Pigments and glitter for resin
Liquid pigments, mica powders, alcohol inks and glitter for colouring resin before it starts to set. Choose pigments and glitter for resin by whether you want an opaque or a translucent colour — and keep an eye on the dose.
Pigments and glitter for resin
Colour goes into resin while it is still liquid; after that there is nothing more to be done with it. What decides the outcome, though, is not only what you add but above all how much. Pigment is a foreign substance the resin has to carry, and beyond a certain amount it stops curing properly — the casting stays soft or tacky. Stick to the dose the resin manufacturer gives; usually it comes to a few per cent by weight.
Pigments differ in whether they block the colour or let it through. Liquid pigments and pastes are generally opaque and suit anywhere the surface should read as one solid tone. Mica powders lend the colour a metallic shimmer and shift as the resin moves — in a thin layer they still let light through. Alcohol inks are the opposite, translucent, and get used for marbling and bleeding effects; you drop them into the resin and let them spread on their own.
Glitter is stirred into the resin only after components A and B have been mixed. Fine grades hold throughout the volume, coarser ones tend to sink — in a casting that means they end up against whichever wall is at the bottom while it sets. If you want them spread evenly, pour in layers or reach for a thicker resin.
Water-based paints do not belong in resin. Acrylic paint thinned with water, or ink let down with water, bring moisture into the mix, and moisture will ruin epoxy every time. The same goes for UV resin: a deep, dark pigment will not let light through to the inside, and the casting stays liquid in the middle — the more colour, the thinner the layer you can cure.
Stir slowly and against the wall of the pot so that you do not work air into the mix. Wear gloves with pigments as with resin, do not breathe in the powders and work somewhere ventilated. The ratio, the maximum dose of colourant and the working time all come with the resin manufacturer's instructions, and those take precedence.