We Tried To Hydro Dip Bike Parts

Just what is hydro-dipping for custom bike parts, and can Jon pull it off? Here's Jon's first go, fingers crossed...
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Would you try hydro dipping? Can you do it any better than Jon?
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Matt Large - As Real As It Gets
Gregory David - Can U Relax
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Dylan Sitts - Keep It
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[@gcntech]

Could you do a better job than Jon?! Send us pics of your hydro dips!

[@JonCannings]

Why are you doing and saying this? Crumbs...

[@richardstark6259]

Dip the back first? Make two passes.... All things are possible, if I do not have to do the work :D

[@TheWaxChainFanClub]

Michael J. Fox could do a better job.

[@JonCannings]

@@TheWaxChainFanClub he's a teen wolf.

[@jeffroetzel9239]

@@JonCannings and he has all the time he needs!

[@pkomarek]

I really appreciate that you released the video without the results being perfect. It helps all of us realize there is a learning curve, and hopefully someone will demonstrate that success is possible with effort! Jon, if you were always perfect we might not believe we could learn what you have learnt. Maybe you can show us 5 ways to screw up a bottom bracket install sometime -- actually, that's a video I could make...

[@lukestoolbox]

How are you verified with only one subscriber😯

[@JonCannings]

Cheers!

[@gcntech]

Thanks Paul!

[@mirilondondrift]

@@lukestoolbox because he was one of the 10 ppl that actually used google+

[@cooperwinter852]

Lukas Eggenberger exactly what I was thinking 👌

[@samueltennent5861]

more diy building/painting videos please

[@Pienimusta]

But the added weight? Will slow you down by atleast 0.0001%.

[@weler2491]

You might be a fake from that guy of Rides of Japan

[@8paolo96]

MARGINAL GAINS!!!

[@gcntech]

🤣

[@timeluster]

You say that... but that 0.0001% equates to 30 seconds slower than Egan Bernal's time at the Tour de France. 298,620 seconds.

[@hybridosniper]

I hydro-dip automotive parts, critically pushing the parts continuously through the film is the most difficult. It can require rotating and changing angles as you move the part through the film. There are some techniques to doing two stage dips to help get coverage. Fly me out and I can show you :D

[@OMCbuilt]

Painting takes a lot of effort, so lets hydro dip this part! *Paints part first*

[@Pk1998AMG]

With a primer and a simple base layer. For an actual graphic, painting is way more difficult.

[@loadapish]

@@Pk1998AMG no its not

[@BikeItUK]

Great video and taking custom colour schemes to another lever. Good to see the honesty in the video and yes its an amazing first attempt. Nice one Jon for yet another interesting and well presented video.

[@Jimskateuk]

1:48 Nestle lawyers breathing heavily 😂

[@ghowell13]

No one learns without trying. Nice to see the start of a journey. I also would like to know what went wrong. Hopefully there will be followup video! Thanks, and keep up the great work!!!

[@gcntech]

Cheers Glen!

[@ryanmichael11]

Good man Jon, I love that fact it didn't work... great way for all of us to learn!!👍 Could you have doubled the size of tge bath and dropped it 1 side rotated it in the bath & brought it up the other side?🤔 Keep up the DIY, great stuff!!

[@richardggeorge]

You beat me to it. I was going to say the same thing. Good work 👍

[@hermandormehl8827]

@@richardggeorge But that will cause some overlapping on the sides of the fork, and with this pattern, it will be grossly obvious, as the shapes and colors won't match at the overlap...

[@hermandormehl8827]

Also, I think (I nwver did it myself, but just reason logically about this) that the film and activator will only work from one side (goin through the film, into the water, and NOT out of the water, into the film...?)

[@whitebear96]

i had my fully frame dipped few years back by a pro, cost me 200EUR. neon yellow paint as a base and grey/black camo pattern on top and glossy finish. looked great and lasted 4yrs without damage, then i sold the bike. on complicated shapes they did it in multiple dips, you could see the lines when i looked closely. so i guess thats the way to do it

[@JonCannings]

It was going so well... Until... Yeah. Go easy on me!

[@Velo757]

Hey at least the front of the forks looks really good..... nice try mate...

[@bkmontgomery]

Loved this.

[@tomkunich9401]

I had this done to my daughter's frame and fork 20 years ago. She hated it because she thought it was a pink bike. Too "girlie" for her at the Jr. Nationals. To me it looks mostly blue.

[@funkyskunkvids]

"Chocolate scented candy"?

[@mynameisyasser]

Abit of red spray paint on the back will do wonders! :) (or coloured electrical tape)

[@billinhouston3291]

Jon, thanks for demonstrating this and being honest about the results. Probably saved some folks some time and effort.

[@bobferguson1696]

Brilliant! This goes alongside the chain waxing video for, "Oops....... Oh well never mind!"

[@RolandoAlvarez]

Great video and not bad for the first time! I've seen some people do it in a huge drum of water and rotate the item and bring it back up.

[@SquareJerHertz]

This probably one of the best videos for helping people learn how! When everything works perfectly it is hard to know what was important. When things fail, it shows what needs to be emphasized for success. I will be curious to see if you can learn how to do this successfully. Thanks for showing us reality!

[@thegee-tahguy4877]

We do something similar to electric guitar bodies. We use a much deeper tub that's filled with hot water with some Borax, then you strudel different color enamel paints of choice onto the water's surface.The paint floats and the borax disperses the paint into insane random patterns. You give the different paints a light stir to get them to mingle. Once mixed, slowly dip the body in. Coverage is complete on both sides and is as striking and as crazy a pattern as you want to make it. The prep work is similar to your fork. Bike parts would look amazing using this method and is prolly a LOT less expensive to do.

[@straight_edge]

Not a bad effort Jon! 👏👏 Super cool to see you give it a go!

[@bev-ttfu661]

Looks good Jon. Never mind the back. I'd like to see the stem.

[@jffydavy5509]

Hydro dip is a cool idea. I took a bicycle frame, cleaned it up for a light yellow primer coating. Then I used wood stain and painted with a brush, spayed on a clear coat, to create a fake wood bicycle. People were fooled until they tapped on it. It sounded like the aluminum it was.

[@arrivingarriving5166]

Great attempt, but even greater honesty about the results - bravo!

[@Arno780]

Maybe ask Oliver Bridgewood, saw him hydrodipping his toe in an Icelandic river. Seems expert.

[@JonCannings]

Haha

[@NoFretBrettCSSMBFF]

Did it come out *Blue* or *Red* or *ColorChanging* ...?!?

[@fernandoespinosa3403]

Great video. I actually liked that it didn’t work perfectly at the end. More realistic as it probably would happen to any other person. Cheers.

[@Countrystock]

Proves you are human when it comes to bike related stuff.....nice one

[@BikeronaTrek]

I remember a Colnago track frame that was painted by hand with polka dots similar to this. Those frames were gorgeous and worth thousands! Your fork looks great from the front. I cant imagine how a whole frame would look if done like this.

[@SIvers-or2ke]

Jon your job was better than anything I could do. You’ve gotta start somewhere mate. Gets a 👍 from me.

[@alfonsopena4421]

Love your DIY videos!

[@johanndupreez7736]

Check out the titles “double dipping”. This is what is needed for your project.

[@pefp2008]

you needed a deeper water recipient to keep the 45° angle until the piece was fully immersed in the water. Since you put it horizontally at the end, that affected the result.

[@gcntech]

Thats the secret? We wished we'd known that

[@joebikeguy6669]

You might try putting a new sheet in the tub of water, slip the fork in (unfinished side up) UNDER the sheet, and then lift straight up, Might work, but, it might also get a muddled image on the sides. BTW, electric guitar builders have been finishing solid body electric guitars in a similar way for years, but they actually pour oil based paints on top of the water and then dip the body the same way (the patterns they achieve are pretty random). The transfer material you used is a real improvement in that you get a pre-determined design, and don' have to deal with containers of paint.

[@dennish9519]

I have seen something like you mentioned but use spray paint. You take a cans of spray paint of what ever color you want and just spray the surface of the water. Then you dip the item you want to be covered.

[@rzeckner]

Having a less than perfect results makes you far more relatable than would be the case otherwise. It also provides those of us who might wish to attempt a similar project a cautionary tale as compared with the typical marketing hype about ease and spectacular results that generally accompanies such products.

[@kaywoodparsons1874]

It only needed white primer as the skim on the water is very thin. this brings out the brightest effect.

[@Mothmemory]

The beat at 5:53 had no business being that good. It slaps.

[@angryjesus5040]

A deeper water basin that allows you to dip the hole part at about a 45 degree angle would have likely been mush more successful in the rear coverage. It comes down to maintaining an optimal cross-sectional area of the part as it enters the dip. Otherwise, fantastic video!

[@offom]

When laying down the layer on to the water, you used tape frame to hold it in-shape bit it prevented the layer from hugging the part afterwards. That's my assumption :)

[@BlueL1n3]

That was a pretty awesome video. I think you should keep plugging away at it and figure out what you did wrong. I agree its easier to have someone show you, but that doesnt mean you cant keep trying and learning from your mistakes.

[@rtaskyy]

I wonder if maybe you cut a line down the paper right where the gap between the fork tines are, it would help the wrap go all the way around? It seemed like it wasnt able to wrap around fully because it had resistance down the middle.

[@Wildschwein_Jaeger]

Jon looks cool. I would recommend stripping all the old paint and rust. Also there are professional companies that will apply coatings. You can save costs by doing the preparation.

[@johnsewell9332]

Thank you; Returned to my childhood watching “Blue Peter”

[@nellyandbert]

Hmmm smarties. That’s a tasty fork set up!

[@juanorozco1602]

Awesome to see Jon back 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

[@ramseydarkstar]

I don't know much about doing this but I noticed during the dip about half way through you moved the piece a bit to adjust. Maybe you need a slightly larger vat of water so that when you dip the peace you can keep a fluid motion during the dip without moving or adjusting the angle to much. I think near the end you can start to change the angle little more flat but you don't want to break the surface tension at all.

[@cristianguerrero9683]

Reverse the dipping basicly dip again it with strips of the film to cover where it did not print so dip the fork in the direction. So dipping fork up or down reversing what side you started the dip entering the water. Just banging ideas about. Love your guys channel. Peace

[@muthalover5373]

yea I have and it looks sick

[@arch0051]

When dipping a fork you have to do one side at a time. That way the wrap seam ends up on the inside.

[@gcntech]

Thanks Geoff!

[@TheLoveViking]

Sweet effort, did you hit the 45 degrees on your dip? Looked like you went in a lot shallower... deeper water bath? Still think it looks awesome !

[@henriks5008]

No expert here, but i can agree on that. Looks like he had a too shallow tank and could not maintain the correct angel towards the end of the dip. You can clearly see it in the vid.

[@martijnvanwinden8897]

Yep, also not an expert but definitely sounds like a good idea!

[@BRo-wm4cm]

Expert here. You are correct

[@danielday713]

Well done, Jon. Always appreciate your sense of humour and passion.

[@elvisp8104]

I as non expert would use a mouth mask while working with aerosol sprays and i would use something like a clamp to hold on to steerer tube so i can submerge it more horizontally because at the lower legs you can see the graphics distorting.But practice makes perfect,just look at the guitar dippings vids or airsoft guns.

[@hakanbayraktar5340]

One of the forgotten art of Ottoman Empire. We call“Ebru Sanati “ and item is coated “Ebruli” one of the cheapest art in the Eart. Give the name hydro dips and sale the price of 500-600 Dollars.😎

[@Dazbog373]

You can have any color you want, as long as it's rainbow polka dots

[@stephenbrowning8664]

Great stuff cant wait for the sequel!

[@gcntech]

Stay tuned!

[@JeffJonesEthx]

The bar end plug was a clever hack.

[@tobiasgilman4909]

Good job. First try you did well. Bravo

[@Colinke]

6:30 Nice work, Matt!! 6:47 Hmm....okay still have room for improvement...

[@doufa1000]

I think its the angle that you were dipping the fork with was too shallow, maybe next time try to dip it with more of an upright position.

[@hermandormehl8827]

Yes, that too, but at the same time move back , away from the place where the forks already entered the water (where the pattern has already been used up)

[@333wheeler]

One of the ex top cross guys had his frame Teflon Coated .. bomb proof finish for jet washing etc.

[@hydrophaintconcepts4675]

It’s under activated. The water temp needs to be at least 95 degrees F. Also don’t allow the film to expand more then a couple of inches on the sides, as it will stretch and lose its design. If it has a lot of pin holes in it, it’s under activevated as well. Most films will turn into a glassy appearance when sprayed properly and expand. It’s a great attempt. Love the video!

[@DrJRMCFC]

awesome. very funny and so close to looking great. My kids would love ‘smartie’ forks on their bikes

[@trufflemonster5399]

I’m hoping to do a custom paint job on an old bike. Probably the water drop effect. I’ve done it before with a lawnmower. Worked really well and I’m keen to do it again BUT I need to find a donor bike first ...

[@kadaverf]

Awesome job John! As with spray painting a bike, I think this too takes some skill. I think (note: I am no expert) that, maybe, you could best sort of roll the object in to the film, so as to have complete coverage. So in case of the fork, maybe do each blade seperately.

[@Grape_hikes]

"Chocolate scented candy" 1:48

[@Arachnoid_of_the_underverse]

You need to do it twice, once from the opposite direction too which allows full coverage as it overlaps the first layer.

[@jeffroetzel9239]

Does it end up doubling up the print where it overlaps?

[@graphixpoint5931]

Life of this paint

[@petinka721]

Better than celeste I must say! Do they made it Lemond Colour?

[@ketjuariittaa]

What i seen on hydrodipping channels is that waterwessel is very deep. Then you can slide fork in more upright 45˚ that make backside beter crafic. You allso slide fork thords yourself.☝🏻✌🏻that way crafics slide more around the pipe. Or amator make it twice on both sides.

[@PHILIPWATSON82]

THIS IS EXELLENT 💯👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@mattgittings2696]

Jon, try again with a seatpost but dip it parallel to the water and then roll it over once its at half way. Works a treat.

[@TobiMcTobeface]

I'd try the same insertion technique but move the fork either left or right and slowly pass the fork through unbroken film as you raise it back up.

[@rudyraymos1757]

Great time watching your video. ...I'm differently giving this a try Thank you for sharing. ...best regards

[@ronbyers9912]

I didn't think for a minute you guys would ever air a failure. Good for you. Tip of the hat. Frankly I am not sure with the right technique it couldn't succeed and would be amazing. Maybe you ought to talk to an expert to find out how you apply the finish to both sides.

[@simonknowles4267]

Blistering hot in England..... come on Jon pull the other one

[@gcntech]

True!

[@stevenrholland]

Jon was in Australia in January... so he knows what proper hot feels like.

[@brianschiff7371]

What would happen if yo but the fork in the water, put the stem on top and pulled the fork up thru the film? Maybe a part two video?

[@ElliotFlowers]

07:44 I knew he used to paint window frames - I saw him in the neighbours garden 6 years ago.

[@thedirtyburger1485]

I like how he talks shit about spray painting, then has to spray paint the part still.

[@Beijzer]

Yeah i reckon! All that specialised equipment he needed anyway.

[@Arachnoid_of_the_underverse]

Just to add you if you want to do it in one dip, would probably do better if you swept the piece in at 45 degrees diagonally as you drew it back in the bath thus there would be more material to cling onto the forks which is why you had the missing section.

[@prince-rc5pv]

It looks awesome, but I think is not good for tube. For half round or flat object it will be great.

[@madhurmuchrikar]

Can I have those and some more bar end plugs that one looks awesome 😜

[@zyghom]

ha ha ha - first DIY video that shows... the failure ;-) For sure someone here will say what was missing to make it fully covered ;-) Funny anyway.

[@Aditya-fv9xv]

Jon's looking rather dashing sporting that stubble ;)

[@iGameOvertv]

I was like: this looks easy, I'll do that too. And then I saw the result and I'll pass. If someone as talented as John failed this, then mine would be a massacre.

[@Beijzer]

Etch primer is better used on bare metal. Regular primer is adequate in this circumstance. Cool vid!

[@tempusfugit3635]

Deeper bucket may do the trick so you can maintain angle while submerging the whole item

[@iconazerty8751]

I think that it worked perfectly. You must to it twice, you did the front and I think you also need to do it again for the back.

[@mj.sweeney]

Can you prime the fork again with the existing Print and redip it from the other side making 100% image coverage?

[@JonathanWhoever]

Youre film may have not been ready. I've seen it done with paint poured on water. It seems to cling to the object better.

[@gethind-j2390]

Love it JonnyTech, can't always win!

[@lionelclavier2476]

Cool :-) Where do you find the product ? Can this be customised to a new design ?

[@rippinricky]

Damn looks good just make the back different color

[@elizabethmajor1820]

That’s what I was thinking to paint the back another colour in some sort of stripe and have it wrap around the front

[@ann.leonard]

Good job!

[@jgagnier]

Does anybody else prefer that old Peugeot paint job over John's candy fork?

[@3147able]

I believe the masking tape kept it from moving enough towards the part to go around the back?

[@jedisdad2265]

#ASKGCNTECH Beyond being a bigger lever arm, what are the benefits of longer crank arms? Perhaps you could do a video on choosing the proper length crank arm.

[@Goodman-4525]

I've seen people hydrodip Airsoft parts like a AR15 receiver and they tape off half of it to prevent your result. I think you should've done each fork leg separately so one piece can wrap around the whole leg

[@gcntech]

You live and learn eh?!

[@5150RWTF]

Jon, it seems like the fork blades have cracks and the holes near the crown were made to stop the tubes from cracking further - the gas release holes are usualy drilled near the dropouts which seems to be the case in your fork.

[@CORYJOHNM]

Ok, sorry for picking on your frame painting episode. To give credit where do.. This is a great instructional, even with the less desirable results. Will be great to hear the solutions in the comments.

[@edward7589]

Found this video while wondering if I can hydro dip bar tape.. must continue my search

[@kaosadventures]

I Tried hydro dipping my helmet on my channel it worked ok I guess for my first attempt like yours did I’m happy with the results and will be doing more

[@graememorrison333]

Caution: NSFW 😂

[@leonb7140]

Magic!

[@Luminaring]

Might blackout the silver paint on the back...to make it usable... could 'strip' the backside and pinstripe the edges to make it look like it was the plan...

[@SuperJohnfoster]

Why you don't explain what the film is and where to get it