How To Dye Disc Golf Discs (Dye Recipe and Techniques)

Last updated on March 11th, 2024 at 09:56 pm

Last updated by Maredith Damasco

The sport of disc golf has grown in popularity by leaps and bounds over the years. As a disc golfer myself, I’ve seen how the sport has grown right before my eyes. This unique sport, a combination of frisbee and golf, has seen an increasing number of enthusiasts trying to learn the x’s and o’s of the game.

For me, the sport not only offers a lot of benefits to the player but also the chance to personalize the most important equipment of the game, the disc golf disc. This is the reason why a lot of disc golf practitioners have been trying to learn how to dye disc gold discs in their own personal style.

But why do a lot of disc golf practitioners spend time and resources to dye their discs? What is its importance? For the players like me, it’s all about adding a personal touch to the equipment. Customizing the disc to the player’s style and preference means adding a personal value and possibly help them improve their chances of winning. To others, it’s all about adding a personal flair to the equipment while also showcasing their sense of artistry in dyeing the disc.

In this article, I will be discussing everything about disc dyeing. I will cover the different methods and techniques in dyeing disc golf disc in the most effective way.

What’s The Best Disc Golf Disc to Dye?

Unfortunately, not all discs yield the best dye results during the dyeing process. Based on my experience, disc golf discs made from base plastic tend to struggle to achieve vibrant colors, and the color often fades within a few weeks after completing the process. Personally, I am not recommending this type of plastic; such as the Discraft Pro D and Innova DX because it will just waste your time and resources.

But what are the best disc golf discs for dyeing? I will highly recommend those discs made with opaque premium plastics such as Discraft ESP and Innova Star. This type of disc will absorb the dye very well and can last for a long time without fading. In fact, this type of disc is the most popular choice in terms of giveaways or gifts to disc golf players.

For the other type of discs, I can still recommend those which are made with translucent plastic such as Innova champion. Although this disc does not absorb the dye very well, it can still last longer without fading. Meanwhile, I will leave it to the owner if he will dye those made with just above base plastics. Because this types of discs, although they absorbed the dye well, can bleed easily a few weeks after dyeing.

Disc Golf Dyeing Methods

If you intend to dye your disc golf discs, the crucial step is to identify the dyeing methods you will use. Over the years, enthusiasts have developed various dyeing techniques employing different types of dye and mediums. The medium serves as the material mixed with the dye and acts as the “bed” for transferring the dye to the disc.

There are a lot of disc golf dye techniques that have been developed and I listed some below with the first two, which are probably the most popular method:

Shaving Cream Dye

By using shaving cream as a medium, this is one of the most used methods to dye disc golf discs. I will be detailing how to dye a disc golf disc using shaving cream later in the article. It will show how simple dyeing a disc golf disc in shaving cream can be.

Stencil Dye

One of the most popular dyeing techniques in disc golf involves cutting out a specific design or image as a stencil for the disc.

Spin Dye

If someone wants to spin dye disc golf discs, you will need spinning equipment to make a design. Arguably, this is the method the produces the most complicated and unique disc golf dye designs. But you need to familiarize yourself with the process and learn the skill.

Lotion, Shampoo, or Conditioner Dye

The process is similar to the shaving cream dye but uses a different medium. Whether you use lotion, shampoo, or conditioner as a medium, it will leave a beautiful design on the disc.

Drip Design

As the title goes, this dyeing technique will let you drip the dye to create a design. All you have to do is be creative and produce a unique design on the disc.

The lists above represent only a portion of the methods employed in dyeing a disc golf disc. It’s important to note that many dyers use various dyeing processes, with the most popular ones involving the use of a medium to transfer images or designs onto the disc.

What is The Best Dye To Use?

Over the years, dyers have employed various dyes to create designs on discs. CS Coating Worm Dye stands out as a brand recognized for creating vibrant designs, especially ideal for neon and other bright colors in worm dye disc golf. Additionally, many users, including myself, prefer Rit DyeMore fabric dye for rit dye disc golf creations, making it another popular choice among dyers. It holds a reputation as one of the most preferred dyes among dyers and artists. Some artist also uses a hair dye as their medium.

However, in my opinion, the most widely used dyeing methods among dyers today are the brands iDye Poly and ProChem, both known for their vibrant colors. It’s important to note that regardless of your dye choice, synthetic dyes are essential because natural dyes are ineffective for disc golf discs.

How to Dye a Disc Golf Disc Shaving Cream

Disc dyeing is a skill that can be developed over time. If you are a newbie, chances are you cannot produce a nice result right away. But, the more you practice and keep on doing it, your skill will improve in no time. My advice to you, aside from reading materials and learning from videos, is to look for someone who is good at disc dyeing. This will allow you to learn other techniques and skills from professional dyers.

For this guide, we will show one of the most popular disc golf dye ideas, the shaving cream method. I thought that this is the best method to be used for newbies when they are still starting. For one, the process is relatively easy and the materials used are easy to get. Of course, we will not complicate things and will show a very simple technique in designing.

Preparation:

Before starting the actual dyeing process, it is important for you to clean the disc thoroughly. I would suggest that you use a microfiber towel together with tap water to remove dirt and excess oil found on the surface of the disc. Doing this will enhance the result of the dyeing process and improve the quality of the colors.

You can also have the option to remove the stamp from the surface of the disc. The stamps are the printed letters and designs on the surface of the disc. You have the option to remove it or leave it as it is to combine it with your design. But if you want to remove it, I advise you use acetone and a cotton ball to remove it. Do not pour the acetone directly to the surface of the disc because it can damage the surface if applied with too much volume. Just pour it on the cotton balls and use it to remove the stamp. Once the stamp is removed, clean the disc thoroughly with tap water and let it dry.

Materials Needed:

Step 1: Shaving Cream Base Preparation

The first thing to do is to prepare the shaving cream by putting it into the mixing bowl. Mix the shaving cream with water with the goal to make the consistency comparable to that of the milkshake, not watery and not too thick. To describe it for you, you want the mixture to slide off the spoon slowly after mixing it.

Step 2: Filling the Plate with the Shaving Scream Mixture

When transferring the mixture to the pie tin, pour it slowly, and completely fill it. Use a ruler to remove the excess mixture and level it with the pie tin.

Step 3: Creating the Dye Mixture

The iDye Poly is probably the best disc golf dye kit that you can use. Open the dye then remove the color intensifier that comes along with it because it will not be used in the whole process. Just take the powdered dye and cut the side slowly using a scissor.

The next step is to fill the 2 plastic cups with shaving cream. The two cups represent 2 colors and if you want more color, then you can add additional cups. Pour a small amount of dye into the small cups and mix it thoroughly. Add accordingly to achieve the color you want.

Always remember that the color of the dye mixture will be lighter once it is applied to the disc. So make sure to anticipate this and achieved the desired color you want when preparing the mixture.

For the remaining dye not used, keep it for safety and future usage.

Step 4: Design Creation

When creating lines in the dye mixture, always remember that these lines you will design will flatten out and get wider once the disc is placed into the mix. So make it a point to make the lines not to close to each other.

Use the dropper and fill it with the dye mixture for the design. If you have multiple colors, you can use multiple droppers for your convenience. Spread the mixture and create different patterns, lines, or design as you wish.

Step 5: Improving and Adding More Interest to the Design

This next step is to enhance the design you need by using a toothpick. The toothpick can be used in dragging those colors to improve your design. You can follow the design and play a little bit with the colors using the toothpick. Make sure to clean the colored dye in the toothpick before proceeding to the next color.

Step 6: Placing the Disc in the Dye Mixture

After you finish the design, slowly place the disc top down into the mixture with the design. Be very careful when doing this and make sure to place the disc in the center of the pattern or design you made. Do not push hard and just gently lay it and remove your hands carefully after the placement.

Once the disc has been put in place, let it rest for about 6 to 8 hours in an area where it can remain undisturbed during the duration. After this time, you will notice that the disc will sink into the mixture and this is normal.

Step 7: Removing and Cleaning the Disc from the Dye Mixture

The next step is to slowly remove the disc from the mixture. To prevent the design from being damaged or the dye from going to an unwanted area, remove it with care.

Clean the disc by rinsing it with tap water to remove the shaving cream mixture and reveal the design that has been transferred onto the disc during this process.

Conclusion

As the saying goes, practice always makes perfect. Makes sense right? This is the same in learning how to dye disc golf discs on your own. There is no other disc golf dye recipe than to always practice and learn from different resources and keep improving your dyeing skills. The more you do it, the more you will improve with your designing and artistry in dyeing a disc golf disc.