Quote:
Originally Posted by ChUcK
Burge, is your information based upon theory or experience?
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I've dyed more fabric than discs, but what I'm telling you this is the chemical reality of Rit. My strong suggestion is that you keep the water around 180-200F as this is where the dye 'sets' into the material. This is more important for those dying DX, Pro-D and other plastics that don't want to accept direct dyes like Rit, but not so critical for clear plastics as these have a 'lattice' polymeric structure, providing plenty of places for the dye particles to become trapped. Letting a disc rest on the bottom while boiling is going to give you areas of temperature far beyond 212. That's why the one anecdotal individual had 'craters of the moon'--the steam bubbles forming on the bottom are well within the range of the melting point of the plastic. Plus, direct contact with the bottom of the pan is going to transfer heat into the disc through conduction, bypassing the buffer of convection that water provides. I made a little tripod out of chopsticks and silicone rubber bands to keep discs from touching the bottom and it worked pretty well.