I just placed an order on the website and I tried to send an email enquiry afterwards. For some reason, I got an error message saying that my email address had been rejected by the server. I thought I’d ask here as I know Mr. Snuff is a member here and my questions may be of interest to other forum members. I just ordered one of the snuffhouse-designed plastic snuff boxes. I got a red one because black is out of stock. I have two questions: 1. I understand that you had these made for you. Do you happen to know what type of plastic they are made out of? The reason that I ask is that, if possible, I would like to dye it. Some plastics will take dye, whereas others will turn into molten goop. 2. When do you think you will have the black version of both the snuffhouse box and the larger box in stock? If the plastic turns out to be a dyeable one, I’ll post a photo tutorial here. It’s really easy to do, and you can get some really cool effects.

I should probably keep this to myself because I don’t know the particulars of the manufacture of this box, but I have a red box and my guess would be Styrene.

That would be both a bad thing and a good thing in my book. Bad because styrene melts too easily, making dyeing risky if not impossible. Good because a tiny amount of acetone applied to the side mechanism would rid me of the tap box function. I’m not really fond of tap boxes because I prefer to pinch. I’m getting by with a 1oz stainless flask at the moment, but the reason I’m buying one of these boxes is to finally obtain the ‘holy grail’, ie a snuff-tight container to pinch from (smash boxes don’t do it for me).

The box I Use is the Mr Snuff box the slightly larger of the 2, I just went back and reread your original post. I have the Snuffhouse box, but it’s put away mine doesn’t close properly. There is a possibility it’s ABS, I was considering the Krylon spray made specifically for plastic, and only doing the outside.

I’ve heard a little sandpaper will work to rough the lips of the Snuffhouse box and they will close properly. Just a memory of something I read. Never had one so can’t say for sure.

it’s actualy naughabone. From the Naugha which we get naughahyde from.

I wasn’t aware that there were problems with the lid closing properly on these boxes. I hope mine’s ok, or that it’s at least fixable. That Krylon spray can be a little disappointing. I used it to paint a few things, and it works ok providing it’s not an object that is subject to a lot of wear and tear. I used it to paint the plastic parts of my ipod. It lasted quite a while, maybe six months or so, but now it looks awful because the paint has scratched or worn away in a few areas. This is exactly the reason I am interested in dyeing my box, dye is a lot more durable because it penetrates the surface of the plastic. It is still possible to wear dye away (well actually, wear the surface of the plastic away) but it takes a lot longer and the item can be redyed.

im hoping the box i have coming is ok too… keep us updated, this sounds like a good idea.

How do you go about dying plastics? Chrome plating also would be awesome

The only time I’ve problems with my snuff boxes closing is when I filled them up with to much snuff. Some snuff seems like it gets behind the hinge and pops it up a bit. When that happens I tap it against my leg to get it to compact at the front. That usually fixes the problem.

Great, I’ll be buying a few of the black ones when they come in. Don’t worry about finding out what type of plastic they are made of if it’s going to be a hassle, I’m sure you’re already quite busy enough! It’s not really a big deal anyway if you’re getting more black ones in. @basement_shaman: you can dye a lot of plastics using ordinary clothes dye; Rit, Dylon etc. People dye keyboard keycaps all the time. I’ve also used it very successfully on the bone scales (handles) of pocket knives. So long as the material will withstand the temperature of simmering water, there’s a pretty good chance you can dye it.

I just 2 wooden snuff boxes. Too bad I had to get them from Ireland rather than from New York!

@doctorbeat https://www.google.com/search?q=tie+dye+disc+golf&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=h-KPUYzFNtGK0QHKvoCABw&ved=0CAoQ\\_AUoAQ&biw=1360&bih=667 I thought you knew how I could tie dye a box, not just a single color I wanted to try some designs. could try permanent markers for my Personalization of my boxes

I always put plastic repair material between the little tabs on the inside of the slider to keep them from breaking, Works great.

I had a MrSnuff box Chrome plated looked great , I wasted two boxs doing it , Learned alot spent alot .Only box I’ve ever had stolen!

I wasn’t aware that there were problems with the lid closing properly on these boxes. I hope mine’s ok, or that it’s at least fixable. That Krylon spray can be a little disappointing. I used it to paint a few things, and it works ok providing it’s not an object that is subject to a lot of wear and tear. I used it to paint the plastic parts of my ipod. It lasted quite a while, maybe six months or so, but now it looks awful because the paint has scratched or worn away in a few areas. This is exactly the reason I am interested in dyeing my box, dye is a lot more durable because it penetrates the surface of the plastic. It is still possible to wear dye away (well actually, wear the surface of the plastic away) but it takes a lot longer and the item can be redyed.

That’s pretty much what’s kept me from doing it so far. I was looking for an excuse to try it on something else first. I’ve used the paint on a door panel for an old ford pickup and it coated real well but this area of the didn’t get much handling so it wasn’t much of a test. I think the problem with my Snuffhouse box is a sprue of plastic right on the back of the hinge area and has the effect mentioned by @distaind up above. I’m sure I could carefully take it off but it’s an awkward area and I could easily do more harm than good.

@doctorbeat https://www.google.com/search?q=tie+dye+disc+golf&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=h-KPUYzFNtGK0QHKvoCABw&ved=0CAoQ\\_AUoAQ&biw=1360&bih=667 I thought you knew how I could tie dye a box, not just a single color I wanted to try some designs. could try permanent markers for my Personalization of my boxes

@basement_shaman: You could’t do tie dye for obvious reasons, but you can get different effects by dipping only part of the box in the dye, overdyeing with a different color etc. I don’t think permanent markers would be much good, they wouldn’t absorb into the plastic, and they aren’t very permanent. If the box is ABS plastic, the world is your oyster even though it’s nigh on impossible to dye it. ABS dissolves readily in acetone. You can make anything from a thin ‘paint’ to a thick ‘goop’. You can use this either for painting onto the plastic or to join two pieces of ABS together. It partially dissolves the surface of the plastic and becomes part of it (it’s called ‘solvent-welding’) If you apply some pure acetone to an inconspicuous area of your box and it makes it go sticky, it is almost certainly ABS. Legos are a good source of colored ABS. Cover a lego brick in acetone and leave it overnight to make the goop. For some reason, red legos don’t seem to work as well as the other colors. If these boxes are ABS, this opens up some amazing customization opportunities. Cut a design out of thin ABS sheet and attach it with ABS goop. Imagine all the appliqué designs you could make! If the boxes aren’t ABS, you’re out of luck I’ll test mine when it arrives. I want to get rid of the side mechanism anyway, so I’ll see if I can weld it shut with acetone. If it works, then we’ll know the boxes are ABS. If it doesn’t, then the acetone will evaporate away and my box will be none the worse.

@basement_shaman There is always Hydrographics Dip the box in colors or patterns , check it . http://www.ekhatch.com/2009/06/24/hydrographics/

@doctorbeat when you use acetone to “weld”, allow a long drying period before using. Your mixing the acetone with the molten plastic, so dry to the touch really won’t be sufficient to remove all the solvent. Acetone is nasty stuff and doesn’t make a good snuff flavor.

Good point which I knew about but neglected to mention! I’d say a minimum of 48 hours in a warm place with the lid open before using

Well astonishingly my order arrived today! That was bloody fast! Anyway, I am pleased with my snuffhouse snuff box. It’s just the right size for my usage and seems well made and snuff-tight. I did of course test it immediately with pure acetone, and it did indeed attack the plastic. The most likely means that the box is ABS, and thus cannot readily be dyed, but can be customized as per my post above. There are a couple of other plastics that it could be, but ABS (or its close relative polystyrene) is by far the most likely candidate. I’m not hugely keen on the tap-out feature, but that is only a personal preference. The mechanism works very well, and if you like tap-out boxes, you would find it to be a good example of the breed.

Just a quick update: These are by far the best snuff boxes I have ever used; a flip top box so I can pinch, yet doesn’t leak (or at least leaks so little that it’s barely noticable). I say ‘these’, because I liked mine so much that I bought two more from a member here. I’ll be buying more in the future too. I successfully used my acetone goop to glue the tap-out side piece permanently closed. The cement also filled all the small gaps, so it’s one less point of egress for snuff. I glued it shut by removing the side piece, smearing cement on it and snapping it back into place. I only did it on two boxes so far so I still have one to use. The other two are going to sit with their lids open for a minimum of a week to get rid of all the acetone. If you want to do the same thing, but can’t be bothered to make acetone goop, polystyrene cement as used for building model kits will work just as well. Remember to let it air out thoroughly before use!