Making magic with PVC

[Technician1002]

Sorry for the title. I was thinking a place to put all the PVC construction tips in one place for an easy reference. After having success bending forming, crowning etc, I learned a new trick.. staining PVC. It does not chip, peel, or wear off.

I'll add stuff for how to bend PVC, but first I am adding something I found tonight. How to make your own purple primer in any color you like.

I located the article here;
http://makeprojects.com/Project/Stain-P ... like/296/1

In case it goes down, the instructions are to use ABS/PVC cleaner. Do not use PVC cleaner as it is lacking the magic ingredient. Find the cleaner with tetrahydrofuran (THF).

The other ingredient needed is "Solvent dye" or "fuel dye". Add to the cleaner and mix. Then with a dauber, stain the pipe and wipe off.

Wipe off the excess with a paper towel and let dry.

Edit, could not get linked photos to work. Adding them below.

[Gun Freak]

That is pipe cleaner and not primer, there is a difference and you cannot use primer as cleaner or vise versa.

[Fnord]

Also, I've found that ABS cement works quite well for black, and it's a lot tougher than spray paint. More like a rhino-lining.

[Technician1002]

That is pipe cleaner and not primer, there is a difference and you cannot use primer as cleaner or vise versa.

Please read the linked article. It says "Cleaner" but contains the same chemicals as "Primer" There are two cleaners on the market, one that is the same as primer and is listed for ABS and PVC, and one that is a PVC "Cleaner" that does not have the same chemistry as "Primer" Check the ingredients.

The difference is about the same as a German Chocolate Cake and a Red Velvet Cake. They are about the same, except one has lots of red dye in it.

Purple Primer and the cleaner specified has about the same relationship. One has purple dye and one does not.

[Gun Freak]

Sorry Tech... I thought they were totally different. I didn't read the bottom portion of the article, only the tutorial on the top of the page.

[Technician1002]

I'm thinking I have some bright yellow fluorescent tracer dye for detecting leaks in refrigeration systems. It dyes the oil and shows up under black light. I'm thinking about possibly trying it with a dye I have. Hmm.. A blacklight glow in the dark launcher.. It would look like fluorescent highlighter in light and blacklight.

[c11man]

only thing i see is that since the cleaner is a solvent is that it could soften the pvc, but the solvent should evaporate completly in like 24 hours leaving the pvc back to normal.

other than that it sounds like a great alterative to spray paint

[Technician1002]

I had to try this. I stopped by my local hardware store and found the right cleaner. I have some oil dye that is used to find leaks in refrigeration systems by making the oil glow under blacklight. The photos show the result. Success. My camera doesn't like the fluorescent color and shows it much more green than it is. It looks more like a yellow fluorescent highlighter. It is bright. I may grab a photo with it under blacklight later.

As in the original linked article, a little dye goes a long way. Use it like you would use food color.

Edit; Added blacklight shot.