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Howto: Paint/Rit dye a plastic gas tank

34K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  Bergini 
#1 ·
We all heard it, you can't paint, wrap, sticker or plastidip a plastic gas tank. This is because gasoline "breathes" through the gas tank, but because of the extra layer you create with the paint it will bubble.

But there is a solution and that's called RIT DYE! Rit dye is normally used to give your clothing another color.

Step 1: Is buying Rit Dye, you have to use 1 package of Rit Dye for 3 gallons/11 liters of water

Step 2: Properly clean your tank with a sponge, water and soap. Also, remove your stickers and all components you don't want to color.

Step 3: Remove your fuel cap, otherwise it will be hard to submerge.

Step 4: Boil water, i've used a bucket of 60 liter. As said before, 3 gallons/11 liters water = 1 package of rit dye.

Step 5: Throw the boiled water in a bucket, and add the Rit Dye and mix it up!

Step 6: Add the gas tank, and cover the bucket with alu foil. This is meant to keep the heat in the bucket.

Step 7: Wait 24 hours to get the color in the plastic.

Step 8: Clean your tank with water and soap again.


If you have any questions, please ask below! :)
 
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#12 ·
Will this only work going darker? eg. light colour to dark colour, dark colour to black etc. or can you go lighter as well? I have orange plastics (guess what kinda bike...) and would be keen to go white, if white is available. Reckon this will work? Or will it just look poos and force me to buy new plastics?
 
#13 ·
cant go lighter only can go darker.....


Mr. Snelmer,
are you sure you can do all other plastic bits? i did a bit of research on this a while back and though i remember reading only some plastics are the correct type to absorb the dye like for example the poly-eythl-what-ever that tanks are made out of will absorb it nicely, but the poly-trilene-what-ever type will only sort of absorb it and just look like faded black crap?

either way i am totally doing my tank just like this (dark blue now) and i have a few test peices of misc fender plastic to try at the same time, then if it works i may do some of the other plastics ill be using too......nice write up, i thought you had to use way more dye than that!
 
#14 ·
i have painted several plastic tanks and bodywork. i scrub them out side with dish soap and comet mix, let it dry, then sand it with 180 grit on a d/a. then adhesion promoter, then a high quality primer. sand it with 320 and shoot it, use as little paint as possible so it won;t crack/ check, it will hold up for years...
 
#15 ·
Here is my recent experience with a test peice of neon yellow plastic from side number plate trimmings.....like i said i think it only works on some kinds of plastics (such as the kind most tanks are made of), other plastics dont absorb it properly..........

1) 4 cups water to 1/2 package black rit dye (a lot more than what should be needed)

2) boiled plastic in dye mixture on stovetop for 30 minutes

3) wrap pan in tin foil and placed on top of furnace (80-90 degrees farenheight) for 12 hours
4) hide pan and practice my fifth ammendment right of silence when my wife asks where that pan went to:anim_peep:


CIMG2598


CIMG2599


CIMG2602

As you can tell it did not abosrb worth a sheet.......kinda just stained the outside except were a part of graphic used to be and it did hardly nothing there, something to keep in mind before you drop in an expensive, hard to find part, that your expecting perfect results for
the final photo was after 30 minutes, all of the dying/staining took place in the first five-ten minutes, i did not take another photo after 12 hours as it looked nearly the same maybe a half of a shade darker but thats it......quite inneffective on this type of plastic......
 
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