Okay so I've had a couple of people ask me how to dye wheels and could I knock up a how to guide.
So this is what I wrote on OldKookSkating after doing my first set…
Oh Well, not quite as Orangey as planned but hey it's a learning experience right?
I took the wheels, gave them a good scrub in warm soapy water then rinsed them.
I bought myself a mess pan from "Poundland", cost a pound
I filled it with enough water to cover the wheels, some Rit Dye and brought it up to the boil on the hob,
stirring to ensure a good mix, then turned down to a simmer, added the wheels (carefully to avoid splashes).
I left it simmering for 30 minutes occasionally stirring and turned the wheels over halfway through.
Took them out and rinsed in cold water.
So theses were supposed to be orange, this was Tangerine Rit liquid, obviously too strong a solution.
It's still a bit hit and miss after 3 years of doing it, final colour seems to be dependent on a combination of strength of dye mix, length of time in the mix and temperature.
I cold dyed the Rainskates the other day as I wasn't sure about how the hot dye would react with the hot melt glue on the wheels. I heated the water and dye mix up then let cool before adding the wheels, I left those for about 5 hours and they still came out pink rather than red although they looked very red when I first removed them from the dye.
There is a lot of inspiration and tips here on the Bulldog Skates Forum.
Rit Dye comes in powder or liquid, I find that the liquid mixes easier.
I think that covers most things. Any questions, leave me a comment and I'll try to answer them.
