Dykem dye

[pkastagehand]

Does Dykem have a shelf life? It is no longer putting much blue on the metal so lines aren't showing up any better than scratching the metal. What happened to the color?

Paul

[andypullen]

It does have a shelf life; but I don't know what it is. It kind of just fades away over time....

Andy Pullen

[GWRdriver]

Paul,
As Andy says . . . it just kind of looses its oomph. Normally, when you have a pigment/dye in solution with a vehicle (solvent), if it goes off and begins to thicken you can ad vehicle and extend its life. But in my experience Dykem doesn't respond very well to adding solvent, which IIRC is acetone.

Except for one aerosol can for big pieces I've stopped using Dykem altogether and now use blue and red Sharpie markers. They have their drawbacks, the color runs when hit with Tap-magic (the stuff I use), but then so did Dykem.

[Bill Shields]

I had, emphasis on HAD a large can of dykem sitting on the shelf for years.

it ate through the metal can and leaked out all over the shelf, floor...everything...what a mess..

I would gess that the can was 10-12 years old.

Use magic-marker now....

[Alan Stepney]

Lipstick is useful as a marker too.
(Nah, I dont use it myself!)

Just grab the old ones off the wife / girlfriend, as there is usually plenty left when they get too low to be used for the intended purpose.

[Unka Jesse]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Alan Stepney:
Lipstick is useful as a marker too.
(Nah, I dont use it myself!)

Just grab the old ones off the wife / girlfriend, as there is usually plenty left when they get too low to be used for the intended purpose.</font>

I rely on the aerosol spray cans myself and one can usually lasts a couple of years before running dry. Colour never changes as far as I can see. Gotta remember to wipe off the tip though or else you have to scrape deposits off with a sharp knife.

Unka Jesse

[tel]

That's wot I use as well Unk - dark blue aerosol paint from the dollar store - dries pretty much straight away & sticks like s**t to a blanket.

[Jan-Eric Nystrom]

For me, a black, permanent felt tip marker is ideal - always ready & handy, and a scribed line shows up well.

Greetings,
J-E

(PS: I cut up some CuNi tube today, in order to make a welded CuNi boiler...)

[pkastagehand]

Mine didn't thicken, it just faded...Still thin, brushes on but not much color left; you might as well just scribe the steel to start with.

Thanks for the tips. I like the sharpie idea. Colors could be useful to code various layouts to help remember which one gets what process or dimension.

[Bill Shields]

LIPSTICK?

Really?

Gotta love innovative steamers....

[EARS_MCFLY]

Well, the Boss has never used Lipstick for marking out, but he has used a lot of it for inleting stuff into a new gunstock. As to the Dykem, he uses the Red stuff, and sometimes he takes a little stick and stirs the dickens out of it. Maybe it settles to the bottom like wood stain?

[pkastagehand]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2"> Maybe it settles to the bottom like wood stain?[/B]</font>

Thought that too at first, but there doesn't seem to be anything in the bottom; just a bottle of anemic looking thin solvents. The pigment seems to have dissolved completely or faded or something.