Tips and Tricks

What can be Hydro Dipped?

People wonder often what all can they Hydro dip? Well basically anything that can be submerged into water without harming it.  The Hydro Dipping process is used in many industries and typically is done on hard surface items that can be painted and dipped into water without any damage to the item. Everything from Automotives, Outdoor equipment, Guns, Gold Carts, Shoes, and much more are hydro dipped every day.  If you have any questions about if your item can be dipped don't hesitate to ask! 

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What does under activating look like?

Getting the right amount of activator sounds easy but its not always. Depending on if your using aerosols, HVLP, or even a pressure pot to apply the activator you will always need to make adjustments based on what your seeing your film do. Many variables come into play when activating the film such as water temp, time allowed to hydrate, your current weather, what gun size tip, how fast you go across your design with the activator, how far your from the film, how much of a overlap, ect. We always recommend starting out with a single pass with a 30% overlap you want to see the film expand and get glossy.  If the film doesn't get glossy and looks grainy this can be an indication you didn't apply enough activator.  when you dip the item and as you pull it from the water and start rinsing. If several small pin holes start appearing this is another indication you under activated your film. As you gain more experience you will learn to properly read the film and what it needs to produce top quality dips. We are always here to help with any questions. Just use the contact us page at the top of the website.  

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What base paint should I use?

With so many variables in the Hydro dipping process we are frequently asked about what is the best base coat to use?? This can be a loaded question and will depend greatly on the project your doing. Everything from the substrate to the use of the item will depend what would be the best solution. For hydrographics we are looking for a paint that can tolerate the activator well, allow the inks to bond properly. These types of paint tend to be Urethane based automotive grade paints or water base paints. If your able to spray with a HVLP spray gun you can go to your local automotive paint supplier and pick up a good quality base coat/ clear coat system. If your using aerosols we would recommend checking out our paint section. The paints we sell are produced by Nano Chem and are some of the best in the industry. Our paints have a long open dip window and very forgiving with activator allowing for a better bond of the films inks to your item. What we don't recommend is any paints with acrylic or enamel. These tend to be paints you can buy off the shelf at the big box retailers. If you ever have any questions don't hesitate to reach out to us using the contact us section on our website. 

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