Dyeing Your Own Pinball Plastic Parts

1 Introduction

This guide will show you how to dye white pinball parts such as flipper bats. Not all parts will take dye the same. I suggest testing a part prior to running a full batch. See my pictures below for an example of how different materials will take dye differently.

For this example, I dyed flipper bats to match the pop bumper caps for a Gottlieb Black Hole. The caps were not dyed, I just used them to match the color.

2 Supplies Needed

• An Electric or Gas Stove
• A Stainless Steel Pan Big Enough to Hold the Parts(Do not attempt to "borrow" your wife's pans)
• A Glass Bowl for Rinsing the Parts
• A Stir-Stick of Some Kind
• A Pair of Tongs
• A Kitchen Timer That Counts Up from Zero
• A Meat Thermometer
• Latex Gloves or Rubber Dish Gloves
• Dish Detergent
• Paper Towels
• Rit DyeMore (available at any craft store)

3 Getting Everything Prepared

Scrub and degrease the parts to be dyed.
Measure and pour enough water into the pan to submerge the parts completely (remember how many cups of water you poured in the pan).
Start boiling the water
Prepare a bowl of cold water.
Layout all of the tools you'll be needing nearby so they are handy when you need them.

4 The Dyeing Process

Put on the latex gloves.
Once the water has reached boiling, turn the heat down to medium, and wait for it to reach 180°F - 200°F (just under boiling).
Add 1 capful of dye per cup of water.
Add a few drops of dish soap. The dish soap is used to break the surface tension of the water so it soaks into the plastic better. An exact measurement is not needed.
Stir the mixture for a few seconds.
Carefully dunk your parts into the mixture and make sure they submerge completely.
Check the temperature of the mixture with the thermometer to make sure it is still between 180° and 200°F.
Start your timer so it is counting from 0. You will use this to know how long the parts have been submerged.
Stir the parts occasionally with the stir-stick.
At the 3 minute mark, use the tongs to remove and inspect the color change of one or 2 parts.
If you are satisfied with the color, pull all of the parts out with the tongs and dunk them into the bowl of cold water.
If the parts still need more color or need to be a darker shade, leave them in for 1 minute increments until you are satisfied with the color.
Dry the parts off and install! There is no need to let them cure or set up over night.