PVC PIPE IS GREAT, BUT IT’S KINDA UGLY — it only comes in white, gray, sometimes black, and clear. Sure, you can paint it, but paint can flake and can screw up dimensional tolerances. Stain doesn’t flake or add thickness, so the pieces will still fit together.
CAUTION: Work in a well-ventilated workspace and wear gloves and goggles when handling the solvent or dye.
YOU WILL NEED
Nitrile gloves
Safety goggles
PVC cleaner Check the label and make sure it contains tetrahydrofuran. I used Oatey Clear Cleaner, a product used to prepare PVC pipe for gluing.
Volumetric pipette, measuring 1mL
Solvent dye I found Rekhaoil Red HF (Solvent Red 164), Rekhaoil Yellow HF (Solvent Yellow 126), and Rekhaoil Blue (Solvent Blue 98) on eBay by searching “petroleum dye.”
Paper towels
Bent wire hanger (optional)
1. Mix the stain.
Visit makeprojects.com/v/30 for a list of dye-to-PVC-cleaner ratios for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, brown, and black.
Using your pipette, draw up the required volume of each dye and transfer it to the PVC cleaner container. Be careful not to cross-contaminate the dyes. Note that solvent dyes are very strong; 1 ounce goes a long way.
Close the can lid tightly. Wipe off any stray liquid on the outside of the can. Gently shake for about 15 seconds to mix.
2. Apply the stain.
You can use a holder for the PVC, such as a piece of bent wire hanger. Generously slather the stain onto the pipe using the cleaner can’s built-in applicator. Work quickly, smoothing out streaks before they have time to dry.
3. Dry and test.
The solvent will dry quickly — an hour will be more than enough. Once dry, the stained PVC should be able to pass a “white glove test” and not transfer even a small amount of color to anything that touches it.
NOTE: Dyes can fade over time; try using light-fast dyes or adding UV stabilizers.
Damien Scogin
Sean Michael Ragan is descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using hominids. Also he went to college and stuff. smragan.com
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