Coloring PR with acrylic paint

[nubbin00]

I've recently begun experimenting with making pen and bowl blanks with Castin Craft poly resin and have found several articles and videos stating acrylic paint can be used to add color. So I mixed a small amount of paint into the resin and poured a small bowl blank (with colored pencils embedded) and a pen blank (resin only). Well, the pen blank cured but the bowl blank didn't and I have no idea why. I mixed all the resin/paint/catalyst in the same cup at the same time and poured them at the same time as well.

Any ideas why this happened? Any suggestions how to proceed next time?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[jttheclockman]

I've recently begun experimenting with making pen and bowl blanks with Castin Craft poly resin and have found several articles and videos stating acrylic paint can be used to add color. So I mixed a small amount of paint into the resin and poured a small bowl blank (with colored pencils embedded) and a pen blank (resin only). Well, the pen blank cured but the bowl blank didn't and I have no idea why. I mixed all the resin/paint/catalyst in the same cup at the same time and poured them at the same time as well.

Any ideas why this happened? Any suggestions how to proceed next time?

Thanks in advance for your help.

First I would like to welcome you to the site and ask you to put your name in your profile page so we know who we are talking with. Always makes for a friendlier conversation.

Also welcome to the world of casting. The use of paints in casting resin is possible and is done but using paints that are mixable is the key. most people will use dyes such as the ones I listed. They make for a deeper color mixing. There are other companies too. Some people use pearlX which is a powder form.

With a pen blank the item is realtively small and the cureing time is short. With a bowl blank it is larger and all the nooks and crannies in the pencil alignment make it tougher for the blank to cure. It may take some more time but when adding paints or dyes it usually means you have to step up the catalyst drops. This is not an exact science so knowing how much is done on a trial and error bases. You may get some help as many have done this before. Not sure if you ever saw the video of the guy who makes clocks from colored pencils and pours a blank using a different resin. I could look for that link. Good luck and i am sure you will get more help.


Here is the link to the clocks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y767gdemD8


www.walmart.com/ip/CASTIN-CRAFT-Casting-Epoxy-Resin-Opaque-White-Pigment-Dye-1-Oz/30108669

Castin'Craft Opaque Pigments - BLICK art materials