Coloured resin!

[Lynne]

Hi, Im Lynne, just registered. Wondering if anyone here knows about working with coloured resin. Read some of the existing entries on this, but not answered my query unfortunately. I want to make a 5ft wide, 1inch deep disc of coloured resin...have made small mock up with fibreglass and resin, but it remains pink (the colour of the hardening chemical) even when i mix ink into it..please does anyone know how to make a blue resin disc in several layers, enabling me to set objects into it along the way??

[fused]

The catalyst has a tracer in it, which is the source of your pink color. The pigment of the tracer is put there by design to assist in seeing that you have a good mix. Your source of resin/catalyst should be able to supply you with clear hardner to avoid undesired effects as well as current information about color additives.

Otherwise skip the middle man and contact the company producing your resin products directly. They might even provide you with a cheaper alternative for your future purchases and can give you expert advice on various methods of implimenting their resins to maximum effect. It's also a possibility that the colored resin you desire is commercially produced by PPG or some other manufacturer.

Generally speaking there should be opaque, translucent and transparent coloring agents available. Gelcoat (colored polyester resin) contains 5 pounds of pigment to produce 55 gallons of opaque colored resin.

[Stevem]

Hi Lynne. I have done this in the past with success. I use a product from Polygard. The resin is an acrylic. It uses an MEK hardener which is clear. They sell a jar of resin dye, you just spoon in the desired amount of dye before you put in the hardner. I believe the resin goes by the stock number 0f #32166. Polygard is a sister company of Polytech here in Georgia. If you are intrested in any further contact information, I can give that to you too.

Good luck,
Steve

[Lynne]

thanks guys, thats really helpful....steve, im interested in polygard.. where abouts are they in u.k? any contact details for them please?

[anton]

HI if you are after a clear resion try casting resion can be coloured with ink not a lot , then you need to sand it and pollish the resion , 320 grit watter sand paper , then 400 ,then 600 , then 800 , down to 1500 . the pollish you can get from the supplyer it is a whit pasted , soft cloth and rub to get a shinny finnis . You might have see insects inbed in claere resion that is casting resion your base is coloured then the item is plasted on the base then the claere resion is pored over it . sand , pollished and there you have ity in claere resion.
hope it helps !
anton

[realsculpt]

you can also try paint tint from a house paint place, i used some in some clear polyester castin craft resin yeras back, goto home depot and bring a jar, they will most likely give you a small amount of tint, then try it, it may work, depending on the resin, there is a resin called "crystal clear" polytek i think, maybe smoothon or BJB, cant remember, and get some dyes, i cant remember the brand of resin dye i esed, it was from smothon , fxwarehouse or renoylds plastics in florida, but they were really really great. but if all else fails goto micheals and get the "casting craft" resin dyes they will work and they are relativley cheap. just remember too much catylst will brown the plastic, and pour it in a dust free environtment or your will see your layers. try a boat supply for clear resin, and get the additive that makes it not sticky, some resins can get foggy and sticky without it.

good luck ,sorry for the bad spelling.

[grommet]

Perhaps this website is of use, being in the UK.
http://www.tiranti.co.uk/indexhome.asp
They have the necessary colorants & other cool junk.

[Ornery]

If you're using polyester, the purple color might be cobalt napthinate (sp?) an accelerator, but should burn out when it cures...or get non accelerated resin. I've had lots of colors BURN out by adding too much MEKP, which acts sort of like bleach..I'd use only resin tints, I've had some luck using marker pen ink refill ink, but only in urethane. Crystal Clear rules!

[sharry]

Hi Lynne
Try Bentley Chemicals they are really helpful and do a wide range of resins which are clearcast and easily tintable either with opaque or translucent tints. And they're in the UK..heres their weblink
http://www.bentleychemicals.co.uk/