Curious to know how you did the dye job -- would help me differentiate between the two 521's in our household.
Cheers.
You'll need a few things.
- Rit powdered Dye. Any color you want. According to their website you can make 500 colors by mixing them... I didn't try this.
- A pot you or your significant other wouldn't mind possibly having destroyed, or one of those disposable cooking trays you can buy at the grocery store
- White vinegar
- Dish soap
- Rubber gloves
- Chopsticks, or skewers or something to fish it out with.
Start by removing the foam rubber on the inside of the case. Set it aside somewhere safe, you'll want to put it back in the case. Stick it to the battery, that's fine.
Now, wash the case to remove any oils on the case. i like dawn and a old toothbrush for this. Wear gloves while you do it, so you don't add any oils. Rinse it off and set it aside.
Start to boil some water. Enough to cover the case, and then some. You want it to be completely submerged for an even color.
Get your prep area ready, with either the pot of water, or pour the water into the tray. Add the packet of dye (I've heard just a teaspoon will do, but go all out.) and mix with the chopsticks.
Add a few drops of the dish soap to break surface tension to make the case sink.
Add vinegar, start with a half a cup and mix it. You may need more. We'll see. The vinegar acts as a mild solvent and makes the plastic permeable to take the dye. You can also use acetone, but I think that might fully dissolve the case... It's pretty thin plastic.
Drop the case in, nokia logo side up. Push it down with the chopsticks if it won't stay down. It'll eventually stay on the bottom.
Let the case sit, for about a half hour. fish it out with the chopsticks (I always went through the camera hole) rinse it off and see if the dye is sticking.
If the dye rinses off, add more vinegar and repeat the process occasionally stirring the mixture.
All total, I let mine sit overnight. Just stop when you're happy with the color.
Tips:
- Some will say to keep the water hot by keeping it boiling to speed up the process. Don't. Room temperature water is fine. You'll melt the buttons on the side. My volume button is kind of melted now, but still works.
- The dye will stain things, like counter tops. so... be careful with it. Prep your area accordingly.
My next mod to the 521 is coming later this week. This might give a clue to it.