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Originally Posted by links_slayer  Dye penetration really isn't an issue. Get 'em the color (shade you want) and you'll be fine.
As far as the blue color is concerned, go with Royal Blue. 2 tsp. of dye in 7 cups of water and 1/4 cup vinegar will do the trick only a few minutes. |
I just did a batch (200) of royal blue & found that dye penetration was an issue with only a few minutes of soaking. I put them in for maybe 5 minutes or so & they had a nice color. After they dried, scratches were very noticeable & you could get some white to show through with just a bit of pressure.
I put them back on a second time while boiling for around 20 minutes & let them soak with the burner turned off for another 90. The color is not as dark at a Mirage $1 chip but it's nowhere near the light blue of an MGM $1 chip, which I think might be what you're trying to get. They're definitely darker than the original FC blue.
If you have stainless steel cookware, don't worry about needing to buy a new pot. I had a few places near the water line that dried out a bit from evaporation but it wasn't anything that scrubbing for 30 seconds or couldn't clean. Definitely use a dedicated spoon for stirring and a deep stock pot to minimize splattering. Also keep some bleach available to rinse out the sink after rinsing.
I actually did these in two "separate, but not really" batches. I did 100 at first & discovered the dye penetration issue. So I decided to add another rack worth. I added the new 100 and stirred for what I figured was the amount of time the first batch was in, then added the first batch to the second. The shading came out pretty even to my eye.
Next up will be a batch of fuschia and then some tan or maybe gray. (Can you do gray?)
