Technical Hydrodipping

Obviously, taking apart a car's body for hydrodipping is ridiculously expensive but I have heard some people talk about hydrodipping as a customization technique. Out of curiosity, what parts can be fairly easily hydrodipped?

 

You're talking about this process?



I would think that it would take a pretty big vat to do anything much more than a carb cover hell even a dash board would need to be a minimum of 6 feet long.

 

there is a shit ton of videos and articles on the interwebzzz

 

Looks like a pretty nifty process to me. Maybe a vinyl wrap would be easier but it still looks like a pretty nifty process to me.

 

if you want something done, a buddy of mine here in Austin has a HUGE set up in his garage, a dash, etc. would easily fit. send me a pm and i'll put you in touch with him.
and if you're going to the Roundup, bring the parts with you and save on shipping.
-tred

 

Be pretty cool to set up big enough to dip an A or the like wouldn't it.

 

i'm on the fence. there's a lot of cheesy looking designs and patterns that looked better in your head then they do on the finished product...

 

Very interesting, but I wonder about finish durability. After all, it's really just a decal. Will it accept a protective clear coat without dissolving? Can you do more than one application?

 

it MUST be clear coated, and no layering.

 

it's opaque, so why more than one application? what's the goal?
crazy steve, did you just invent a new process and not even know it???

 

I was looking at some videos on this last night could prove interesting .
It might not be HAMB friendly but in small doses could be cool.

 

I think it was maybe a couple seasons ago they did this to some wheels on Wheeler Dealers. They did some really dumb looking bright colored snake skin print.

 

I brought that up because I noticed in one video (not one of the ones that's linked) that the base color showed through, the coating was semi-transparent. That could offer some more options...

 

rusty rocket just posted pics of his window moldings and dash that were done that way and looked great.

 

Can you do a chrome look with that?

 

no chrome.
that would make things too easy.

 

a buddy of mine does this in Clackamas, OR. You start by base coating the piece, like say a dash for example. He did one dash that he painted a bright silver base coat, he put a black birds eye maple in the tank, pressed the dash into it, then clear coated, and polished. The result was a translucent glowing, black wood dash that looked wicked from certain angles as the light hit it. He said the base coat has a lot to do with influencing the finished product.

He does rims, valve covers, a lot of ATV fenders and gun stocks (Camo), dashes, window moldings, engine covers (on OT stuff) and the like.

 

my apologies then, i've not yet seen translucent films, i should have known they exist.
duh.

 

It's a easy way to make engine parts have that carbon fiber look.

 

Here is a couple of pieces I took pictures of at his shop.
Intake Manifold? Not sure about heat on this finish.

Valve cover. A lot cheaper than airbrushing this on.

And a close up of a wheel that had a polished rim and this carbon graphite look in the center.

the possibilities are endless and limited only by your imagination.

 

My 46 Olds dash and garnish molds after hydrographic process, a bit dusty from being in cupboard

 

1937 Nash dash

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That's what sand paper is for.

It seems like too many people are deep into the Carbon Fiber look today. That is a fad so it will either need to be changed in the future or the car will be dated. Out comes the sand paper, really no different that a paint scheme that doesn't fly once applied.

 

You're not talking about the pastel fad with the goofy graphics of the 90's are you?

 

I have seen paint not look tight on a give vehicle for every decade starting in the '60s. Sometimes it just doesn't work.

Speaking of pastel, isn't tinted primer the same deal only flat.

I really want to paint a car periwinkle I have no idea what it looks like but I like the name.

 

Well if you find that color paint and something to put it on, I'll help you just to see the end result.

 

Great results on the dashes. Carbon fiber, I agree the look will be dated soon. The application was spot on.

Any examples of machine turned aluminum look. It can be done by hand, but large uneven surfaces would be a pain in the ass. This could be used for an entire dash panel.

 

Fascinating! Just spent about an hour chasing links around. I was never into the whole graphic thing, but used with a little taste and in small doses...
Nobody has actually said anything about the cost of materials in the vids I saw.

 

it really just a special way to a apply a large water decal. this is used a lot on RC bodies.

I like the adaptation for wood look on old dashes and garnish moldings, that is about it.

I guess this works where ever there originally was a really large decal.

Most any graphics will have a inkjet printed look.

For the machined aluminum look, it may just look as good a decal with that texture, but never anything like the real deal.
Also no machined aluminium is perfect, the beauty is in the craftsmanship.

 

Saw a video somewhere(Juliano's?) of window moldings being done--looked great. Another guy had it done on 40 window moldings and sent me a picture. They looked nice and he is very picky-don't know the cost.