Since you are looking for how to color epoxy resin, we assume that you have a good idea of what epoxy resin is and sources of best-quality epoxy resin. So, directly we are focusing on the issue of adding color to it.
Epoxies used to come in a clear or crystal clear condition where you can add colors to get a more attractive casting. For making any craft or art, building a DIY project, or even sometimes, when you use them as adhesive, added color offers more value to the entire project.
Craftsmen, artists, and DIYs are prone to use epoxy over any other likely agent for their wide array of applications. Capacity to absorb colors and pigments has made them more versatile, but of course, you must follow the right procedure while adding color to achieve the desired result. Basically, these are the issues we will try to discuss here.
Colors and Pigments Suitable for Epoxy Resin and Their Mixing Ratio
You can see a variety of colors available out there. If you decide without knowing which ones are suitable for epoxy and which ones are not, you may regret it in the end, as this may ruin your whole project. But we tried to help you get rid of that potential mess, and listed the applicable options. You can apply the following 7 particular types of colors and pigments, as they have great chemistry with epoxy. Additionally, we include straightforward ways of applying those to resins.
1. Liquid Acrylics
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You will find acrylic liquid paints in numerous colors, including neon, metallic, dark, glow, and glitter. Liquid acrylics used to offer a great result when mixed with resin. Furthermore, they are really less expensive compared to many other coloring agents.
How to Add Liquid Acrylics to Resin -
When you mix an acrylic color with resin, make sure it has a 1:10 ratio (1 part color and 10 part resin). Adding more acrylic than this ratio will make the solution dense that may result in imperfect pouring. Continue stirring the paint and resin with a spoon until they make a perfect blend.
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2. Fluid Acrylics
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Another popular agent used by craftsmen, professionals, and DIYs to color resins is fluid acrylics. They come in different colors like liquid acrylics, but they have thinner viscosity compared to that of liquid options. Thinner viscosity helps the user to mix fluid acrylics more easily. Although it costs a bit higher than the liquid paint, you can apply it to non-resin art.
How to Add Fluid Acrylics to Resin -
This is a more concentrated medium of color for adding it to resin. So, adding a little will be good enough to color your resin. You should use a ratio of less than 1:10 (1 part fluid acrylic and 10 part resin), probably 1:12 will offer a better result. However, based on your coloring requirements, you may go up to a 1:15 ratio, but that is not recommended.
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3. Oil Paints
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As beautiful as oil paint is a commonly used color, it is also an excellent agent for resins. So far, we have found good results from it. They are thicker than many other paints and come up with some distinguishing characteristics. So, you need to be very cautious about using it in resin, although it is an excellent choice.
How to Add Oil Paints to Resin -
As said, oil paints come in a thicker consistency, so you will probably find it harder to mix with resins. They require more time to get mixed. So, you should follow a simple technique, though essential - take the oil paint into the cup and stir with a spoon earlier than adding resin to it. Offering a bit more time only to the paint will give excellent feedback with a super beautiful color. 1:10 ratio should be followed in terms of oil paints too.
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4. Airbrush Paints
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You will love to use airbrush paints because you probably find almost all colors you require to add in resins, ranging from standard gold to cool metallic. They contain a highly-thin viscosity, even thinner than fluid acrylics. You do not need to spend more, as they are inexpensive.
How to Add Airbrush Paints to Resin -
As they are thin at viscosity, you can easily mix airbrush paints to resins. You can follow the 1:10 or 1:12 ratio rule while mixing. But do not forget to shake the paints well before applying them to resin. Shortly, you will get a brilliantly vivid color out of the mix.
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5. Alcohol Inks
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Alcohol links are well-known to those who work with resin, particularly for craft and artwork purposes. There are several reliable brands from whom you can buy your desired alcohol inks to add it in resin. You will find a wide array of colors available in alcohol inks; therefore, it is needless to mention the color name. They used to be more expensive than other coloring agents.
How to Add Alcohol Inks to Resin -
Some of the alcohol inks stay translucent when you mix them into the resin, while some others remain less translucent. So, you may require to add several drops to only a few drops of such inks. A little alcohol ink goes a long way in resin painting. Mixing also should not take much time if you can stir it well when adding to the resin.
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6. Spray Paints
Spray paint is a fantastic choice to be used in epoxy resin as color. Numerous colors of spray paint are available out there. They do cost a bit more though but offer a wonderfully vivid color after mixing.
How to Add Alcohol Inks to Resin -
It requires a bit more caution and planning to mix spray paint with resins. Take your container of resin outside and press the spray button to confirm a couple (or twice than that) of short blasts, depending on the amount of resin taken, directly into the resin container or cup. Do not press down unless you point the nozzle into the cup straightly. Missing to do that may result in a paint blast somewhere else around you instead of inside the container. Spray paints tend to dry fast, so start stirring the resin instantly after spray.
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7. Powdered Pigments
Pigments are one of the easiest agents that you can apply to resin for coloring it. There are a massive number of powder pigments available in a multitude of colors, so we do not mention any of their names in our writeup. Pigments are made of some flat particles having no uniform size. When pigment particles are blended into powder, they become more suitable for resin use. They are mostly known as mica powder pigments.
How to Add Powdered Pigments to Resin -
You should rely on the mixing instructions coming with the pigment regarding the amount you need to mix with resin, as it may vary based on pigment brands. But you can follow a ratio that is believed to be standard - 1 gram of powder pigment for every ounce of resin-hardener mixture. By the way, you may follow any mixing ratio that seems more accurate when considering the situation. Stir the mix until it creates a wonderful solution, as imperfect mixing may result in pigment clumps.
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Caution About Water Containing Color Agents
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You should avoid using any coloring agent that contains water -
it is one of the critical points, and most people who don't know about it make the mistake of applying water paints to resin. Remember, most resins do not have a great chemistry with watercolors or water based paints. So, avoiding any agent containing a high water-level should be the best practice when you color epoxy resins. They may not offer the best color, and it will require a long time to cure the resin.
Last Words
We tried to focus most of the issues related to the application of colors and pigments to resins. Although brief, each of the processes will be enough for you to finish the job successfully. Some other agents are still there that you may use to color epoxy, but the explained 7 agents are most appropriate, and following any of these procedures will keep you protected from any potential mess while mixing color with resins.
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