Hi All

Looking for advice on what I could use to tint epoxy resin to a black (or at
least, a very dark) colour. I am facinataed by fine small boxes and I want
to try different infill or inlay materials. One aplication is to infill
with irregularly shaped small twigs embedded in epoxy, all sanded flush to
top of a bix lid. For contrast, a dark colourred epoxy would look best IMO.

Any ideas/experience with tinting epoxy?

Thanks

Ken

"K & C Hunter" wrote in message
...
Hi All

Looking for advice on what I could use to tint epoxy resin to a black (or
at
least, a very dark) colour. I am facinataed by fine small boxes and I
want
to try different infill or inlay materials. One aplication is to infill
with irregularly shaped small twigs embedded in epoxy, all sanded flush to
top of a bix lid. For contrast, a dark colourred epoxy would look best
IMO.

Any ideas/experience with tinting epoxy?

Thanks

Ken



If you want to tint small quantities, I have used laser printer toner. Just
get an old used up cartridge and open it. You will find enough to tint
quite a bit of epoxy just from what is left in a cartridge. I have also
tinted epoxy using the chalk that is used for chalk snap lines. You can
find it in blue, red, yellow, and I think I have seen black. A little goes
a long way, at least for the black toner. You can also buy tint especially
for epoxy, but if you are like me you just need a little bit. I have also
seen artist paints used to tint epoxy as part of a woodturning demo, but I
don't remember the details enough to help you. None of this would I
recommend if the epoxy is structural, but for filling and inlays it won't
affect the epoxy in any noticeable way.

--
********
Bill Pounds
http://www.billpounds.com

On 14-Dec-2005, "K & C Hunter" wrote:

Any ideas/experience with tinting epoxy?

I once tried to tint epoxy (West Systems) black with the tints sold for polyester
gelcoat. The results were not great - the thinnest parts of the epoxy were almost
clear and only the thick areas were opaque. Not recommended.

Mike

K & C Hunter wrote:

Any ideas/experience with tinting epoxy?

What about mixing in tempera paint powder?

Chris

On Wed, 14 Dec 2005 22:18:12 GMT, "K & C Hunter"
wrote:

Looking for advice on what I could use to tint epoxy resin

Almost anything. Artists' acrylics are one of the most convenient.
You'll probably want to fill the epoxy too - this also makes it more
opaque and easier to scrape or sand. I use phenolic microballoons (West
System), which work fine with dark tints.

Jewelry supply houses sell kits of different colored epoxy as an enamel
substitute. Should work great for what your doing.

I'm going with Bill on this one. I turn a lot of wormy mesquite, and I
fill most of it with epoxy tinted with copier or laser cartridge toner.
On small holes and termite runs it can look really nice.

However, it can look like black plastic if you have a lot of it,
depending on how far you take your sanding/polishing routine. I am now
adding a little ground coffee to the epoxy/toner mix and it looks more
natural to see the brown flecks in the black. I have also used key
filings from the local hardware store that I crush with a hammer mixed
in with the toner and it looks pretty good if you don't overdo it.
Just about anything will work as long as it isn't too absorbant since
you aren't using the epoxy as an adhesive, just a resin mixture.

I would watch out putting anything in the epoxy and leaving it clear.
After a period of time, in my experience it yellows.

Robert

wrote:


I would watch out putting anything in the epoxy and leaving it clear.
After a period of time, in my experience it yellows.


UV attacks epoxy.

Black hides the problem.

Try some micro-balloons as a filler.

Think you will like the results.

Lew

I have used artist's oil colors sold in small tubes at any art supply store.
There are hundreds of colors available! For my application, fiberglassing
the floor of a sauna, it worked beautifully.

In one of my discussions with the WEST Epoxy people . . . they recommended a
water-soluable DYE {or alcohol soluable?}.

A little goes a long way . . . and it's another example of 'multi-tasking'.

Regards & good luck,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop

"Mike in Arkansas" wrote in message
oups.com...
Jewelry supply houses sell kits of different colored epoxy as an enamel
substitute. Should work great for what your doing.

System Three (1-800-333-5514, last number I had) sells both graphite
powder and pigments. They'll also send a catalog.

No financial interest -- &c. -- just a satisfied customer.

Joel Jacobson

Just be careful with ink toner, that stuff is seriously toxic. In
several states they require state workers who deal with copy machines
etc. (i.e., secretarial staff) to go to a training course before
messing with those cartridges.

H

On Thu, 15 Dec 2005 22:50:20 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "Ron
Magen" quickly quoth:

In one of my discussions with the WEST Epoxy people . . . they recommended a
water-soluable DYE {or alcohol soluable?}.

A little goes a long way . . . and it's another example of 'multi-tasking'.

http://www.wdlockwood.com/main.html is about half the price of
everyone else. I'll bet Jeff J. buys from them. g

--
Vidi, Vici, Veni
---
http://diversify.com Comprehensive Website Development

Thanks to all for the fine suggestions. With regard to pigment-type
additions, I would have thought that these might leach out of the epoxy over
time, but I will give it a go in any case.

Regards to all.

Ken H

On Sat, 17 Dec 2005 10:11:15 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "K & C
Hunter" quickly quoth:

Thanks to all for the fine suggestions. With regard to pigment-type
additions, I would have thought that these might leach out of the epoxy over
time, but I will give it a go in any case.

If you're worried, lay down a coat or two of finish before cutting the
inlay. It will protect the bare wood while you lay in the tinted
epoxy. I understand that a hand scraper (used on the epoxy prior to it
fully setting up) will be the easiest and least messy way to bring it
flat.


--
As a well spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death.
--Leonard da Vinci (1452-1519)

Hello Ken;

I regularly cast parts using West Systems epoxy, tinted black by mixing
in powered acohol-soluable dye, as is commonly sold for woodworking
finishing. That's given me the deepest black color of anything I've
tried.

Bruce Johnson
Johnson's Extremely Strange Musical Instrument Co.
Burbank, CA