Pigments allow you to truly express your creative side with different colors, effects, and opacities; but how do you get the result you’re aiming for?
Pigments allow you to truly express your creative side with different colors, effects, and opacities; but how do you get the result you’re aiming for? This article will explain each pigment line’s properties, effects, how much to use, and tips for mixing and testing colors.
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The Effect of Each Pigment
EcoPoxy has three different pigment lines; Color Pigments, Metallic Pigments, and Color Glitters. Each are available in a variety of colors and each creates their own unique effect. To decide on the pigment line needed, first you will need to determine the effect you are going for.
- Color Pigments are used to attain a solid or semi-translucent color effect that is uniform.
- Metallic Pigments create a pearlescent or iridescent effect that looks multidimensional.
- Color Glitters are different from metallic pigments, and contain large flecks of colored glitter to add unique effects to your topcoat.
Pigment Properties and Amounts
Color Pigments
Color Pigments are used to attain a solid or semitranslucent, uniform color effect and can be mixed like you would with paint. The high tinting properties means you won’t need much to get the effect you want. Start slow and add more as needed.
How much Color Pigment to add:
For coloring FlowCast® at 1.5” thick:
- Translucent opacity: 1/16 tsp/litre
- Medium opacity: ¼ tsp/litre
- Opaque solid opacity: ½ tsp/litre
For coloring UVPoxy, we recommend exactly double these numbers at an 1/8" thick pour.
Features of Color Pigments:
- Perfect for a solid/uniform color
- Easily mixed into casting and coating epoxies
- Stays suspended in the epoxy during curing
- Can be cross mixed to create custom colors
Tips when using Color Pigments:
- 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 testing a colors opacity, read the last tip in this article.
- Remember, always add a little at a time, a little goes a long way! You are always able to add color if it’s too light, but you are not able to remove color if it is too dark.
Metallic Pigments
Metallic Pigments create a pearlescent or iridescent effect when mixed in your epoxy and can also be mixed together like you would with paint. Metallic Pigments have high tinting properties so a little goes a long way. The effect you are going for will determine how much pigment you need to add. As a rough starting point, you can use the below estimates but remember, you can always add more after mixing but you can’t take out pigment, so start with less and add more as needed.
How much Metallic Pigment to add:
For coloring FlowCast® at 1.5” thick:
- Translucent opacity: 1/16 tsp/litre
- Medium opacity: ¼ tsp/litre
- Opaque solid opacity: ½ tsp/litre
For coloring UVPoxy, we recommend exactly double these numbers at 1/8" thick pour.
Features of Metallic Pigments:
- Creates pearlescent and iridescent effects that look multi-dimensional
- Easily mixed into casting and coating epoxies
- Stays suspended in the epoxy during curing for larger volume pours
- Can be mixed to create custom colors
Tips when using Metallic Pigments:
- Mix for at least 2-3 minutes
- If you notice your pigments settling, gently swirl with a clean tool while trying not to introduce air bubbles (to clean tools use denatured alcohol and allow it to dry). Keep the tool used for stirring immersed in the epoxy at all points possible to reduce the introduction of air bubbles.
- Check every 15 minutes to half an hour to ensure it hasn’t settled. If you notice any settling, gently swirl again.
- We do not suggest swirling when epoxy is in a gel like stage to prevent rippling.
- To avoid curing imperfections when adding pigment, ensure it is no more than 3% of your epoxy mixture by volume, or 10% by weight.
- For testing a colors opacity, read the last tip in this article.
- Remember, always add a little at a time, a little goes a long way! You are always able to add color if it’s too light, but you are not able to remove color if it is too dark.
Color Glitters
Different from metallic pigments, Color Glitters contain large flecks of colored glitter to add unique effects to your topcoat. Color Glitters are most commonly used in top coats like UVPoxy to add a glitter effect. Glitters are a larger particle and have potential to settle to the bottom. So it works best to use Glitters in thin coat epoxies and apply it in thin layers. You can add as much or as little Color Glitter as you like. Again, EcoPoxy Glitters go a long way, and because this is a top coat effect, we recommend starting with less and adding more as desired.
Features of Color Glitters
- Perfect for adding a glitter effect to a top coat
- Easily mixed into coating epoxies
- Stays suspended in the epoxy during curing
- Can be mixed to create custom colors
Wondering what the difference is between EcoPoxy Metallic Pigments and Color Glitters? Trevor from EcoPoxy explains:
Tips for First-Time Pigment Users
If you haven’t used pigments before, it’s important to know that some powdered colors change once wet, we recommend putting a small amount into a plastic water bottle and shake. This will allow you to see the color or effect and allow you to test mixing colors before adding it to your epoxy.
Remember to always add a little at a time, with EcoPoxy pigments, a little goes a long way! You are always able to add more if the color is too light/transparent, but you are not able to remove color if it is too dark or opaque.
Tips for Testing Pigment Color Depth when You don’t feel like doing Math
If you are using a new pigment, or are the kind of person who likes to “eyeball it” as they bake, this section is for you.
To test what a color will look like in a thick casting pour, grab an additional clear jar and keep it beside your mixing pail. In your mixing pail, combine your epoxy and add a small amount of pigment and mix well. Once mixed, before adding it to your project, pour a sample into your clear glass jar to the same depth as what your project requires. If it is too light, pour the sample back into the mixing pail and add more pigment. Repeat this test until you get the desired color depth.