Customs Hydro-dipping

I saw this video the other day and got to thinking how cool this kind of thing might look done to a steering wheel and shift levers, maybe even some dash knobs/levers. Probably not as extreme as in this video, but would be a unique design and kind of reminds me of Detroit agate



Anyone ever tried it? Thinking about doing this to the steering wheel and shift handle for my 57 chevy.

 

Yep! This is my banjo wheel and matching shift knob for my 34 under construction. Hydrodip in a walnut pattern, then clear coated.

 

BB, did you do that yourself or had someone else do it for you?

 

Had my garnish moldings done.

 

You can kinda make your own effect for smaller stuff too!. Fill a bucket part way with water and then spray different colors of paint on top of the water, swirl it around as you wish then dunk your parts in. always gonna get a different result, but more fun, and way cheaper!

 

Thats what i’m thinking of doing. Might come out looking like an old bowling ball

 

I bought the wheel from Julianos (very nice US made wheel), they sent the samples, I picked the color and sent them the shift knob as well. They did the work and sent them back. The finish is wild. They said they would do any parts I want done. Nice people to work with.

 

Very cool process.

 

Very nice--getting a set of 40 std garnish moldings ready to send off for this in woodgrain pattern.

 

Has anyone ever figured out how those folks in Australia do that Pearlcraft thing on steering wheels and shift knobs, etc? They do some incredible, albeit expensive work. I wonder if it is a similar process.

 

Man, that wood dip is fantastic!

I want to dip a whole car in that stuff.

 

My boss plays with this stuff as a hobby. He's done quite a few gun stocks and a couple receivers in wood, carbon fiber and some kind of snake skin and they've come out really nice. With the wood grains used on old cheap wood stocks they come out looking like expensive wood.

Like stated above, he clear coats them and then buffs em. I told him when the time comes I want him to do some of the trim work in my 31. Also he found a place on line that had an amazing selection and one of the cheapest places too. If anyone wants let me know and I will get the web address for you.

 

What kind of paint do you use? Automotive basecoat?
I gotta try this....looks killer!

 

I'm in. Who's tried this at home. Gearhead Graphics, you mentioned spraying, the guitar example looks like its poured then swirled. If I spray will it give the switl effect or blend together into one color. Looks like the paint sticks as the part goes in, then the water is swished away to pull it out.

This is a good tutorial, he's using enamel.

 

There is a place in clackamas, Or that does this. They also restore wheels and I used them for truing, painting and turning my trans am snowflakes. He walked me through the process.

Basically anything you can pull up on line can be printed on this special paper with a backing that dissolves in water. You need a printer that can print some pretty big sheets. You also need a tank big enough to float the paper and dunk the parts.

Once your pattern is selected you lay down a base coat complimentary to your design. Once dry you float the design and dip the piece.

Then clear coat, polish. Done.

They do intake manifolds that look like carbon fiber, valve covers with naked ladies on them, rims, bike parts, you name it.


Not real spendy.

 

I guess you could just pour paint on the water surface too. the important part is using enamel. As long as it's oil based it will float on top of the water. I'm going to do a test of this and see how it comes out. I too would like to know how they do the pearlcraft. My original plan was to pearlcraft my wheel and shift knob but when researching i found this and it looks extremely cheap and easy compared to real pearlcraft service. I think when i do it, I'm going to do it similar to a candy. spray the wheel with a silver base and then dip it, but with the paint layer not complete so i get lighter and darker spots.

 

Thats the stuff Ive seen, printed type of patterns.

Think Im gonna give this a try. My mailbox is faded, Ive got a few colors of rustoleum, a box of washing powder from doing reverse electrolysis, a rubbermaid tub may be big enough to fit the mix, seems like a decent test run.

 

I'm thinking that using colors that are the same color, just a few shades different may give something like the pearl effect if it is swirled more than they did on these parts.

 

Good idea. If the test i do comes out okay i’ll wait until i start bodywork and then match it to the body color since i’m gonna flake it anyway.

 

I wonder how well it hold up in real life use? Anyone have something that has been done and used for a season or two? I sure would want something that holds up well on a steering wheel and shift knob. Gene

 

They use it on guitars so I guess it’s not too bad. Plus most people put a few coats of clear on it too so the color doesn’t wear.

 

I drive a 68 442 Olds with 90k on the odometer. It has a "walnut" GM wheel on it which is plastic painted to look like wood. It has never been restored and still looks like wood.

Julianos said they have been doing this for years on their wheels and have has no issues. Good enough for me. Ill let you know how it wears if I ever finish the car.

 

I'm guessing that the decals they float on water are different than paint.But it sounds like they are just really large but sturdier versions of model decals.

I haven't thought of this for 25+ years. .

Years ago, 40-45?, a car modeling magazine (called IIRC, Car Model) did an article on something like this, & I tried it. Worked really well. Sprayed enamel on the surface of the water in a bucket, in a swirling pattern, fairly thick, & decided if I like that pattern. When I did, I dipped the car body (braced & hanging on a coat hanger) in upside down, at an angle. When fully submerged, took a screwdriver & twirled off the paint still floating. Then removed the car body, at an angle, (to allow water to slide off n out from under paint. Came out very nice. Psychedelic paint. Only problem is, it it very brittle, even w/the clear over it (which really wasn't needed, IIRC). Did add extra depth to paint. Psychedelic swirls were very hard to touch up, too. . Could've submerged body 1st, then sprayed paint on water, so you could see pattern 1st, & as body was removed from water. Upside down you just weren't completely sure of the pattern you were going to get. Model is wrapped up, boxed up, & I don't know where, from ~40 yrs ago, so no pics.

Marcus...

 

Didn't anyone ever go to a fair or carnival?....when I was a kid we would go to these Booth's that did this kind of stuff...more less same procedure anyways..you would pay the money the carny would stand you in front of a pan of water with some bottles of paint next to it then you get handed a piece of card stock ,white, you would squirt some colors on the water swirl them together then when satisfied dip your paper and there you go carny slid it to a paper frame and on you would go....they also dad one that had a spinning wheel you would put a square of paper on to it and turn it on and squirt your color's .... I even had that one at home.....hell I think I will go to my parents tomorrow...it's probably in the attic......

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Had my dash and garnish molds all hydro-dipped. Excuse the dust, my house keeping is falling behind where they rest in the cupboard. I had never heard of the process until I started looking to have my trims refurbished. There is a few layers if clear coat over it that could be wet rubbed with 1200 grit and then hand polished if I really wanted to and had time on my hands. I'll cross that bridge later.

 

............................I remember this! There used to be a guy on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland who did this, but haven't seen it done in many years. I mentioned it recently to a much younger friend of mine and he looked at me like I was crazy.

 

............................................If I remember, and that's a stretch, it was simple set-up and the guy probably made a small fortune during a Summer at the beach. I think he actually used an old record turntable down inside a box (to control the excess paint) and multiple plastic bottles of the various colors.

 

There is or was I'm not sure, a place in Weiser Idaho that does this. I went and they gave me a demonstration of it. The lady said that is paint on those papers. She warmed the water in the tanks to ?. There are a pile of patterns.

 

Don, you read my mind. Can this hydro-dipping process produce a pearlescent finish or just woodgrain?

Some day I'm gonna build a kustom, just so I can have a white pearl steering wheel.

 

...............................Wish I knew that, Gary. The work that Pearlcraft does on steering wheels is incredible. I'm sure it is a proprietary process, but it seems someone here in the U.S. could figure out a comparable system and not step on any patent "toes". Their prices are expensive, I can understand that, it's the cost to ship a wheel (or whatever) to Australia and back that makes it cost prohibitive for a poor hot rodder like myself.