Can dyeing plastic cause it to weaken?
I almost posted this is the thread about dying PMAGs but I feel it warranted its own thread since this is more a technical question.
I had a series of failures with high quality products from two very high quality companies.
Product 1: Tango Down FDE Battlegrip (BG16)
Product 2: Three Magpul FDE PMAGs.
Here is the background. All products were originally FDE but had been dyed black using powdered Rit dye.
The gun had been left in my trunk overnight and was almost painful to touch. Temperature was in the low teens if I had to guess.
Two of the PMAGs cracked down the spine. And a third had one of the feed lips crack off in the gun. None of them had experienced hard use before that day.
None none of the black or undyed FDE mags had any problems.
When I got home I noticed that the Tango down grip had cracked on of the the sides. The only mods made to the grip besides the dye was minor sanding along the back to smooth out a sharp edge where it did not mate with the gun perfectly. This was not the point of failure.
I have contracted both companies and they have asked for the items back to check them and I am more than happy to provide this. They have also both offered replacements.
I have complete faith in both Magpul and Tango Down and these problems do not shake that faith.
My real concern is that the dying process is somehow weakening the material used in these products.
Thoughts?