My Hydro-dip experience - ATACS Camo

Here is my original thread - I have several problems trying to get the process down. Ultimately, it worked out, although not perfectly. I'm satisfied with the results I got for now. I may someday redo this, after I've practiced with some cheaper film.

Here's what I started with.



I sanded down the hardwood stock and cheek riser with 220 grit, and then sprayed with Krylon Almond. Granted, not the best paint. Here's the final product. From far away, it looks pretty cool I think, and I got the general effect I was going for.



My process was to allow the film to soak for about 15-20 seconds. Any longer and it began to get holes in it and start curling up on itself. Maybe there's something in the water here? After it soaked, I sprayed with activator and it did what it's supposed to do. No air bubbles, nothing out of the ordinary. I dipped relatively slowly, comparing my speed to videos I've seen on Youtube.

This shot shows the break-up of the pattern creating splotches of the tan under-coat. I don't dislike it as I think it blends well with the pattern. It's not "right" however, and I'm not sure why it happened.



This sort of tearing or folding look is prominent on the hard round edges. I'm guessing this has something to do with the speed I went, or maybe water temp? (measured ~95*)



On the buttstock, the pattern seemed to just drop off quite a bit. I thought about re-dipping just that portion, but I didn't want to risk ruining what I had. There was not any evidence of the ink floating away or dispersing in these areas - it just didn't seem to want to pick it up.



The same can be noted near the barrel channel.



Like I said, I'm not dissapointed in the way it turned out. Sure, it's not perfect, but I'm happy with it.

I do appreciate any feedback as to what could have cause all of these issues as I'd like to be able to do a good dip.

On another note, I also did my cell phone case. The problems are not nearly as evident, and the water temp was about 75*. Not sure if the temperature would have that much impact, but clearly some variables have changed. (Also, I did boil about 10 gallons of water to add to the tub I did the cell phone case in as the temp was pretty cold before I started. Perhaps whatever inconsistencies in the water that could have caused the issues burned off?)



Thanks for looking.

there is a difference in who makes the film and activator. have a look at TWN. your film soak time should be more like 1 minute. the water temp should be close to 90-95.sometimes dipping slow wont work so thats where technique is needed. the angle of dipping is more important. using dams or containers that are tight to the size of the film help. i mostly use blue painters tape to create the size i need and cut the film through the tape 50-50. i really think once youve had a 100% transfer on a dip you will be wowed. even the pros are masters at touch up using air brushes. most importantly you need better base paint.your on the right track!

The film was TWN. I used the same activator shown in the other recent hydro threads. I used my bath tub and my film was only slightly smaller than the tub.

Im going to buy some cheap film on ebay and try some more.

every film is different but you shouldnt get bubbles after 15 seconds. my soak times are a minimum of 1 minute. usually 10 to 15 seconds longer. i assumed you were using cheapo film off ebay. ive never had TWN film do that. i would call them. if you line all 4 sides of the film with masking or painters tape you shouldnt get any curling.also sounds like your using way too much film. by using the tape you control the film from spreading when the activator starts kicking in . you might wanna tape up your barrel channel so the water dont rush in and the film gets all the way to the edges nice and crisp like.

That's why Im wondering if there's something wrong with my water. If I left it longer, it would start to crack and split then start curling up.

I had the holes and everything taped up so no water was able to rush into it. Hence my confusion at not covering everything.

The tape definitely kept it together on the edges but even letting it sit that way had the same results.

Real puzzled and wish I had video of the whole thing. I have a very small section left. I might try and shoot some video of what is happening.

almost sounds like your film is upsidedown .test out with some small pieces.i believe there have been some mismarked films in the past.

Wasn't marked. I tried both sides. The other reacted wildly.. Ill do both in my video test.

How long did you let the krylon base dry? I found that one hour was about perfect. Anything less and the activator tried to strip the paint, much more and it didn't stick or cracked and flaked off. This was with TWN film too.

Interesting. It dried overnight.

Which activator were you doing that with? I've been using the Krylon camo tan and it's drying so fast on some pieces I've been able to dip as soon as 15 minutes after. That's with 1 to 2 thin coats over adhesion promoter.

My only major problem I've been having lately is the lack of color on small corners later into the dip. It's difficult getting the paint in all the small areas. Then my minor issue I think is dip angle. Sometimes I come in way shallow because my water container isn't super deep, and I get little pin holes. Not very many of them, but a few.

The nice part is knowing where my problems are and how to rectify them. So if I have to give a piece an alcohol bath and strip it to redo it, I can normally get it right the next go around.

I'm using activator from http://www.hydro-dip.com/ which I got on Ebay.

I'm not positive, but I think those kits use LP activator.

Good stuff, gives you a lot of time when it comes to dip window, but if you're using the aerosol, that'll be the biggest thing to overcome. The spray is never the same from the nozzle in my experience and sometimes you'll get too much, sometimes too little. So it's hit or miss.

Just did my little experiment. I was definitely using the correct side of the film. I believe Krylon was part of my problem. I used paint can caps that are just dyed plastic, and the film seems to have stuck to it at least 99%.

Working on creating a spliced video to post right now.

Are you using adhesion promoter on the plastic prior to your base color?

It's a wood stock, but yes.

Strangely enough, the cell phone case was the least prepped piece I did. I just sprayed it real quick and dipped it about an hour later. And it turned out the best.

Here's my video. Apologies for the crappy camera work - definitely not a camera man.

Use a better masking tape for the edges of the film... that scotch tape stuff doesn't really cut it. Blue or green painter's tape works well. If you were dipping the stock in your bath tub, maybe there were some soap residue and whatnot in there that mixed with the water to cause the splotchy results. Luckily the ATACs pattern is "vague" enough that they actually blend in pretty well. Krylon isn't the best stuff but it will work in a pinch... you'd get better results with a higher quality automotive etc. paint.

just another thought. from the picture it looks like the film is tearing a little as you dip. next time slow down the spraying of the activator as you do a pass. some films need more than one pass but i would slow your passes down and dip right away after applying.with spray paint your gonna get the dots and any parts that have texture is gonna get voids. i try to smooth out the textured areas with extra coats paint. im not trying to get rid of the grips on a stock but i try filling in the deep voids a bit. also if you dip too soon the paint is still gassing off. so you can end up with a good looking dip only to find the film flaking off soon after cause the gas from the paint is fighting through the newly dip finish.thats why dip time after the base is down takes some experimenting. temperature and humidity play a big role too.

I appreciate all the info guys.

Here's what I've gathered.

1. Krylon is not very good for this application
2. Watch angles of attack with the film
3. Watch application of activator

Looks like it didn't turn out too bad for a first time. Looks good to me ATACS does give you a lot of forgiveness being so vague.

1. Wouldn't use my bathtub unless it was cleaned with laquer thinner or something to make sure all skin oils are gone.
2. Soak film for atleast 1 min prior to spraying activator making sure heavy even coverage.
3. Use blue painters tape on edges as others have said.

Overall it looks good for your first try.

from the video i can make some other suggestions. cant see if you used any tape for a border. i would use a bigger border with blue painters tape.once the water rolls over on top of the film even a little is bad news. dont just plop the film on the water. try and grab the film from opposite corners and fold more like your making a loose triangle. let the center of the films diagonal bend gently touch the water first and then let the films weight slowly roll the film out on the water like your trying to push the air from under it. if you get some bubbles you can just put your face next to the film and blow the bubbles out to the edges as long as your careful not to be all spitty on the film.if you can only find spray paint stick with the krylon fusion and valspar for plastic. if your dip goes bad just finish rinsing the part in warm water til all the film slime is off the part and dry the part off quick with a hair dryer. i just wipe off or dip with 91% drug store alcohol. it will take the film right off. i can usually do this 2 times before i have to re-sand and paint lightly again. rinsing the part correctly is important too. i use slightly warm water from my sink sprayer keeping a good distance and extreme light water pressure. you can blow the finish off the part if its too aggressive. you wanna get all the slime feel off the part but you dont wanna keep rubbing your fingers over it either. its better to let the water spray over the part for 5 minutes or longer . you can tell if its not done right because when it dries there will be shiny spots. if you have shiny spots just go back and rinse again. also dont be afraid to keep a good dip angle. this work any remaining bubbles so you dont get as many dots in your finish. pick up a digital timer so you can see the seconds easily. ebay has some cheap battery powered ones with big enough screens to see across the room. your doin good. youll only get better but it can cost a bit to get things right.

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