Make sure you have your parents permission or supervision when dying your stick, as hot liquids and potentially poisonous materials are handled.

Some of the best stringers I know cower when they are asked to dye something. Truth is, dying isn't nearly as hard as it sounds. It can be, however, more expensive than stringing, because once a head is dyed, you can't undye it, but you can unstring a strung head if you screw it up. For the most part, in dying, you get one shot at doing it right. This guide will help you to decrease your odds of creating an $80 blob of dye.

Step 1

The first step of dying is one that alot of people overlook, the planning stage. You should make a color drawing of the head and have full instructions written out, they should cover taping, gluing, etc.

Step Two

The second step is to go out and buy the materials, mainly, dye. The best type of dye out there is RIT dye. Most companies that dye use it. A growing idea that saves you the risk of turning your sink blue is to buy an aluminum turkey pan that is big enough to submerge your stick in water. Rubbber gloves might be a good idea also.

Step Three

Next, you need to measure out how much water is needed to submerge the stick, and determine how much dye you are going to put in the water. Now all your drawings and calculations should be complete. Lets get on to the fun stuff!

Step Four

Now tape, glue, and do whatever else you have to do to prepare for the first dying. Boil the amount of water you determined before, and fill your sink or turkey pan with the water after it has come to a boil, and add the dye. Now, drop in your UNSTRUNG head. I say unstrung because strings do not hold dye as well as the plastic, so your colors might be off. Also, the high heat of the water might melt the strings.

Step Five

When the head has reached the darkness you would like it at, remove it from the water, and immediately rinse it in cold water to remove excess dye. Dry it off with a paper towel or old dish rag. Remove the tape/glue only when completely dry. If you are only doing one color, you are finished. If you plan to do more than one color, repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have finished.