colored epoxy

[gert]

can you color epoxy in primary colors to do inlay?
It would be clearcoated after with varnish.

[Roseknight]

you can color differnt epoxies.. (hunting up a link for a place that carries stuff to do that)
doing inlays with it... thats getting creative...
but as it turns over in my head I start to have ideas...
found the link
http://www.tapplastics.com/fiberglass/fillers_dyes/155_pigments.html

[ 09-10-2002, 08:04 PM: Message edited by: Roseknight ]

[Bruce Taylor]

Luthiers sometimes tint epoxy (usually black) to do "mastic" inlays on baroque guitars and the like.

Epoxy is use for inlay because it doesn't shrink as it cures, and can be easily scraped level.

However, you might want to test for colour "bleeding". I haven't tried it, but I would predict that thin epoxy would tend to carry some pigments into the surrounding woods (especially in endgrain) leaving a "fuzzy" appearance.

Do you plan to use pigments or dyes?

[ 09-10-2002, 08:57 PM: Message edited by: Bruce Taylor ]

[Meerkat]

Ken Hankinson Assoc. (http://www.boatdesigns.com/) has some epoxy pigments via mail order. Ditto for Raka (http://www.raka.com/)

[WWheeler]

I'm trying out a two-part paint (Titanium) that is epoxy-based. Pricy, but I'm after the encapsulating effect. I'm using it on a plywood boat. Available from www.noahsmarine.com (http://www.noahsmarine.com) I think that you can add tints to it.

[ken mcclure]

My local WoodCraft store has an epoxy-based system for doing inlays that includes not only tints but metallic flakes, little "gravel" pieces and more.

[Bruce Hooke]

The bleeding problem could probably be taken care of by coating the area with clear epoxy first, or maybe even just CPES...

[Jim Budde]

I have not done inlay work w/pigment, but have used pigment additives with epoxy for hulls of surfboards, sailboats and now a kayak. The only problem would be controlling the bleeding and, as others have said, an initial coat of clear first should eliminate that problem

[thechemist]

Dyes may bleed, as they are individual molecules.

Pigments essentially cannot, as they are big [relatively] particles, and are trapped by all the smaller epoxy molecules that surround and capture them.

Make sure your color tint base is dry powder or epoxy-compatible. Glycol vehicles are commonly used in polyester resin colorants, but glycols screw up epoxy systems.

[N. Scheuer]

When I worked for the KAWNEER Company, the leading manufacturer of commercial entry doors, in the early 1980's, they had a small shop making inlayed decrative door panels for Toys-R-Us and Burger King, to name just two clients. You may have seen them; a 10"-wide horizontal panel about waist high between upper and lower glass.

These were done in mostly primary colors.

I believe the polymer was polyester, but it may have been epoxy.

Moby Nick

[NormMessinger]

Fella at Gougeon Bros suggest powdered Tempra paint from the local school supply store. Works for me and a little goes a long way.

Now the high tech stuff made to color epoxy may be an epoxy itself and thus does not dilute or degrade the goop. Howsumever, a 0.01 tsp of tempra can't have as much impact as, say, 25% wood flour.

Best.

--Norm