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MG TD TF 1500 - Dye a yellow fan black - FAIL

I have a yellow plastic 7-blade MGB fan for my TF. I wish it were black.

Rit fabric dye has a dye for synthetic fabrics called "Rit Dye More" that some people have used to dye plastic. Sounds like the answer to my wish. If it darkens the yellow significantly, then I can paint the fan black and chips won't expose bright yellow spots.

This video explains the process. So, I tried it on an old fan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0O_0Z__jkY&t=

I poured four bottles of dye with water and acetone into a galvanized oil catch pan and sat it on my grill at max heat. The grill couldn't get the temp of the solution above 150F. Cooked it for almost two hours.

The photo shows the outcome - it's a nasty shade of yellow. I won't try to change the color of my new fan.

Lonnie
TF7211


LM Cook

Why bother? Mine is yellow so i can see it running and not cut a finger off! Who really cares what color it is?
efh Haskell

Hi Lonnie,

Thank you for the information. The reporting of a "fail" is not often done, but can be equally as useful as a report of a "win" to others on the same journey who are contemplating a range of options.

Kind regards,
Michael
M R Calvert

Black paint with a flex agent work? It's used to paint plastic bumpers on today's cars, wouldn't it work on a fan??

Talk to your painter who's going to do your body work. He's going to paint your piping anyway if you plan on painting the piping body color anyway.

Frank

TF1414
Frank Cronin

You can get black vinyl spray dye; that should work.
rich40701

...or leave it yellow..anyone who is a stickler for authenticity will wig out with the plastic fan any way..all the fun people don’t care..it’s a TD not a custom bodied prewar Dusenberg.

Regards, Tom
tm peterson

Dyeing is not a simple 'pour it on, give it a cook and all will be well' world. We sell dyes to professional craftsmen and face this issue on a regular basis.

The fan is, I think, made of nylon. This requires a dye which specifically dyes nylon (not all synthetics are the same, and most are impossible to dye). In this case, assuming it is nylon, it requires an 'acid' dye which also dyes wool. Contact Dharma in California and purchase a small quantity of this dye (made by Jacquard). Add vinegar to the dye bath and heat to 80degC. If that doesn't work, nothing will.

As for Rit dyes, don't get me on these!!!
Ian Bowers

Lonnie, I used Dupli-Color's Adhesion Promoter (CP199) and Dupli-Color flat black on my yellow MGB fan on my 51 TD a couple of years ago and it is still black.

Tim
Timothy Burchfield

Thanks for the information and suggestions. I'll test them on sections of the old fan.

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

Google Krylon Fusion Paint, flat black.
George Butz III

This thread was discussed between 21/01/2020 and 23/01/2020

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