Opaque white: Dye or Mica?

[speedybtx]

Hi, All;
Well the objective here is to have a Blank with 3 colors.

The colors - ratio per "cup of measure" - Actually :150grams of Orange Mica, then 127.5 grams of Opaque White and 22.5 grams of a Yellowy - gold color Mica.
(so three color cups)

Perusing the You tube, etc, I am left with wondering about the Opaque White.

My question is:

White Mica Powder or Alumilite Opaque White Dye ?

The Resin is Alumilite Clear Slow - not the Epoxy type.

The Ratio recipe I have come up with via You Tube is:
MICA: 1 Gram of Mica for every 1 ounce of Resin.

DYE: 3 drops of Dye per 50 grams of Resin. (Zac H for the Dye)

FWIW, the Blank is 6 in x 1.5 in x 1.5 in. There i s a 1" long aluminum part in the finished Turn. - A Game call.
though generally speaking I do want the white good and opaque - solid

Thanks, Highly appreciate any and all Advice !
..Bryan

 

[egnald]

I use clear-slow also. I'm a fan of the shimmery look of mica powders so for white I've always used a white-ish mica powder along with one or two small drops of Alumilite white dye in about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of resin. It's just my personal preference though, because I like the combination better than the blanks I've made with just white-ish mica powders. I've never used just the white dye alone, but I have an idea of how it would turn out from some grapevine hybrid blanks I got from Casey Martin that were made with white dye only. For my white I used to use the Pearl Ex #650 Micropearl mixed in with the dye. After I ran out of that I've started using the Eye Candy Sayu White or one of their ghost colors like Ghost Blue for blanks where I wanted just a hint of tint in the white. These have all wound up still being a little bit on the translucent side so for what you are looking for I would guess you want to use a few drops of white dye to make it good and opaque. - Good Luck. - Dave

 

[JohnU]

It really comes down to the look you want. If it's just a solid white you want, dye is the way to go. If you want a shimmer to that white to match the other micas you're using, mix some white dye to your white mica. Use a stick in the cup to see how transparent it is by mixing and looking to see the stick in the mix. Start with a little white and work your way to the desired results.

 

[speedybtx]

Thank you Gentlemen!
Those answers, advice really "fit the bill"
I copied and pasted into the notebook document I am keeping.

I ended up using the Dye, and with clear plastic cups, checked the opacity as I added the Dye.
Just pulled the big ol blank, it looks promising.

 

[NJturner]

There is also one other alternative that wasn't mentioned - Alumilite makes a white resin. It is clear in the bottles but when mixed together and cured, it turns white. It does have a quicker set up time, so you need to pick up the pace, but it gives similar results.

The resin is a urethane as well, so it will work similarly to clear slow. You can use dye and mica with it to give it some kick, but instead of bringing white to it, you start with white and add color and mica to it. Gives a different effect. Link

Kevin

 

[JohnU]

White Urethane is nice for color cast with dye but you can't use mica powders with it. They will be drowned out by the white. I like to add white dye to it to get a better brighter white. Pouring it with clear resin mixed with mica is very difficult to time because white sets up so quickly. Getting the two resins to the same temp at the time will require some experimenting. I've used it a few times but find it easier to just color clear with white dye.

 

[NJturner]

White Urethane is nice for color cast with dye but you can't use mica powders with it. They will be drowned out by the white. I like to add white dye to it to get a better brighter white. Pouring it with clear resin mixed with mica is very difficult to time because white sets up so quickly. Getting the two resins to the same temp at the time will require some experimenting. I've used it a few times but find it easier to just color clear with white dye.

John - I respect your opinion, but don't fully agree. Mica as well as some glitters can come in different coarseness. Larger particle mica and some of the glitters like many of those intended for the auto industry can be added to white to give it some sparkle but as you say not really coloring, which does require a dye. I'm thinking more on the line of a highlight than a color - which often times is how I also use mica in a clear resin. The effect is similar to McKenzie Penworks Diamondcast blanks, where the diamond dust adds sparkle but not so much in the way of color.

Kevin

 

[JohnU]

In my usage I've never liked the results of any mica in opaque resins but you're correct, larger glitters and flakes would show as you cut into them, for sparkle, just not color. The sparkles and glitters are more seen in clear resins where mica and transparent dyes allow them to shine and not overtake them. In solid colored resins the light is blocked out more which would allow them to shine and sparkle more rather than be seen as darker specks.