9 replies to this topic

[RobertJ]

Has anyone here dyed Ytong or Firebrick? I am working on a K-23 nest and would like to make it a bit more natural dirt colored than the off white it comes and am looking for some help as to how to go about dyeing it. I am curious if Tea would work?

Edited by RobertJ, February 13 2019 - 2:10 PM.

[sirjordanncurtis]

I think usually people just paint the gypsum after it's been constructed.

[Ants4fun]

I think usually people just paint the gypsum after it's been constructed.

He's talking about k-23 firebrick, which is made of ceramic materials.

Normal paint releases toxins even after it's dried. You can use non-toxic paints, tea, or even colored grouts and plasters.

[ANTdrew]

Black walnut shells have a powerful dye in them. I'm not sure if the compounds in it are ant friendly - many plants cannot grow under black walnuts trees because of the compounds they release in the soil.

 

Beets or red cabbage could give you a red nest, but that wouldn't necessarily be natural looking.

[drtrmiller]

I know it looks funny, but the word should be "dyeing," unless the bricks are near the point of death.

 

Look online for natural, water-soluble pigments and conduct some small-scale tests before the intended application.

[RobertJ]

Yeah I realized my auto-correct hosed me after I had hit submit haha.

As far searching on Google...I have a decent black belt in google-fu and still have yet to find much regarding dyeing K-23 or Ytong with tea, coffee or any other materials. I surely do not want to paint the brick as that just looks tacky in my opinion.

[Ender Ants]

Yeah I realized my auto-correct hosed me after I had hit submit haha.

As far searching on Google...I have a decent black belt in google-fu and still have yet to find much regarding dyeing K-23 or Ytong with tea, coffee or any other materials. I surely do not want to paint the brick as that just looks tacky in my opinion.

 

K-23 brick is safe for housing ants right? I'm also in the process of making a nest for a colony, and hopefully this species is unable to chew through this material even though it is pretty brittle

[RobertJ]

K-23 is very safe for them. It's comparable to Ytong...a little softer but similar.

[Ender Ants]

K-23 is very safe for them. It's comparable to Ytong...a little softer but similar.

Finished making my nest a few weeks back, and it is a really soft material. I really like how it was easy to carve, but I feel like it is too soft to house Fire Ants, or Harvesters. Will be making a video on making the nest, since its not that well known, and can be bought at a cheap price. 

[CoolColJ]

if the nest is inside a container or tank then it won't matter if the ants chew through it