I haven't seen much talk on this forum of vinyl dye, in spite of the fact that others seem to be using it with some success, especially for projects like case-painting.
I've been in the passive market for an Alphasmart Neo for a while, and happened across
this web page showcasing a Neo with a Ferrari-red dye job. In the past couple of weeks, I stumbled into an opportunity to pick up some retired surplus Neos and Neo2s super-cheap. I grabbed three: two Neo2s and one Neo1; one of the Neo2s was dead and largely unsalvageable, but the others, in spite of some case scuffing and marks, worked fine.
Since the cases were Sharpied up with lots of school ID information, I figured this was a natural opportunity for some dye-work, so I gave it a shot. I bought two cans of SEM Color Coat: Burgundy and Satin Black, and I went to town. The result is below.
As usual, my amateur photography is glaring out the colors quite a bit. Here it looks more tomato-red, but in real life (or, at least, as I personally perceive it in the visual spectrum) it's more brownish in that true-burgundy kind of way. I used the black for the case bottom, which makes a nice contrast.
(Also, I mixed up the keyboard with black key caps from a Neo2, and army-green key caps from a Neo1. I'm not sure if I like this two-tone mix, or if I'll go back to all-black.)
I wish I'd taken a "before" photo, as this thing looked pretty gnarly initially. There were lots of identification marks in indelible black ink that are now invisible. You can still faintly see the "Neo" logo if you pay attention. It might have gone away with a few more coats, but I think it looks fine and I didn't want to chance it.
My impressions of vinyl dye are, currently, positive. Or at least, my impressions with using SEM vinyl dye with this type of plastic. YYMV, I suppose. It applies like spray paint, which means there's a lot of room for error, but it seemed to drip less and wasn't that difficult to use, as long as you're not being an idiot (as I was during my first experiment). If you're wondering about the "dye" part, this isn't a true dye, per se, in that it doesn't permeate the plastic like Rit dye does, but it does apparently make a deep bond with the plastic, for better color penetration, and it's also flexible, which can make it more durable to abuse.
I'd be curious to hear about the experiences of others with vinyl dye, if there are any. Likewise, if you're looking to recolor some keyboard/computer/etc. cases, I would recommend giving this stuff a try. (Although I highly recommend first practicing on a disposable object of similar material, (a) to get the hang of the spraying motion, and (b) to assess its color.)
