How To Use Pigments In Epoxy- RESINZWOOD

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Are you wanting to know all the facts about Mica Powders, Metallic pigments as well as pastes, dyes, inks etc well you are at the right place as here at RESINZWOOD, Resin Wood Tables NZ we have all the info for you.

Pigments like Pearl Mica are by far the standard type used to achieve some truly unique effects like multi tones, blended tones with endless possibilities of creativity.

Types of Pigments Available

RESINZWOOD primarily uses and sells Mica pigment on our site, including the shimmering, deluxe and pearl range of our partner Spectra Exclusive. Here we are also looking at the other types of pigments available that we may stock soon. Color Pigments, Mica Pigments, and Color Glitters. When you are thinking about the pigments with such a large range available it can be hard to decide what to get as each range has a lot of different colours. First determine what type of look and effect that you want your artistic piece to have. 

1. Color Pigments - are used to achieve a solid or semi-translucent color effect evenly. Organic pigments are presently synthesized from aromatic hydrocarbons.
2. Mica Powder Pigments - These Mica pigments or Mica powders as they are commonly referred to would be the most common, easy to use as well as creative pigments on the market today. They get their amazing shimmering and shine from the Mica. You will see that on our site we have the best prices for our own Mica Powder range.
3. Metallic Pigments are very similar to Mica pigments as they create that pearlescent or iridescent effect that looks multidimensional. Metallic pigments contain flakes or platelets of aluminum, copper, copper-zinc alloys, zinc and other metals. These flake pigments or pastes can be used to provide uniquely attractive aesthetics (with a high metallic brilliance, strong color flop etc.) in a wide variety of coatings applications. The down side with these metallic pigments is that for the turner on the lathe they will wear your tools out very fast due to this metal content.
4. Glitters - are a whole different kettle of fish one could say as they are made up from large metallic flakes that are colour coated. However you can get superfine glitters as well and once again these are not really that suitable for the turner in mind. Glitters like Glitter Pimp Glitters are great for all forms of Resin Art here in NZ as creative artists come up with some amazing pieces, these can be seen by looking through our INTL site on Facebook Epoxy Resin Ideas Global.

How Much Pigment Should I Be Using?

As a general rule of thumb 1 gram of Mica powder per 28 grams of resin is a good starting point for the smaller projects that can be used as a basic guideline. Remember you can always add more but you cannot subtract once added. To get the desired effect that we aim for here at RESINZWOOD, Resin Wood Tables NZ when doing large volumes we measure out say half a liter of resin into a clear plastic container then using a metric teaspoon as a guide we gradually add the pigment, dye or metallic till we get the colour and degree of translucent or opaque that we are looking for. Once this is done we calculate out from there based on the volume of Resin we will be using.

To avoid curing imperfections when adding pigment, ensure it is no more than 3% of your epoxy mixture by volume, and 10% by weight.

• For a Translucent opacity: use 1/16 tsp/Liter  
• Medium Opacity: ¼ tsp/Liter
• Solid Opaque  opacity: ½ tsp/Liter

How Should I Add Mix in my Pigment?

Gradually add your pigment stirring constantly as well as scraping the sides of your container. For large volumes from 5 to 20 liters for example once we know the volume of pigment needed in each for this example say 20 liter bucket we pour half a liter into a separate container gradually adding our Resinzwood pigment whilst mixing it in slowly. Once fully mixed we pass through a strainer to remove or breakdown any lumps left then pour into our main bucket for final blending.

Colour Testing - Are pigments the same colour dry as when wet / mixed,.

If you are new to the world of Resin Art or Resin work it is important to remember that what you see in the container will change once liquid is added. A safe and inexpensive way to check is to add some of your pigment to water and this will give you a true representation of what your colour will really look like.

Thanks for reading our info and we are here to help anytime so if you wish you can contact us here on our site or FaceBook Page so we can answer your questions.

Kindest Regards

Paul and RESINZWOOD TEAM