How To Dye Nylon 3D Printed Parts // 3D Printing Tutorial

[@Dosbomber]

Been using something like this to dye white Molex connectors in my electronics projects to custom color pairs (easy to figure out which connectors go together) for years. Incidentally, regular Rit dye works just fine. Mix a little salt into the water.

[@Brant_Moore]

You think the heat is enough to affect strength? Planning to do this with a BMX pedal, but don't want to compromise the strength

[@JJisonit]

How well do dye'd parts last outside?

[@FedericoWeskamp-y8t]

Can you make the same thing with PLA?

[@NolanCreate]

This is a good one caught it on facebook. Jumped over here to hit that thumbs up. No nylon in use yet but this will be a on my mind when I do.

[@MatterHackers]

Awesome! Defintely show us when you start using it!

[@pedrovilches8603]

Hi. Thank you very much for your videos. I've been trying these products for a while to color objects printed on nylon sls. I have a small problem and I do not know what I will be doing wrong. The objects that deal with Rit Dye, tend to fade and lose color. What could I do? I will be doing wrong that before dipping them in Rit Dye dye I rub them with a sandpaper to leave the surface smoother? I have also seen differences between the Rit Dye products for synthetics and the Rit Dye All Purpose products. The latter lose too much, fade very easily and very soon. What could I do? I would be infinitely grateful if you could help me. Thank you!

[@JustInTime0525]

Ideally, it will work the best with white filament right?

[@MatterHackers]

Yes, or "natural" which has no dye in it.

[@RTM459]

@@MatterHackers what color is that dye on the little man right by you right elbow is it olive green ?

[@ChazDinkle]

After mixing a batch of water/dye, are you able to store it to reheat and dye other prints later?

[@john_t_england]

You sure can, but hopefully you've figured that out by now! 😁

[@RandomStuffGarage619]

Great tips! I'm using rit synthetic for a nylon lightsaber chassis. Never used dye so I'm clueless haha thanks!

[@kooabu]

Haven't tested yet but what about already colored nylon? Should I bleach it first prior to dyeing?

[@mtdelucia]

thanks this is helpful. Just wondering if you know if the dyes are light fast?

[@john_t_england]

We do the same thing at my company for Molex connectors as @Dosbomber mentioned, except we use a microwave with great success (dedicated, of course, not the one in the lunchroom...). 2-3 minutes on high and repeat if necessary @ 45 seconds to a minute per added pass. We store the dye solution in glass jars, so you can just pick the one you need from the potion library.

[@anthonybrock5862]

The little space dude on the far left of the shelf behind you, is a beautiful metallic looking grey. What did you use to get him that color?

[@jjcc8379]

The change of mic surprised me :P this is a nice idea , could be very useful for custom colors or big batches ... if you have nylon dialed in of course, that's already an achievement

[@MatterHackers]

Very true! Nylon can be tricky, but we've got a guide for that too if you want to jump right in: www.matterhackers.com/articles/printing-with-nylon

[@magus104]

a couple drops.. holy hell those are some big drops lol

[@spindleblood]

Polyester =/= nylon! Nylon is a polyamide. So is wool. I am using my wool dyes (PROCHEM brand or DHARMA brand) to dye my Taulman bridge filament. You can dye the filament first and then print it, which sounded nuts to me but it does work. You can dye it afterwards too. anyway the type of dye to look for is "acid dye" or protein fiber dye. Do NOT use reactive dye. It might gives some color to the print but it's technically a "stain" not a dye. IJS.

[@StephenZura]

Does Good Ol Spray Paint not adhere to nylon?

[@supersmashsam]

You said Nylon is a polyester, but it's actually a polyamide. PETG is a polyester. Anyway, both are relatively simple to dye! (although nylon is a bit easier I think)

[@GeoDroidJohn]

I still haven't printed with nylon yet... I'm worried about failing lol.

[@MatterHackers]

Failing is okay! That's part of learning! Here is a guide on how to succeed with Nylon for when you are ready to give it a shot: www.matterhackers.com/articles/printing-with-nylon

[@ViQRoy89]

Ain't nothin' like that mutton

[@DogsBAwesome]

The overly long sidies are distracting but whatever.

[@mooosestang]

I can't get petg to take dye to save my life!

[@frankb5728]

I think your video would have been better if you showed a good shot of the completed piece.

[@mensb1936]

mirin chops king