Dyeing FC limbs is a great way to color an appendage and avoiding having to touch up or repaint areas where paint could easily rub off!
The items that can be dyed on an FC figure are the hands & feet, arms & legs. These can be dyed because they are created out of a soft PVC plastic, which can absorb the dye. The torso is made of a different plastic which cannot be dyed.
The dye your would require is a “Nylon” or “Synthetic” dye that can be picked up at most fabric & craft stores. My brand of choice has been Dylon dyes.
The process is definitely not rocket science. Put a fair amount of powdered dye into the egg holder. Not too much, but enough to saturate the mix well. Gently spoon in the boiling water (trust me on the gently part. Too fast & you’ll have dye everywhere...and a very grumpy mate!), and stir until all of the powder has dissolved.
Once properly mixed, place the hands/feet into the egg cup & submerge. Make sure the part is completely covered. Let sit for about a day, and then remove the parts with the tweezers and run under water to remove any excess. Voila! Perfectly colored hands & feet!
Tips to remember!
Disassemble the joints before dyeing.
To make sure that the color is even, I recommend dismantling the hand/feet
joints and putting all of the pieces in separately. Just be careful
not to lose the posts!
Choosing base hands & colors.
Remember that color dyeing is an additive process. Basically your
dye color will be added to whatever color the base hand is. For example,
flesh toned hands are excellent for dyeing red, but may turn purpleish if
dyed blue. For the best results try using the Falcon white hands for
bright colors. And anything can be dyed black!
Dyeing forearms. I’ve often
dyed the forearms of a character the same color as the sleeves of their costume.
It saves on painting and can hide costume “ride-up” quite effectively.
Larger limbs. Use a large
stainless steel bowl to dye legs & arms in. They don’t call it stainless
steel for nothing!
Protection! For God’s sake
always wear gloves & cover up the area you’ll be working in with paper
or rags. Trust me, this dye can & will stain anything!
