The Process

Our Process

Our Process dyeing discs was developed the exact same way as our process disc golfing, self taught with loads of trial and error through experimentation.  Eventually after finding a helpful video or two we were able to straighten the compass a bit and start the process of trial and error through more experimentation all over again.  There’s no failures in this game if you’re willing to keep your antenna high and take the lessons each experiment has to offer.  Trust me, I’ve learned way more from the broken eggs along the way than the omelets.

Not unlike most stones, if you keep banging on it, it’s going to break.  The lessons are easy anyways when it’s a true labor of love.  Eventually they start to pile up into a database of situational knowledge that translates into a confident craftsmanship…and some pretty hot plastic!  Learn more here about the ins and outs of what it is we do to take a disc from a plastic circle all the way through to someone’s prized possession.

Basement
Disc Dyeing

Trial and error, experimenting, and not being afraid of failure have been the three main additives in the fuel tank powering this machine.  All of our mixes, ratios, measurements, and methods have been developed the good old fashion way…by figuring it out.  None of them are perfect at this point, in fact they’re all still growing and maturing, but they’re tried and tested and straight out of the basement.  We’re happy to show you what we’ve learned, but nothing replaces Doing It!

Pretty maids all lined up in a row!  This is about as production line as it gets around these parts.  Counter space, if nothing else, imposes its’ limits on the TDIDI Disc Dyeing Studio, as this batch of discs lay tucked all snug in their background beds eagerly awaiting a morning rinse.  Just one the many steps along the way in the process of turning a piece of plastic into a someone’s prized possession.

Just like my main man “44” here working on his own Dragon Ball Z discs, every piece of plastic we dye in our makeshift studio is treated like it’s going into our own bags.  The same adage we all heard growing up in “treat it like it’s your own” continues to guide us now from the first steps of planning and preparation, through the last steps of execution and delivery.

Robert Pirsig

Quality and Care

I’ve always been a big fan of the classic book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig.  It explores the author’s “Metaphysics of Quality” with an incredibly deep dive that has always stuck with me.  While the book deems the term ‘quality’ itself to be virtually undefinable, he describes quality and care as being two sides of the same coin saying:

“Care and Quality are internal and external aspects of the same thing. A person who sees Quality and feels it as he works is a person who cares. A person who cares about what he sees and does is a person who’s bound to have some characteristic of quality.”

Pirsig’s notions of quality and care are innately tied to his conception of work.  Both what it is normally and what it could become if we had a better understanding of how quality and care affect the work we do, and the way we do it.  Maybe a little heavy for a disc dyeing page, but his train of thought is the best analog I’ve found to describe our take on Quality and Care.

1 of 1 Customs

Every disc starts out as just an idea, an image in the mind’s eye begging to get out.  Each progressively develops and matures into its’ own singular creation made for just one person in mind.  Even discs with the same design or stamp all come out completely different taking on a life of their own.  You can be confident holding your TDIDI Custom in hand that no one else on the planet has one just like it.  What’s the image painted over your mind’s eye?  Let’s bring it to a reality and fancy it up on some premium plastic, a 1-of-1 custom disc made for just one…you!

Packaging
and Shipping

I personally package and ship every disc myself in hopes of it making it all the way to your hands in the exact condition it left mine.  Double bubble envelopes, cardboard backings, a few extra goodies, and a plea on the outside of every package to not “taco” it into the mailbox, serve to curb my nerves and anxiety while it travels the space between us.  Every single disc is treated like the most valuable piece of inventory headed out of the studio.

Packaging-Supplies

What Our Customers Have to Say

The Basics on Bone

Nickname: Bone, Boner, Wannabone

Age: Chris is the more than just the token Asian of our group, he’s also our only Millennial.

Area of Origin: Imported all the way over from under the rains of Seattle.

Prefered throwing style: Backhand and Overhand

Favorite throw: Signature Flip Flop Backhand Bomb

Favorite Driver: TDIDI custom Bone Huckface (Discmania Freak)

Favorite Fairway: The TDIDI custom Geometric Spiral Flick I stole out of Cobbers bag a couple years back.

Favorite Midrange: TDIDI custom Seattle Seahawks Skyline Innova Star Gator

 

Chris
Wannebo

"Bone"

Bone brings the laughter…once he finally arrives.  Seriously, try and get all the way through Hole 1 still mad at him for being late, again.  Slow as he may be getting there he’s always quick in the box, and quick with a crooked smile follow by his signature chuckle.  Along with having mastered the art of driving in flip flops, Bone helps our Huck Crew keep things light and always filled with the kind of laughter that hurts your stomach a little!  Get ’em Bone!

Favorite putter: The Judge, and the verdict is in! None of us can keep up with Bone’s short game.

Favorite course: How can you not pick Druid Hill?!? Three full 18 holes courses, awesome DG scene, and all the trees you could ever want to hit!

PDGA #: (none currently) They’re just giving those out now?

Interests outside of DG: Camping, fishing, tending to his whip, driving fast, video games, chasing Mila around the yard, pool parties, and the occassional good old fashion game of shot dog.

Sports outside of DG: Ball golf, basketball, kayaking, snow boarding, biking, can-jam, smash ball, played some mean offensive line back in the day, figure skating, and interpretive dance.

The Basics on Old Man Cobbers

Nickname: Old Man Cobbers, Cobbers, Bob Cobb, Bobby Digital, Digital

Age: Obviously the old man of the crew…the beard is greying quickly.

Area of Origin: In the outskirts of the City of Brotherly Love, Go Birds!

Preferred throwing style: Backhand and Overhand

Favorite throw: Man I wish I could still throw my Thumber! While the old wing is recovering we’ll say it’s the Anny Backhand.

Favorite Driver: Scott Semposki edition “Crooked Dome” Star Sidewinder

Favorite Fairway: Tough call, but I’m going with my Champion Leopard3. Second disc I ever spun on the turntable.

Favorite Middy: Greg Renfro edition “War of the Worlds” Westside Tournament Warship


BObby
Curry

"Old Man Cobbers"

With several decades traveling around the sun, and the most senior member of our Crew, Cobbers has earned the Old Man ribbing he takes from the rest of the group.  Through all the travels and up and downs along the way, there’s always been Disc Golf there to escape to and feel like a kid again.  You can usually find him seeking that buzz that comes from one ripping off your fingertips, or spinning another fancied up piece of plastic from off his turntable in The Box.

Favorite putter:  TDIDI custom “D in the B” Discraft Zepplin. Maybe one of these days I’ll figure out how to use it.

Favorite course: I’m a real sucker for the whole circuit of courses we regularly tour in this great state of Maryland from Kinder Farm Park, to Rockburn, to Druid Hill. But I’ll always be a Philly boy at heart, and after just one round at Sedgley Woods I knew I was home. Love that place!

PDGA #: (none currently) Afraid my rating would break the system.

Interests outside of DG: Kind of into disc dyeing, painting, fishing, camping, rebuilding my camper for a 2nd life on the road, giving Jojo NBA 2K lessons (and other video games), and piloting the TDIDI Warship.

Sports outside of DG: Basketball, kayaking, skiing, biking, billiards, darts, horseshoes, and football back in the glory days.

The Basics on Bommers

Nickname: Bommers, Boms, BomBoms, Tommy Buttcheeks, T-Cheekers

Age: He’ll never tell

Area of Origin: Straight from the center of Sin City, VEGAS BABY! Or maybe it’s from out in the cornfields of PA? Whatever, he’s here now.

Prefered throwing style: Forehand Flicker and the occasional Backhand

Favorite throw: The Flick…I just like to flick it.

Favorite Driver: Feel the wrath of the Wraith!

Favorite Fairway: Feel more of the wrath of the Wraith!

Favorite Middy: SKEETER! When you hear it yelled out good things are about to happen. …or more of the wrath of the Wraith!

Tommy
Wells

"Bommers"

Boms brings the energy!  Real piece of work that guy…  You can’t go a round without hearing him bellow out a “DEUCE”, or “UGH Upper Lipper”, or “OOOOHHH NOOOOOOO!”  Which ever it is, everyone always knows where we’re at on the course when Bommers is along announcing the good times.  He’s our group’s only regular forehand flicker and has honed his trusty Wraith in for virtually any spot on the course.  Get it Bommers!

Favorite Putter: Goes back and forth on every hole. Wizard to the Judge then back to the Wraith, seriously!

Favorite course: Boms loves that short to short layout at Calvert Road Park. Just don’t ask him to play from the long tees, Ace hunting is his thing!

PDGA #: (none currently) No chance they’d give him one.

Interests outside of DG: Camping, fishing, loves fixing and building stuff (usually after breaking it), video games, masterful with the camcorder, good food, and portion control.

Sports outside of DG: Kayaking, skiing, beer pong, cornhole, foosball, most all carnival games really (especially ringing the bell with that big hammer), can we count camping and fishing again here so I feel more like an athlete?

The Basics on 44

Nickname: 44, VP Incorporated, SPB

Age: Stopped counting years and started counting coins about 5 years back.

Area of Origin: Born here, raised here, probably die here.

Prefered throwing style: Backhand with a burgeoning Forehand Flick

Favorite throw: The 44 Hyzer Bomb

Favorite Driver: TDIDI custom Captain Caveman (Champion Blizzard Wraith)

Favorite Fairway: Innova DX Gazelle

Favorite Midrange: TDIDI custom US Gold Eagle Coin (Champion Mako3)

Favorite putter: Still sorting those putter things out. Since I can’t throw one it’s usually my KC Pro Roc, Mako3, or my driver after parking it.

Shawn
Bernard

"44"

Shawn is the rookie of the group who right after he started hucking ’em with us…broke his arm at work.  He got in more than enough beforehand though to catch the fever!  All healed up, now he’s back to slinging plastic with the boys and already challenging the top of our leader board.  It may take him forever to finally huck it, but it’s hard to argue with his methods as he out drives us all.  

Favorite course: Kinder Farm Park all the way! Pretty good chance you’ll find him on one hole or another almost every day of the week.

PDGA #: 129578, thanks mom and dad!

Interests outside of DG: Stacking gold and silver coins, playing poker, metal casting, taking my pitbull to the park and community beach, blowing off the meanest backyard firework displays you’ve ever seen, and trying to get my white boy rhythm back and improve my dance moves.

Sports outside of DG: May not have been blessed with what you’d call and athletic frame. More built to sling plastic than anything else, but I love kayaking, hiking, and getting dragged all over the park by my dog that weighs more than I do…really should be a sport!

The Basics on The Burkeman

Nickname: The Burkeman, Jojo, Stretch, Pipeline, White Lightning (so he says)

Age: Newly Wed (whole life ahead of him…)

Area of Origin: A true Annapolitan, Jojo holds the home field advantage.

Prefered throwing style: Backhand and Overhand

Favorite throw: Oh, it’s Hammertime! Many years of baseball, and a trebuche for a right arm, has Jojo deadly accurate with the Hammer and Thumber.

Favorite Driver: TDIDI custom Hammertime Champion Destroyer

Favorite Fairway: X to the Z edition Star Mamba

Favorite Midrange: Usually pull out my trusty Leopard for upshots. It’s all about the second shot baby!

 

Joe
Burke

"The Burkeman"

The Burkeman is without question The Spirit of our little Huck Crew.  We all have one of those friends who’s ready to Do It at the drop of a hat, whatever “It” is…that’s The Burkeman!  His energy is infectious and almost impossible to resist.  But really who’d want to?!?  He’s also our acting Sherpa having been born and raised in these parts.  Always ready to lead us into our next adventure, Jojo brings enough Doing It to keep our whole group going at all times!

Favorite putter: Does it really even matter when you can’t make any of them find the chains? Fine, my Aviar that I aptly named Dr. Hole Seeker MD.

Favorite course: Kinder Farm Park! Jojo grew up as a wee lad hucking his way though the woods of KFDGC. With around three full decades abusing the trees here, he has elevated himself to Sherpa status on these trails.

PDGA #: (expired)

Interests outside of DG: Mostly making his new wife happy, jamming out to old vinyl, long walks with Lefty, camping, fishing, taking endless lesson from Old Man Cobbers in NBA 2K, and most importantly being a bad ass disc golf dad to the newest member of his family and our Huck Crew!

Sports outside of DG: Basketball, baseball, ball golf, kayaking, skiing, biking, foosball, cornhole, darts and really any other sport that allows you to play with a beer in one hand.

The Basics on X to the Z

Nickname: X to the Z, Xander, The Gator, Del, Chris?

Age: Wizard level (above Harry Potter but younger than Gandalf)

Area of Origin: High atop the Pocono mountains

Prefered throwing style: Forehand and Backhand

Favorite throw: The hyzer flip

Favorite Driver: Prodigy 400g D2, Dynamic Discs Vandal, Innova Sidewinder, MVP Fission Photon

Favorite Fairway: Innova Leopard, Legacy Rival, Innova Firebird

Favorite Midrange: Axiom Theory, Innova Roc (all), DD Justice, Prodigy A1

 

Xander Zaretzit

"X to the Z"

Xander is a late addition to our crew, and the first member of the TDIDI Army to be officially indoctrinated into the TDIDI Huck Crew!  From Shakespearean level commenter on our videos, to long distance disc dyeing mentor, to ski trip bunk up, to huck buddy and friend, X is the actual embodiment of what makes the TDIDI Army so awesome.  Now, just another one of the stooges in our crew!

Favorite putter:  DD Keystone, Reptilian Disc Stego (quite possibly the MOST overstable disc in the known universe…cuz yeah, that’s how I roll.)

Favorite course: Villas Crossing, course no longer exists but at the time it was a divine design. Butter Valley DGC, Steal Club DGC, Blue Mountain DGC, and Muddy Run DGC are my runner ups.

PDGA #: (none currently)

Interests outside of DG: I’m a disc dyer as well as a cinephile (I like watching shows and movies) and a foodie.

Sports outside of DG: ski/snowboarding, biking, ice/inline skating, competitive eating (I just lose a lot).