Hydrodip - does it work

[Catt57]

I am looking at this.
https://www.amazon.com/Timber-Strata-Hydrographic-Transfer-Dipping/dp/B0711X6XMH

Is that about the right price? It seems kinda cheap but I don't know.
Also how hard is it to apply and what do you coat it with to protect it.

 

[Mystery]

I have a good friend of mine that is into this, not necessarily for firearms, but the practice is the same. I do not know much about it, but I have watched him do it a few times and he told me there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to hydrodip any particular item. He told me that he messed up a few items when he first started. There are a lot of instructional videos online showing proper ways to apply the hydrodip to various items. I'd suggest doing some research and testing on a few items before dipping your firearm. If you decide to move forward, I look forward to see how it turned out.

 

[beastep]

Its awesome stuff but terribly difficult to apply correctly. For just a guy at home its hard. Getting the correct water temp and amount of activator is the worst part. Now with a tank made for doing it, its a different story. You can just set your temp to what you want and the spray bar sprays the activator correctly for you. Ill also say that the coating is only as good as your base and clear coat. That part is just actual paint. So if the paint comes off so does your color.

 

[tRidiot]

It's easy to do... to do right... maybe not so much. I've done a few small items, some came out pretty good. Oddly-shaped items are harder. The film itself is usually pretty cheap, but the activator isn't, I think around $20 or so for an aerosol can?

To protect it, once you've got it dipped, you let it dry, then spray with clearcoat. Use gloss, semi or flat depending on your desired finish, and as many layers as you have patience for, for more protection to the finish.

DEFINITELY plan on practicing on at least 3-4 items of increasing complexity before doing you firearm frame or what-have-you. When you dip it, you can often tell right away, in the first few seconds whether it is a perfect dip or not. If not, you can get the film off pretty easily right away just scrubbing it off, like with a toothbrush or maybe a stiff brush while running under water. Once it dries, you can still get it off with a solvent, like acetone or something. I think. I can't remember if we used acetone, denatured alcohol or turpentine. It's been a while, it slips my mind. Anyways, as long as you haven't clearcoated it yet, you can still get it off without too much trouble.

Hope that helps.