Loading ...Shapelock is an awesome moldable plastic that you can use for proptyping. The only issue I have found with it so far, is that it comes in white. Boring white. Since I do not want everything I make to look like it should be on display in the Apple Store, I wanted to find a way to color Shapelock to give more variety to my designs and ideas. You will be happy to know that shapelock is easy to color with just about any dye for expoxy or fiberglass! Water based dyes work well too, and they do not fade or leach out because the color is locked inside the plastic. I recommend using epoxy and fiberglass dyes however for the best result!
So if you want to know how to color Shapelock follow the process below.
MATERIALS:
1) Shapelock
2) Rubber or Latex Gloves – USE GLOVES FOR ALL DYES THAT ARE NOT WATER-BASED!
3) Stainless Steel bowl or porcelain bowl
4) Dye
PROCESS:
1) Pour a few of the white Shapelock pellets into 150°F water as you would to start melting them. Do not try to melt too much at once as it is best to work with smaller amounts of Shapelock when coloring. Start small and work your way up to bigger clumps as you get better.
2) When it becomes a clear blob take it out of the water and drop it into your stainless steel or porcelain bowl
3) Put on your gloves – quickly, and then apply a couple of BB sized drips of dye into the Shapelock blob.
4) Vigorously knead it over and over in your hands until the color is uniform. It will stiffen as it cools, so work fast! If the color is not as uniform as you like, just reheat it, and then continue kneading.
5) Once you are done – roll the shapelock into logs shapes to save for later use.
