instantly.
i just spoke to kawasaki and thats how they have been putting camo on their atvs for years, we have a kawasaki plant about 50 miles from me and a buddy works there. i had him ask.
 
it all needs epoxy clear, plastics and all. otherwise is just a dull matte finish. The epoxy clear is what gives it the gloss. Hydro is a great way to go to revamp the look of the plastics, but just doesn't match the durability of the PC on more abused parts. As for gun stocks, there are other methods of camo that literally mend the metal stock rather than cover it. a buddy of mine uses spot parkerizing to camo his guns. we soda the barrel in shapes to be parker'd in black, the he finishes those, then we soda shapes for brown, he tints his solution and does the brown spots, and etc etc. the finish it becomes the metal, not like the hydro graphics. I thought about getting into them for a while, but its not cost effective at all, and pound for pound, airbrushing is alot cheaper for the fancy stuff, and if prep work is done right, I can change plastic colors with powder...lol thats how I redid my OEM 250r fenders in white...I powdercoated them.
 
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