Hydro dipping, also known as water transfer printing, has been around for quite some time and is used for industrial applications. But we are going to discuss the much more common hydro dipping that you can do at home.
So many people tried hydro dipping before, if you are considering doing this process, then you are in the right place, as we are going to take a look at some common questions asked in hydro dipping, and as the main topic of this article, we are going to take a look at the best paint for hydro dipping.
What are the best things to hydro dip?
Hydro dipping brings endless possibilities, people have tried hydro dipping their shoes, socks, phone cases, and even guns, it is also possible to hydro dip electronic devices like game controllers and consoles.
But a quick disclaimer, you do need to take your electronic components off your devices when hydro dipping, as you are only going to dip the external case of your device.
Other things that are commonly hydro dipped are helmets, car wheels, and guitars. Basically, you can hydro dip anything that is small enough to fit in a bucket and has no electronic components.
Do you need to use warm or cold water in hydro dipping?
It is recommended to use warm water, around 70°-80° Fahrenheit should be a well-balanced temperature, when the water gets too cold the paint would look dull and blurred, and too hot will cause some plastic to melt.
What is the best paint for hydro dipping?
The best paint to use is acrylic spray cans because with acrylic paint the paint will float to the top as a thin film and it will stick easily to the objects submerged.
And with the use of a spray can, the acrylic paint applied will be even. Although you need to be careful at using spray cans as when the spray becomes too close, you run the risk of having air bubbles on the surface giving you a bad finish.
So today we are taking a look at the best paint to use for hydro dipping.
Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Multi-Purpose Spray Paint
This spray paint can be used for an all-around job, and hydro dipping is one of those jobs. This paint is specially formulated for use with wood, plaster, metal, masonry, and unglazed ceramics like clay pots.
One immediate advantage that the Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Multi-Purpose Spray Paint has is it is a durable paint that helps prolong the life your hydro-dipped item will have.
And it has a fast-drying formula which means, it will easily dry off even with the water present in hydro dipping.
Hydro dipping also has its downsides, for example, you would have to look out for imperfections due to uneven paint applied on the surface, luckily the Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Multi-Purpose Spray Paint has a flat finish surface that should help hide those imperfections, and lastly.
This paint is also oil-based which should help the final finish as the oil base on this paint would repel any water that would stick on other paint.
With all said, the Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Multi-Purpose Spray Paint is one of the best paints out there for hydro dipping.
- The oil base will not attract water
- Has a flat, durable finish
- Reported to be prone to cracking
Rust-Oleum Universal All Surface Metallic Spray Paint
This paint is almost the same as the Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Multi-Purpose Spray Paint, the only immediate difference is the metallic color as the name implies, this also has an oil-based formulation which makes it good to be used on hydro dipping.
The formulation of this paint will also adhere to virtually any surface like wood, fiberglass, plastic, metal, concrete, wicker, and vinyl.
It also prevents rust after application, this rust protection makes sense when you are hydro dipping metal items, as dipping a metal item will make it prone to rusting and corrosion as it is exposed to moisture.
This paint is also formulated to be dry as soon as 30 minutes, and that is a considerably good time for drying up after hydro dipping, one downside this paint has is its nozzle as it is prone to spitting blobs of paint when you are about to run out of pressure.
But customers and reviewers were astounded of how realistic the metallic finish is. If you are going for a metallic design in hydro dipping, then this is the best paint for you.
- Realistic and durable metallic finish
- Will work with most surfaces
- Available in 14 metallic colors
- Oil base won’t attract excess water
- Nozzle spits out random blobs of paint
Krylon ColorMaster Paint + Primer
The Krylon ColorMaster Paint + Primer is one of the best fast-drying paint on this list. The Krylon ColorMaster is specially made for automotive applications as its product descriptions suggest.
This paint is also a paint + primer so that you can worry less about applying primer first before hydro dipping, as this paint will stick well to virtually any surface.
This paint also has the advantage of a good nozzle over the mentioned Rust-Oleum products, as this has the EZ Touch Conical tip that not only does give comfort to spraying as you are not pressing the nozzle with so much pressure anymore, it will also give out an even spray without random paint blobs and spatters.
One downside that this paint has is that some customers and other reviewers reported that this paint continues to emit harmful fumes.
This paint also has the downside of having a cheap-looking finish if you didn’t have good surface preparation like sanding. But since we are using this for hydro dipping, this is still one of the best paint as when it is done correctly, this paint can still stand out.
- Has a good nozzle that prevents spattering
- Colors look great
- Has a rather cheap-looking finish if not adhered to properly
- Easy to scratch
Rust-Oleum Specialty Metallic Spray Paint
No, this is not the same with the mentioned Rust-Oleum Universal All Surface Metallic Spray Paint, compared to that paint, this has a richer and more saturated finish, with a bit more shine, this is indeed a specialty metallic spray paint.
One immediate downside to this is you can’t use this with fabrics like shoes and socks, as this will have a hard finish as it dries up and with that, this is certainly prone to cracking and chipping, and I strongly recommend finishing this off with a clear coat.
The manufacturer also mentioned to not use a clear coat on this paint for you to see the best finish this could get, they also mentioned not to use a clear coat as it can make the final finish look dull.
By applying this to hydro dipping, make sure to dip your item fast enough before this paint starts drying up, and when this starts to dry, the paint becomes harder and harder.
But with all said, this is one of the best-looking spray paint available in the market.
- Has one of the best looking finishes
- Will dry fast
- Can dry up too fast on hydro dipping
- Prone to cracking and chipping
Rust-Oleum American Accents Spray Paint
This paint is another all-around paint made by Rust-Oleum, so the main difference this brings compared to the other Rust-Oleum products mentioned in this list, is that the finish of this paint may be one of the best satin finish ever produced by a can of spray paint.
With a simple low sheen satin finish, you will always be surprised with this finish. This paint also supports virtually any surface, from wood, plastic, metal, vinyl, and even unglazed ceramics.
But with hydro dipping, this paint is reported to be wrinkly if there’s too much paint applied, in hydro dipping, you can easily have an uneven finish if you are not careful, so use this paint with care on hydro dipping.
This also has some realistic fast-drying capabilities with customers reporting to have touchable dry paint in just a bit over 20 minutes.
This paint is certainly famous for many people, as it provides a job solution that simply works. With all the benefits and ever the drawbacks, this is still one of the best paint for hydro dipping you can get.
- Gives a beautiful low sheen finish
- Can stick to virtually any surface
- Not flexible
- Prone to cracking and chipping
Final Takeaway
With all these points you should be able to know how to look for the best paint to use with hydro dipping.
The best ones should be flexible, durable, looks good, and the most important is, you should be comfortable, the odor should be bearable for you and everything has to work for your goal in hydro dipping.
With all said, we hope we were able to help you with your hydro dipping journey.
Did you like our Best Paint for Hydro Dipping Review? Please check our other reviews! Best Clear Coat Over Latex Paint could be interesting for you!