A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

So I had an idea. If its been discussed already, mods please feel free to delete...

Wal-mart has boxes of RIT dye for $1.48 in housewares. I bought a box of black and decided to experiment. Heating a pot of water on medium, I dumped the dye contents and placed the battery cover of my Touch Pro in the pot. I did not remove the camera lense cover; simply placed the entire cover in the pot. I stirred occasionally for 15 minutes, removed and viola... a fabulously looking black cover. The rubberized coating is still there and looks as if it came like that.

Chances are you could dye the cover purple, red, black and blue depending on dye availability.

Just thought I would share...
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...Picture001.jpg
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...Picture002.jpg

Here is what the inside looks. The dye didnt adhere well here but its ok cause you will never see it...
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...Picture004.jpg

My cover on my computer in front of my favorite website. As you can see, the camera & flash lense are crystal clear...
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...Picture005.jpg

As close as I could get while still maintaining focus...
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...Picture006.jpg

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Dude, that actually looks pretty damn good. I may actually have to give this a shot since my battery cover is all faded anyway.

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Wow that's very nice!

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Holy crap.. looks great. It didn't dye or tint the camera lens cover in any way? Does any of the color rub off on your hands or anything?

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

any more close up pics?

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

alright.. you might as well start a service for those who don't want to F up their own covers hehe you should start chargin 10 bucks plus postage ;)

It really does look great. Let us know how the dye stays on the cover or if anything rubs off or becomes discolored.

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

u did at least put some tape over the lens right? def dont want to get an all black lens cover and cake take pics, but that looks hella slick

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Wow...that looks awesome! I may have to try that. Do you know if it could get any darker than that?

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Thanks for sharing, great idea!

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

This might be worthy of the essentials thread. Does anybody have the guts to try this out and confirm if this works? If so we may be in business. It would be cool if all of us from this site did this to our Pros if its repeatable. it would be our secret sign to each other out in public when we cross paths.

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Nope.
I didnt mask or peel off the camera lense. Its held in places securely so I didnt want to compromise the adhesive. The pics dont do it true justice. The dyeing is consistent all over and turned out exceptional. I simply heated a pot of water & dye and stirred the cover completely submerged for 15 mins on medium; hot enough to almost burn your finger. I couldnt believe it was that simple. Just rinse with cold water until all dye is gone afterwars. Your new colored battery back will smell for a few days from the dye but smelly-nice stuff will fix that. Mine hasnt faded or blemished and I am completely happy with the results.

Also, the inside of the cover doesnt dye all that well but you will never see it anyways...

The dye didnt faze the camera lense at all! And although the pictures may resemble a charcoal color, it is black. The flash on my camera lightened it up in the photo.

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

i have a spare battery cover so i will try it out either tonite or tomorrow and post pics if it comes out good.

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

hmm. i wonder if insurance will toss me a new on if mine doesnt turn out...:-s

think i wonna go with a deep red...

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Get a diamond ;) jk...

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

im trying this on my diamond.....tonight! i have 3 spare battery covers

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

I think I am going to get the red dye. I have a killer red theme that would really set off with a matching battery cover...

You could also mix dyes to create other colors. I think Wal-mart has:
Black
Blue
Navy Blue
Red

Michaels, Hobby Lobby or other craft stores might have a larger variety such as orange, brown, etc. The dye I used and works well is basic fabric dye...

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Wow, that looks great!! Pending more success stories I'll be giving this a try!

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Holy crap that's AWESOME!

Do you happen to have the item number, or the SKU of the dye you bought at WalMart? I don't want to buy the wrong item and ruin my cover.

And I just want to confirm again, all you did is just throw the cover into the pot you mentioned earlier, without covering the camera lens part right? Man that does sound easy.

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Looks awesome! Have you tried taking pictures yet? I will do this as soon as someone confirms that it doesn't effect pictures.

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

even without mucking with my back cover, I always take the back off to take a picture it guarentees no last second smudge ruins the photo.

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

I'd like to know the SKU or item # as well. There's a Walmart next to my work that I'll be going to for lunch.

I'm also concerned about the camera lens. It maybe of different plastic which may be the reason the dye didn't affect it.

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Let's here some more success stories, I want to do this...maybe...yeah I do...I think.

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

the sku off of the dye would be golden

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Here is the link to the exact dye I used:

http://www.ritdye.com/Powders.28.51.6.lasso

My Wal-mart only had a set of boxed and bottled dye. Any of the boxed dye for fabrics will work as RIt is likely the only brand Wal-mart carries. (Bottled too except its already in a liquid formula)

This is exactly what I did:
1. Remove cover from phone. Wash to remove any finger prints, oil, etc.
2. Heat small pot of water. Must be hot enough just enough to scald you.
3. Dump dye contents into pot and stir.
4. Submerge battery cover completely and still gently for 15 minutes. Use a soft utensil as to not scrap or scratch your cover.
5. After desired dying is achieved, remove and place under sink spicket and rinse until no more dye is seen. Dry and its ready to use!

It really is that easy.

(Of course I dont take any responsibility. I only offer the experience and results shown thereafter in the pics. Please repeat at your own risk)

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Thanks!
Please let us know if you start noticing any uneven discoloration or blemishes within the upcoming days/weeks though

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

So is it $1.48 at Walmart? Link shows $2.49. Don't know if I can do $2.49. lol

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

The dye shouldn't stick to any "non porous" type plastic. Inside, camera lens area. You should be "golden" there.

I've done this "dye" trick on plastic gun stocks, etc. Works very well.

I don't mind the silver and I have the invisibleshield on there and don't want to mess it up by taking it off now.

The only catch here, is occasionally the salt in the sweat from your hand will cause a bit of slight bleed over onto your skin. Also, eventually it will fade from UV, etc as it's dye and not actual pigment embedded in the plastic. Once every 6 months you might have to re-dye it for the deepest coloring. Maybe longer. Just a guess on the timing based on other porous plastic I've dyed in the past.

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Ok So It Looks Good , Now Even Thou U Washed It Off With Cold Water , Just So Ppl Know My Experance With That Die Has Been Staining Aftermath, Question Is To You How Long Have You Held It At One Time And Did The Die Stain Your Hands ??
Im Sure It Did Till Theres Enuff Wear And Tear..

Cause That Be Some Funny Shiznit To Have A Hundred Ppl Running Around With A Stain Here And There , As Cold It Wont Stain As Bad As It Will Warm. (sweaty Palms)(heated Form Long Call)

But At A Sellers Point To Clean It Up Easy Enuff To Pass It Off To An Unsespecting Buyer ....lol

Surly After You Do It Theres No Return , Again I Have Used Those Dies, As Well As Shoe Polishes To Make Things Look Better For Temp Reasons.

But If You Seal It With Some Type Of Waterprofing Solution That Will Stop The Staining

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

if it messes up u owe me another cover for puttin this idea into my head lololol

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

So far I have taken the first step. Those willing to venture the waters please report your own personal findings. I will report myself any issues with the dying process and longevity thereafter.

This has compelled me to purchase more covers and dye them different colors so that I can mix & match with changing themes. Seems foolish but then when you pay this much for a toy/business powerhouse, why not spend a little here and there to continue its luster...

Hmmm. Maybe I should start a sweat shop, dip & dye covers, and sell them on Ebay for $19.95... plus shipping $6.96. ;-)

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

Where/how do you purchase more covers?

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

let's try bedazzling it next

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

does the dye wear off ?

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

ROFL

It does indeed look good, but I still want the original diamond cover :(

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

I think if anyone wants to buy more covers to dye, you might as well wait and get the back cover for the Telus which is already black. I couldn't find them online at the moment but eventually I'm sure they will pop up. This DIY is a temp for me until those become available.

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

funniest thing i've seen all day!! ROFL

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

what about dying the cover and putting a skin on, would the skin hold? if it does it might just make the dye last longer?

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

This is pretty sweet. But yeah, where can we buy extra covers?

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

too bad the covers aren't flexible, I could really dig a tye-dye phone.

Re: A $1.48 goes a long way... Black Battery Cover!
 

You must not take many pictures, because man, you are going to wear out your phone in no time... the battery cover is not intended to be removed that often. That's why there is a clear opening for the lens! ;)