Hydro dipping o gauge trains

What in the wide wide world of sports is that?

Are you talking about placing the model under water, spraying paint on the surface and pulling the model up through the paint??? I've done it with plastic models about the same size as O bodies so....yes.

Big Jim posted:

What in the wide wide world of sports is that?

https://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+hydro+dipping

I've seen it done to plastic car bodies, lexan R/C car bodies, and even slot car controllers, so I don't see why it couldn't be applied to model train shells. 

Big Jim posted:

What in the wide wide world of sports is that?

It's a painting process where the body shell would be dipped in a tub of hydro graphics paint and water i would show pictures but i can't copy and paste on my phone

Here are some good examples.... 

It's a glorified decal process. Just takes a little patience to do it right.

I'd have to say it is a very unique printing process vs a glorified decal or a painting method.

E.g., You could hydro print onto decal film if you choose to 

Whatever floats your boat  !!  So to speak.

Dang! Shades of Timothy Leary!!!

This technique is popular on electric guitars. 

I didn't get the video last look.

   That is more like a dipping in psychedelic Easter egg dye than the nice image transfers I had seen done previously. Nice flame and carbon fiber simulation though.

It would make for a very unique train car!!!

If they can do car bumper sized objects an O scale boxcar should be easy.

I wonder what the cost is?

How would you line up the features to match the body?  The process is great for repeating patterns where alignment isn't required.  But for adding detail to a model train, I can't see it give desirable results.

I prefer sheep dip to hydro dip.  But maybe that's just me.  

I prefer chip dip to sheep dip... I think

  As a non-proto paint job I can see the appeal, I'm just not "feeling it" for my trains, but that is personal; go for it. I'd do it on a helmet, gas tank, hood, etc.    I might rather have this done than buy a sports team, or superhero, or "insert marketing brand here" graphics job on a train. (I'm a sucker for a good logo or billboard though; tough call)

  I did do reading on this all a while back while researching liquid metal & magnetism for construction of objects.  Better print oriented alignment and detail using magnetism on pigments has been progressing fast. Automated dips are used vs the hand dip too.  This may be the future for a lot of better mfg printing being done on irregular shapes. And you can also bet it is being researched deeply as it stands to be a more cost effective, EPA friendly,  and overall more versitile print tool. (Imagine magnetism recollecting and sorting pigments for the next dip. Good pigment isn't cheap) I'm also curious about the possibility of layering results using and altering the specific gravity of the liquids; to lay specific overlapping half tone layers, etc.. in one dip.