Vinyl-Dipped Handles

[Moose-LandTran]

I have a few pairs of pliers with bulky grips, this isn't great for tight spaces nor are they good to keep clean. i have a handful of Knipex pliers with vinyl-dipped handles, and they do the job perfectly. they're comfortable enough, they clean easy and they're quite resilliant to chemicals and damage too.

What i was wondering is this, can you buy the stuff to dip your own handles? i have some tools i've made that i'd like to make handles for, and some of my other pliers i'd like to remove the handles and dip them.

Anyone know if it's possible to buy, and if so, where?

Thanks Guys,
Moose.

 

[wilbilt]

Do a search for Plasti-Dip.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

A wise man you are.

Thank you.

 

[dxdexter]

I too am interested . How well does this Plasti-Dip work?

 

[Canadian Charlie]

The Eastwood Company sells such a product that you are after and I am sure they have a distributor in the UK

 

[wilbilt]

I too am interested . How well does this Plasti-Dip work?

Personally, I have never used it. It has been around forever and I have always wanted to try it. I think I'll pick some up at HD and use it on some old pliers I have after I clean them up a bit.

 

[64merc]

Just to try it, I used some on an old pair of NB pliers a while back. It came out really nice, but unfortunately, I don't use them so I haven't been able to confirm the durability. I left mine with a fairly thin layer, but according to the package you can continue redipping them until your desired thickness is achieved.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

Is it glossy or matt?

 

[64merc]

Is it glossy or matt?

My memory isn't that great, but IIRC it goes on glossy but loses its gloss when it dries. I did mine in red.

 

[DiStOrTiOn]

Plasti-dip works very well. I've used it on some tools at work, and it's lasted for a long time under some pretty rough conditions. It does go on glossy, but when it dries it becomes matte. I would highly recommend it, and you can buy it at HD, HF, Sears, and most hardware stores. It also comes in a spray variety, which works well for the first coat if the tool handles are chromed, since the spray you can dry horizontally, and then I would dip from there.

 

[tony p]

Moose - here in the UK, Frost's (the auto restoration suppliers) have Plasti-dip in several colours (and clear too, I think).
www.frost.co.uk

 

[Phatsub]

Quite a few years ago, I bought some red Plasti-Dip from Home Depot and dipped my adjustable wrenches. They have held up very well IMO.

 

[Joe B.]

I dipped my combination wrenches into that stuff and it became really hard to get the dipped side on a bolt.

 

[Merkava_4]

What i was wondering is this, can you buy the stuff to dip your own handles?

That liquid vinyl dip is not the same thing the as Knipex grips; it's closer to what comes on Channellock pliers.

 

[wilbilt]

I dipped my combination wrenches into that stuff and it became really hard to get the dipped side on a bolt.

Of course it did. :tard:

 

[Uncle Buck]

I dipped my combination wrenches into that stuff and it became really hard to get the dipped side on a bolt.

Gotta love a guy with a great sense of humor eh?

 

[jimvannoy]

I dipped my combination wrenches into that stuff and it became really hard to get the dipped side on a bolt.

Try it on your sockets

 

[Uncle Buck]

Try it on your sockets

You evil boy you!

 

[eschoendorff]

Just to try it, I used some on an old pair of NB pliers a while back. It came out really nice, but unfortunately, I don't use them so I haven't been able to confirm the durability. I left mine with a fairly thin layer, but according to the package you can continue redipping them until your desired thickness is achieved.

That is true. I have used a good amount of Plasti-Dip. Works well.

 

[wilbilt]

I picked some up yesterday, and have one pair of old slip-joint pliers drying now. It looks pretty thin after one dip, so I will dip them again later. Interesting stuff.

I finally found it at HD after three laps around the store. It was in the cage where they keep the spray paint. I finally found an employee who couldn't escape because she was up on a ladder stocking some shelves. She knew right where it was.

I was looking for the blue, but they only had red and black. I bought one can of each to try out.

 

[64merc]

I picked some up yesterday, and have one pair of old slip-joint pliers drying now. It looks pretty thin after one dip, so I will dip them again later. Interesting stuff.

I finally found it at HD after three laps around the store. It was in the cage where they keep the spray paint. I finally found an employee who couldn't escape because she was up on a ladder stocking some shelves. She knew right where it was.

I was looking for the blue, but they only had red and black. I bought one can of each to try out.

Yeah, I think only one dip will be too thin. IIRC I dipped mine 2 or 3 times before letting it dry completely. Even then, it isn't what I would call thick.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Yeah, I think only one dip will be too thin. IIRC I dipped mine 2 or 3 times before letting it dry completely. Even then, it isn't what I would call thick.

One dip is way to thin. I tried the dip when I was about 16 and only dipped it once, when I should have dipped it several more times at least!

 

[Rickster]

I just peeled the black rubbery dip material off two garage sale ratchets I picked up. One was a 3/8 drive Proto with a knurled handle. It must have trapped moisture in the there because there was some rust in the knurling. The other was a 1/2 drive older round head Craftsman and when I peeled it back the finish was like new.

 

[bchee]

I tried the dip when I was about 16 and only dipped it once, when I should have dipped it several more times at least!

Are you still talking about Plastidip??

Is the texture like channellock plier handles, like merkava mentioned?

Why do you have to dip it 1" every 5 seconds?

 

[Ducroix]

I need to buy some I have a couple pairs of that do not have grips and are uncomfortable after a while without gloves

 

[64merc]

Are you still talking about Plastidip??

Is the texture like channellock plier handles, like merkava mentioned?

Why do you have to dip it 1" every 5 seconds?

It is fairly thin, so if you don't go slowly it will not adhere properly. It actually sets up and thickens enough to form a nice layer as you wait those 5 seconds.

 

[KenS]

I have found that handles I dipped on some of my older tools soften and/or dissolve when exposed to certain solvents. The experience is miserable to say the least.

The dip coatings are nowhere near as robust as the material on a Channellock tool handle which takes just about anything you can throw at it. I also have a big pair of Klein sidecutters with thick red rubber handles that I occasionally clean with spray carb cleaner with no apparent ill effects. Same for the Channellocks. The carb cleaner dissolves the dipped handles.

That said, maybe some of you are using a product I am not familiar with. If so, please post some brand names.

 

[bchee]

It is fairly thin, so if you don't go slowly it will not adhere properly. It actually sets up and thickens enough to form a nice layer as you wait those 5 seconds.

Interesting. Thanks. If it takes that long for a pair of pliers, what happens to the rest of the Plastidip that is exposed to the air? It doesn't harden?

 

[Uncle Buck]

Are you still talking about Plastidip??

Is the texture like channellock plier handles, like merkava mentioned?

Why do you have to dip it 1" every 5 seconds?

Yes.............

 

[64merc]

Interesting. Thanks. If it takes that long for a pair of pliers, what happens to the rest of the Plastidip that is exposed to the air? It doesn't harden?

No - think about it like paint. A gallon of paint will not harden when you take the lid off for a few minutes but it will harden if it is just a thin layer on the stir stick. With that said, because it comes in a small container/tube, it doesn't last too long once you open it.

 

[Vicegrip]

The slower you dip it in and even more so the speed that you pull the handle out of plasti dip makes a big difference in the thickness and stick. Too fast in and bubbles get trapped on the handle. Too fast out and the material sheers sort of and gets uneven and or thin. I made a auto dipper of sorts out of an old electric clock motor and some 2X4 I had laying around. I made a mount that held the motor about 18 inches above the can but movable up and down and wound a string around the output shaft that had a 1/4 dia plastic sleeve on it. Wind the string so as the motor runs it unwinds and slowly dips the tool in. At full dip the string fully unwound and the motor would now start pulling the tool back out nice and slow and above all evenly. Dry run the tool on the string without the can of dip to set the dip depth by moving the motor up or down a bit.

 

[bchee]

damn that's slick. You must have had a lot of tools to dip