Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?  

There is another way: 

You can get quite a strong 'stained glass' effect by starting with clear filament.

Cheerio,

RE: Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?

@diem - thanks for this - I was considering how to apply the dye as the filament rolls off the spool. The marker hack produces a nice result (just need to make an adapter for MK4/MMU3).

That said, I am still looking at ways to increase the pigment infusion into the filament if I can to get bolder color: using a hygroscopic filament like PVB, I can get the dye to soak through almost to the core, and get some very strong, true color. 

So far, with PETG, I am only getting the dye around the outer ring of the filament (like the marker method, but a bit deeper), which results in a nice, stable looking color with translucent PETG, but with a solid PETG (like white), you can see that the blend is inconsistent, resulting in a lighter color and striping.

Posting a pic of my first dye job for reference here if someone else wants to try this. The dye was  red iDyePoly for synthetics ( https://www.jacquardproducts.com/idye-main). The top was a translucent PVB filament, the next a translucent PETG, the next a white PETG (note striping due to inconsistent blend, shallow dye penetration).

Ultimately, I'd like to get to the point where I can blend not just a nice color, but rather a specific color that can get me a consistent match to a hex color code. Mellonta tauta!

RE:

Update on this - if you want to try it at home with PETG, you must use the synthetic dyes. The RIT all purpose dyes (like these: https://www.ritdye.com/type/all-purpose-dye/) won't dent the PETG, even when it is heated to the point of deformation.

RE:

Yes you absolutely can dye filament.  I dye PETG to get colors nobody offers. I find the PETG accepts the dye well, and will withstand the necessary high temperature.

Do NOT use regular Rit dye. It will do nothing. Use their synthetic dye called DyeMore.

The dye must remain VERY hot, so you need a big pot and a good thermometer. Do a test run on a throwaway print to see what max temp your filament will take, and how long it needs to soak for the desired color.

Have a look. The lampshade is clear petg dyed brown.

RE: Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?

Dyeing filament can be tricky but rewarding! Nylon is the easiest to dye with fabric dyes like Rit. For PVB, you might try alcohol-based dyes since it's soluble in isopropyl alcohol. Haven't heard much success with PETG or PLA, though—anyone here experimented?

Posted by: @happykatz

Not a print (yet), more of a question - does anyone here have experience dyeing filament to get a desired color / effect ? I have seen this post ( https://richrap.blogspot.com/2013/04/3d-printing-with-nylon-618-filament-in.html) on dyeing Nylon from 2013: wondering if anyone here has had experience more recently and / or with other materials.  Ideally, I could dye my PVB to get a stained - glass like finish with different colors from stock.

 

 

RE: Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?

Actually, yes 🙂 I have been doing this with PVB and PETG, and the methods I use work comparably for both. Since I posted this, I experimented with the following:

1) Alcohol ink applied directly to the filament as it unspools into the printer using these ( https://www.jacquardproducts.com/pinata-alcohol-ink).  These have the advantage that you can apply them directly to the filament without heat as it unspools into the printer (as with the sharpie method). Further, you can mix any CMYK color that you wish, as the blue, yellow, and magenta are "true" to color.  

2) Synthetic dyes cooked into the filament using these ( https://www.jacquardproducts.com/idye-poly). These are also more or less true to color, but depending on the absorbency of the dye material you may get one or more of the CMY elements overpowering the others.

I can elaborate on the methods, if folks are interested. The results are worth talking about here, though.

The synthetic dyes process can give a deep, strong color on translucent filaments (see pic - natural PVB colored with black, blue, and magenta synthetic RIT dye, with a stripe of prusament yellow for comparison). The degree of uniformity of the color depends on how deep the dye penetrates into the filament. In general, the dyes penetrate deeper into the PVB than the PETG. If the dye does not penetrate sufficiently, you may see stripes of darker color especially in spiral vase mode. 

The alcohol inks deposit on top of the filament, rather than absorbing into the filament, so you will see more uniformity variance than with the dye process. Further, the alcohol inks won't provide a much deeper color than a strong pastel (see flower vase pic). The ink is effectively a contaminant, and so the more deposited on the filament, the weaker the layer adhesion (see cracking on left most flower vase), which can be an issue in spiral vase mode, or for delicate parts.

Tl: dr; synthetic dyes are a great way to add a strong pure color to transparent filament for decorative and jewelry effects, and combine well with PVB / chemical smoothing. Alcohol inks can add color either to a strong base color, or to a transparent filament for a more subtle effect, with no pre-processing required. Either way, you can take control of the final color of your finished product without painting 🙂

RE: Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?

I am very pleased with the result of my dyed PETG projects. Here are some tips from my fabric dying days. I have only dyed clear PETG filament, although white should work well. In my experience dying fabric, white works best. You can try light colored fabrics, but it's tough to get the exact color you aim for. If you aren't too picky, then experiment away.  (Brown, black and dark colors are not worth the trouble, in my opinion.)  Having said that, I got excellent results dying sailing ropes with their red and blue threads.  If it doesn't look too great, dunk it in again. Mine sometimes wend 200% the recommended time for fabric. kep recirculating the  3D printed piece. Keep your old dye! It will work just as well 6-8 month from now if you keep it somewhere dark. I have used DyeMore a year after the initial project with no ill effects. Keep the dye in a rugged jug (think fabric soap, not milk jug) and then I keep the jugs in a big polyethylene bucket for spill control. Be sure to create a realistic test piece. strive t0 fail on a short easy-to-print piece than a masterpiece.  Dying a test piece is also good for dialing the temperature. You want it HOT HOT HOT right up the the point where the plastic starts to deform then dial back your temperature ten degrees less next time. You WILL need to reheat the dye bash from time time. Don't skip this step. Keep stirring and immersing unil you get your color.

RE: Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?

I'd love to know more about your methods. How do you apply alcohol ink directly as it prints and how do you synthetically dye it without melting the pvb? Where I live only basic colours are available and anything except black, white or transparent PVB costs a small fortune.

RE: Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?

This guide will navigate you through the most popular types of 3D printer filament, helping you make informed decisions for your next print.

RE: Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?

@robfrancis - I just saw this, apologies for the late reply!

For applying the alcohol ink directly, I designed a feeder that anchors to the filament holder, and allows a filament to pass through a felt pad. I then soak the felt pad with the alcohol ink. In order to ensure that the ink dries before the filament enters the extruder, I place the filament holder / feeder assembly about 15 cms away from the printer intake tube (the Jaquard inks dry pretty fast). At that point, you can then print as normal - the ink will deposit onto the filament as it advances.

For the synthetic dyes, dissolve your dye in water, and heat to about 60 degrees C. You'll want to maintain the temp at about 60 C - this will soften the PVB, but not irretrievably deform it. Place the coiled PVB in the dye bath (maintaining the temp at 60) for about 30 mins. Stir *carefully* to ensure uniform dye deposition without tangling the soft PVB. The best tool for this job, honestly, would be one of the hot plate / magnetic stirrers that we used to use in chem labs - for myself, I just couldn't justify the extra expense for the number of times I actually do this.  Rinse in cold water, and then dry with your filament dryer of choice (I just use an old food dehydrator at 45 C). 

I hope this helps! 

RE: Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?

Last note: link above on Nylon Tye Dye is broken  - try this https://richrap.blogspot.com/2013/04/3d-printing-with-nylon-618-filament-in.html

RE: Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?

Thanks so much, I've been playing around with a Sous Vide machine working things out myself but was having issues with the filament deforming thinking it needed to be 80c.

Turns out filament vacuum bags are just red labled sous vide bags, so I've been doing multiple colours at once putting 500ml of water/dye solution in each bag and jiggling it occasionally.

If anyone tries this, remember the bags need to be pegged to the side of the pot and don't add more than 500ml of dye/water solution as it will get pushed out the top of the bag when added to the pot. 

RE: Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?

That makes a lot of sense and reduces the mess and babysitting for the temp. Also cheaper than the lab hotplate / magnetic stirrer combo. I will try this for next time!

RE: Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?

I finally got around to trying this - massive process improvement over juggling pots and thermometers and trying to keep a stable temperature on a stove top (or using my build plate). I am never going back - sous vide is the way to go!

A couple of notes - I cooked both PETG and PVB in this run at 70C and got good results... next time I will lower by 10C for PVB and raise by 10C for PETG. I also struggled to get a good color intensity at this temperature until I used a dye carrier ( https://store.jacquardproducts.com/products/color-intensifier-for-idye-poly?_pos=1&_psq=intensifier&_ss=e&_v=1.0). For anyone else using the Jaquard iDyePoly product, the 14g packets come with a dye carrier, but this must be purchased separately if you get a bulk dye.

For completeness' sake, and for anyone else who wants to try this - my process is below. Thank you, @robfrancis!

NOTE: Any equipment used for dyeing should not later be used for food, including the cooker. While the cooker (should) contain only water, there is always the possibility that dye will leak from the bag. 

1) Mix iDyePoly / color intensifier with hot water according to instructions

2) Measure desired weight of PVB / PETG and place into dry sous vide bag

3) Add dye into the sous vide bag, and remove air from bag before sealing.

4) Fill sous vide cooker about 2/3 full with hot water and start

5) Set cooker to 70C and 1 hour cook time

6) When temperature is reached, place sealed bags flat into cooker

7) When cooking is complete, remove lid, and allow water to cool naturally

8) Remove bags, retain dye (if not exhausted), and rinse filament

9) Pat dry to remove excess water, and dry filament in a food dehydrator at an appropriate temp (45C PVB / 65C PETG) for 6 hours

Enjoy 🙂

PVB on the left, PETG on the right in second picture.

Note variable deposition on PVB - in this run, I did not pause to circulate dye in the bag: next time!

RE: Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?

Do you think an accurate oven/filament dryer/food dehydrator would work as well? Not willing to sacrifice my 300€ rice cooker 😥 

RE: Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?

Posted by: @outofcheese

Do you think an accurate oven/filament dryer/food dehydrator would work as well? Not willing to sacrifice my 300€ rice cooker 😥 

Hm... there's nothing special about the sous vide cooker, except the ability to maintain a constant temp in the bath water through the cook time, and to prevent that water from evaporating. 

That said, I'm not sure how long it would take to reach thermal equilibrium between the bath and the oven chamber. Something to try ?

RE: Dyeing filaments - PETG, PVB, Nylon, PLA ?

PVB ordered 😎