A time to dye

[Peter Twydell]

Has anyone ever tried dyeing white PVC flex, using something like Dylon multipurpose (and keeping the ends out of the water)? The reason I ask is we have lots of dark beams in the house and running speaker cables and the odd extension cable along or up them would be vary obtrusive if they were white, or even black. We used to dye model aircraft props black (way back in the days before silencers), but they were nylon. Would the dye affect the PVC sheathing?

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Fabulon contact film wrapped around cables. comes in white,black and a range of wood patterns

-- Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

[Anna Kettle]

The 'proper' way to do it is to use copper covered flex. I've never bought any but I expect it is horrendously expensive. It starts out a shiny copper colour but corrodes to a suitably dull brown

Anna

[meow2222]

I guess you mean MICC

NT

[The Medway Handyman]

Would that heat shrink tubing work? I think you can get that in various colours from Maplins.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Properly called MICC or commonly Pyro - short for Pyrotenex. If I've spelt that correctly.

It's not actually horrendously expensive per metre but requires some skill and special tools to terminate. I used it in my conservatory to cross natural brick walls and wood beams. And it looks better than any alternative.

It's not easy to get these days, though. I had to do a trawl of my many local wholesalers to find all the bits I needed for 2L1 bare. Easier if you don't mind it and the clips covered in bright orange PVC.

[Peter Twydell]

Nice thought, but Maplin only do it in black.

Looks like a bit of experimentation is in order.

[Owain]

Do you remember doing cotton reel "knitting" as a child. You nail 4 (I think) nails into a cotton reel and by a process of "knitting" a "cord" emerges from the bottom of the cotton reel.

If you inserted white flex down the middle of the cotton reel before "knitting" would you end up with knitting-covered flex? You could then knit in any colour you wanted.

I doubt the IEE Regs have derating tables explicitly for flexes covered in knitting.

Owain

[S Viemeister]

It needn't be four - you can have any number.

I've actually done that sort of thing - with upholstery cord, though, not flex.

Sheila

[meow2222]

What does go well ontp pvc is oil gloss paint. No undercoat, just a topcoat.

NT

[Peter Twydell]

I have seen this done, as I have two daughters. Such a pastime would have been considered unacceptably girly when I was a boy.

Nice idea. We are talking about 30 metres of cable, though.

I still think it's going to be easier to dunk the flex in a pot of dye. Painting could be an alternative. I've got a can of choccy brown spray from when I had an Alfasud...

[Tim S]

There's some spray stuff you can get from good car shops that's designed for painting all manner of plastics (plastic seats, dash boards, trim etc) that bonds into the surface of many plastics and is nearly impossible to chip off again.

Can remember the brand name - can anyone else?

Available in a moderately wide range of colours.

Tim

[Rob Morley]

Why not buy some brown cable?

[Andy Dingley]

I do something similar.

think Uma Thurman is allowed to describe this as "girly", but not many others.

[The Medway Handyman]

How about

colours inc brown.

[S Viemeister]

Nice. I've seen it done but haven't yet tried it myself.

Sheila

[Owain]

I hammered the nails into the cotton reel and then gave it a convenient female to do the knitting bit.

Of course, this does suppose that one can still procure wooden cotton reels.

Owain

[Owain]

That's only 15 metres per daughter.

Owain

[Ophelia]

We used to call that French knitting and recently, I was able to buy a plastic version ready made up :)

[Peter Twydell]

True, but they are bit busy doing other things. Each has a house and baby (not to mention the bloke) to look after, and probably wouldn't be too pleased to be asked to do something as apparently trivial as this!