Thursday, November 1, 2012

Good News and Bad News


     This here is my first disc dye job. It is nothing special when you have seen the work of some experienced disc dyers, but I am really happy with how it turned out (the good news). It was a bit of a trial run in preparation for dying a disc for my sister's birthday.
     Why the taco bell logo? I like to imagine that taco bell is my sponsor. On Fridays I get off work early and when I can I go disc golfing on my way home. But not without powering up first with a delicious $2 meal deal from Taco Bell with a cool refreshing Baja Blast soda.
      Though this dye job may look simple, it is actually a very complicated process involving acetone, xacto knives, masking vinyl, light box, transfer tape, dye, and alcohol (not the kind you drink). Why all the fuss? The finished product is a unique disc with a personalized image that will never wear off. Art you can throw (haven't you always wanted to throw art?).The images (called stamps) that are on a disc when you buy it wear off and they are not unique. There is a dedicated sub-subculture of disc golfers who create immaculate multi-color dyes. After seeing some of their work, I have a hard time imagining that they actually go disc golfing any more. Their discs look like they would take all of their free time to create. Very cool stuff. Here are some samples.
So what is the bad news? My Taco Bell disc is basically unthrowable. I threw it for my first time yesterday and it immediately dives left (overstable) and spikes into the ground. It is supposed to be a Katana (which is not an overstable disc, I already have a couple Katanas and I really like them). This is a mutant disc. It is either mislabeled or it was malformed. I was really looking forward to putting this disc in my bag but it looks like it will probably end up on a shelf in my garage. Now I know. Before you dye it, throw it.