Alright so I’m hearing that Duplicolor Vinyl is a good way to go? I just bought some VHT Vinyl Dye off Amazon, (Yellow and Black Satin). I’m looking for a basic Green and Red color as well for my stick colors (also looking for a purple potentially as well).
Also, is there a consensus on what people are doing in terms of a Gloss/clear Coat or not? Is it necessary with Vinyl dye?
i used clear coat just mainly for protection. you cant be too careful. plus it gave my stick a glossy finish.
FYI guys you can paint the home/xbox button and turbo button with vinyl dye. i did mine at least 2 coats and it turned out nice.
Might be a problem with that…
My local AutoZone stopped carrying the Duplicolor Vinyl & Fabric vinyl dye! They’re carrying a Rustoleum brand vinyl dye now. I don’t know if this change is nationwide but it probably is. They tend to carry out production changes chain-wide rather than limiting to one store.
Might be best to check out a fabrics or arts store for vinyl dyes now. I’m probably going to check out Jo-Ann Fabrics and Michaels Art & Supplies to see if they carry Duplicolor or another brand of vinyl dye.
I really don’t like the Rustoleum vinyl dye that much. Rustoleum tends to be finicky about application.
I liked the results I had with the can of Duplicolor I bought last year! Very good stuff!
Hey im new i just started reading through this after i picked up 3 cans of krylon fusion red pepper and gloss black. should i go for the duplicolor vinyl instead? Also before i start any painting what grit should i scuff the case with? thanx in advance
Yes go for duplicolor
ok thanx should i sand it before painting?
No clue, I painted my TE stick bezel with duplicolor and came out perfect, I didnt sand it, it’s not spray paint that goes over the plastic, it seeps into it so it never rubs off or cracks, I just did exactly what the can said, wipe it down with a damp rag, ect
I want to do the same thing. pretty much dye it red let dry then tape a top border and bottom border and stencil my gamertag on the side then dye black. did it work for you? and how long should i wait after applying the red before i tape it and do the black? thanks in advance.
Are the wings on a Rd. 1 or 2 TE Stick removable? If so how? I’d rather remove them to paint them rather than worry about overspray onto the rest of the controller.
Theres screws or something on the inside as far as i can remember, take a look in yours
How long did u wait after the first color to apply the tape?
Vinyl dye takes about 8 hours to fully dry 100%
i’ve had experience with Duplicolor Vinyl and Color.
it’s a very good coat but that’s all it is, a vinyl coat. it’s pretty durable but will scrape off like any other paint. it is not a vinyl dye. when you use a vinyl dye, you pretty much have to try to fuck up a paint job 
even globs of paint seep into the plastic and even themselves out.
a real vinyl dye chemically softens the plastic and seeps into it. this keeps even very fine texture still visible on the painted item; if you where to scrape it with a metallic nail or sand it down you will still see paint; with coatings they will come off.
also with dye, you do not need any prepping aside from cleaning the plastic. no need for sanding or primer. it’s that awesome.
i have been having a VERY hard time finding actual DYE in any store. even SEM says on the website “NOT A DYE” for their vinyl coating product. Beware when you buy if you really are looking for dye. read labels.
sidenote: vinyl dye softens the plastic to the point where the piece itself will be very soft till the dye cures.
sorry if this is old news but i skipped around the pages and it looks like most people are using vinyl coatings. just wanted to clarify some info in case it hadn’t been said.
anyone know where to buy vinyl dye? it’s been years since i’ve seen the actual product and can not find it anywhere.
I tried scratching off a part of an old controller that I used duplicolor on years ago, and had to cut pretty deep to see its original color, so in my experiences its way better than a normal spray paint, and I never sanded or preped anything I used it on
great work, but painting is always hard for me.
@tensho
you’re right. witht the duplicolor fabric and vinyl is very durable. i’ve used it a couple of times. vinyl dye is that much better though. i’ve seen it seep into plastic deeper than 1/16th inch. on actual vinyl sometimes it will seep to the back of the fabric.
@petey
with real vinyl dye, it’s pretty effortless. even a big patch of paint will eventually level itself out and dig itself into the plastic. no sanding. just clean the piece and pst, pst, pst done.
i didnt sand mine. i just cleaned it with soap and then i air dried it
Thanks for everyones help. I just got done putting on 5 or 6 coats of duplicolor vinyl and fabric red. I have a couple runs, but hopefully the plastic will absorb it like everyone says. Im going to wait a day before i apply the tape and go with the second color. Still not sure if im going to clear coat it yet
hey guys! i bought a agetec on the trading forums and it has a small dent and two small holes where SPDT switches use to be. i’m planning to cover those w/ bondo and sand it down smooth and use VHT vinyl dye white to paint the plastic case. but im wondering. will the vinyl dye be absorbed w/ the bondo evenly just like plastic?
thats the red i used. if you have runs on your stick you can just apply more paint to it since its so thin it will eventually even out.