Rit Dye Method?


 
Steven Martin

Steven Martin

TVWBB Member
Hey all,

I want to dye the control knobs on my Genesis 2000 black. I gathered what I need but can’t seem to find the ratios anywhere for how much dye or how much acetone to use.

Does anyone happen to know?

Thanks!

Steve
 
I have done the Rit dye for the control knobs.
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2001 Silver C rehab/ how to ( or how not to) dye plastic grill parts

Thanks Larry and Bruce, I have something else planned for the handle and plastic end caps!
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I think that I just followed the directions on the bottle. Make sure you use the Dyemore product which is designed for synthetic products. I think that I used a whole bottle in about 3 gallons of water. This process must be done heating the water to near boiling. Adding acetone to the mixture is controversial as has been previously discussed, of questionable benefit at the least. I am planning on doing a batch of knobs soon and I probably will eliminate the addition of acetone.
 
I'm pretty sure the thread that Rick linked covers all the do's and don'ts, so you should probably read through it and watch the videos.
 
Yep, there are several videos on youtube. I will just suggest you skip the acetone. Partly because it is a bit dangerous with heat, but mostly because I don't think you need it. One could use it to wipe down the parts as a prep, but I would not add it to the dye mix. Also, Keep in mind that the durawood slats DO NOT take the dye well at all. Knobs and and handles do however. Just clean them all up prior to putting them in the dye. Any grease or other gunk on them might prevent good absorption of the dye.
 
Steven Martin said:
Thanks for the replies! I’ll give it a go with no acetone and see how it goes.
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Here is another link for you to review.
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Those grey plastic handles and table trims

So curious what's the best way to clean the grey plastic parts? Is there a way to keep them from fading? Also is there any way to keep the oil from staining them? I know wishful thinking it's only a grill ya know. Might as well not cook on it LOL. I've just saw Rick W dye his which is quite...
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Has anyone tried the durawood slats after say sanding them then wiping down with something like lacquer thinner or acetone? I would think the reason they don't seem to dye well is due to the nature of their job on the grill. Greasy utensils and such being laid on them. Maybe with some pretreatment they would accept dye well
 
Larry, That seems worth a shot. I think a number of restorers would be interested in custom durawood colors if it could be made to work. We will let Bruce weigh in on what he did. He did not get encouraging results when he tried.
 
Jon Tofte said:
Larry, That seems worth a shot. I think a number of restorers would be interested in custom durawood colors if it could be made to work. We will let Bruce weigh in on what he did. He did not get encouraging results when he tried.
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We have to make him Try Harder like the old Avis commercials
 
Guys, I did a batch of about 15 slats. They were all in good shape and pre cleaned (with Bleach). I cannot say if a pre-treatment with acetone or other solvent would help. Since they all came out uniformly colored (if only slightly) and the fact that I had great luck with all the knobs and handles with that method leads me to believe that the Durawood is simply not a good candidate for dying. But I welcome someone else trying a different method as I think it would be great to find a way to do it.
 
I think it is a longshot, but if you lightly sanded and wiped with acetone - maybe a GOOD use for that - it might have an impact. Perhaps also "cooking" for a good bit longer as well.

I do think your first results don't offer a lot of hope that these ideas would work, but it would be so cool to have graphite gray/black durawood, not to mention possibly some other colors to coordinate with hoods :cool: !
 
It seems to be a type of plastic. While it presumably has higher heat resistance than some other plastics, it will melt in high enough heat. I have no idea what its component chemicals are, and if I did, I wouldn't know what it meant! 😁
 
If Durawood is truly made from recycled milk containers, then it is likely some form of polyethylene. PE can be dyed using a disperse dye but also requires a dye carrier NSC and, at least for garments, is tricky to dye. It is dyed the same as for polyester.

EDIT: Disperse dyeing directions are HERE. Empty milk containers can be used for experimentation.

HDPE.png
 
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Durawood is basically the same thing as Trex Lumber. Recycled plastic to look like wood. Bruce, my thought process is that the slats are prone to much more grease and dirt buildup than the knobs. Bleach while nasty stuff is not necessarily a "grease cutter". So, my thinking is a good degreasing, sanding and another degrease with a solvent cleaner i.e. acetone, lacquer thinner or even your full strength isopropyl can help open up the pores and fibers enough to perhaps accept the dye. Perhaps even some gentle heating of the parts as well.
But really it's just WAG (wild a$$ guessing) based on enough knowledge to make me dangerous but not necessarily genius :D
 
Ed Pinnell said:
If Durawood is truly made from recycled milk containers, then it is likely some form of polyethylene. PE can be dyed using a disperse dye but also requires a dye carrier NSC and, at least for garments, is tricky to dye. It is dyed the same as for polyester.

EDIT: Disperse dyeing directions are HERE. Empty milk containers can be used for experimentation.

View attachment 17680
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Recycled milk containers? Is this true or just an urban myth? Did this come from Weber?
 
My next question is...what models and years did weber use the durawood? I have a handful of Genesis grills, none have the durawood, they are all real wood either stained or painted.
 
Bleach is a sanitizer and oxidizer. Most degreasers are highly basic chemicals such as NaOH sodium hydroxide. If you want to degrease something bleach is not the most effective thing to use. It would work well to remove stains.
 
Rick W said:
My next question is...what models and years did weber use the durawood? I have a handful of Genesis grills, none have the durawood, they are all real wood either stained or painted.
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Mid to late 1990s. I think 1994 or 1995 to 2000
 
Rick W said:
Recycled milk containers? Is this true or just an urban myth? Did this come from Weber?
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Yes its true, I have a Weber brochure from when I bought my Gen1000 in 1998.

"We've developed a better work surface that will never fade in color, and it's so durable we offer a 10-year limited warranty. The environmentally- friendly material is made from 100% recycled plastic milk containers"
 
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