Casting Powder Dye Question

[kf4knf]

So I was in the craft store the other day and noticed they are now carrying a "powder paint". Its basically tempra (sp?) pigments without the liquid base added. Its very very fine and is made so it can be mix with water or other liquid. I also got some poly casting and resin.

Has anyone ever tried mixing tempra powder into the poly and casting a blank? I would think tempra powder is about the equivalent of the powder pigments you see in all the casting articles. Anyone know?

At the moment I am after a solid black pen blank but if this works I will try and get ahold of some pearly powder for more color depth.

 

[its_virgil]

I used powdered tempera paint when I first started casting and it worked. I now use only(most of the time) the pigments sold by the casting suppliers I use. I do occassionally use India ink. some of these colors don't seem to dissolve into the PR, but are just suspended particles. The pigments I purchase from suppliers for use in resin seems to do the best. Give the tempera a test run on a small cast and see how you like it.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by kf4knf
<br />So I was in the craft store the other day and noticed they are now carrying a "powder paint". Its basically tempra (sp?) pigments without the liquid base added. Its very very fine and is made so it can be mix with water or other liquid. I also got some poly casting and resin.

Has anyone ever tried mixing tempra powder into the poly and casting a blank? I would think tempra powder is about the equivalent of the powder pigments you see in all the casting articles. Anyone know?

At the moment I am after a solid black pen blank but if this works I will try and get ahold of some pearly powder for more color depth.

 

[kf4knf]

Did your tempra pigment casts come out gummy where the pigment would settle at the bottom? I am new to casting and was wondering if my tempra pigment caused that or I just got the poly/resin ratio off.

 

[its_virgil]

No, I don't think so. I used the tmepera powder over 3 yrs ago. I do remember that I slowly added powder until I achieved the color saturation I wanted. Back then I was stirring the mix until it began to jell slightly and maybe the powder stayed in suspension. I don't remember if it dissolved or not. I have heard others say they used tempera powder also. But, I now use pigments sold by the resing suppliers.

I suppose you tried tempera powder and had some unsuccesssful castings. It is hard to get the resin/catalyst ration off if you are using polyester resin. More drops makes the resin kick over quicker and get hotter and the final result is more brittle. Less catalyst creates less heat and a slower curing time. I am now using 3 drops of catalyst per ounce of resin. Ambient temp is also a factor. My shop has HVAC so when I'm casting in the summer I use the AC and cast mostly in the evening.

Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by kf4knf
<br />Did your tempra pigment casts come out gummy where the pigment would settle at the bottom? I am new to casting and was wondering if my tempra pigment caused that or I just got the poly/resin ratio off.