adding color to resin,cheaply.

[raser13]

i'm trying to cast some of the parts for the three small enterprise kits so i can light them.now here is where i ask you not to laugh too hard. i'm making the molds from silicon caulk,it's worked well so far and at a buck a tube at wally world i can aford to screw up. the resin is the five minute apoxy thats in a double seringe like thing that you get at wally world in the hardware dept. at wally world for like 4 bucks. my release agent is good old homade napalm, lighter fluid and vaseline. don't ask misspent youth, i have grown out of it. so far the clear peices look just as good as the original peices. but i would like to color the peices since i can't always get a colored l.e.d. into the nacels and such. i intend to use fiber optics to send white light up to blue colored parts, as in the little refit. i've had people recomend using rit fabric dye,but it's a powder and does'nt mix with the resin well. do i need a longer working time resin to get it to miw up better? would food coloring work? i'm looking to achive as close as i can to the blue color of dlm's parts so they will match closly the full sized ones. i have a dollar tree buget with a macy's dream.so any cheap substitutes would be great. any help would be nice. o.k. let the laugh-fest begin.

[raser13]

any ideas about a red color would also be nice.

[TER-OR]

Don't try food coloring, those colors are water-dispersed and water soluble. You don't want to introduce water to the resin. Heap bad juju.

You can try India Ink, while stronger than food colors I think it would still be a problem with water.

You can try fabric dye - it's pure dye. I would introduce it to one phase of your resin, and see whether it disperses.

You want to aviod pigments, as they are particulate. What you need is an oil soluble or dispersible dye. You can buy colors specifically made for resin, they're incredibly strong and will last you a long time. Smooth-On markets them.

[raser13]

thanks for the info.

[Shinnentai]

the resin is the five minute apoxy thats in a double seringe like thing that you get at wally world in the hardware dept. at wally world for like 4 bucks.

Since you're using epoxy resin... paint. Yep, that's right: paint. Enamel or acrylic, either works and will not screw up the resin. Food coloring also works.

I tint/dye epoxies all the time when using them as a filler, as well as for casting like what you're doing. I've used everything from Testors enamels to craft acrylics, to stained glass paints- whatever I've got in my paint bin that looks like the color I want.

I think maybe Ter misread you, and is speaking on the assumption that you're using polyurathane resin. Epoxies are generally very water friendly, and can be tinted with a wide variety of common colorings.

[TER-OR]

You're right, I misread you. I did think it was polyurethane. In such a case, acrylic paints and even easier, inks, will be fine.

I used ink to tint epoxy putty with great results.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ter-or/225 ... 704701438/

[Lt. Z0mBe]

I use food coloring in epoxy to make red and blue navigation lights in aircraft models. I mix up the epoxy, add a drop of color, and then apply a blob to the model where the light should go. I cut, file, and polish to shape.

I hope this helps.

Kenny

[Shinnentai]

I used ink to tint epoxy putty with great results.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ter-or/225 ... 704701438/

This is why the "natural" flavor of Aves is king. By itself it's not a good color to work with (translucent light gray is terrible for visibility), but I can opacify it and make it whatever color I want with just a drop or two of craft acrylic.

Fun stuff- mixing "natural" Aves with stained glass paint changes the color, but not the opacity. With the right combo of colors you can get a very realistic "flesh" look, similar to waxwork or SFX silicones/gelatins. Good for when halloween starts coming 'round .

[Gouf]

Allumilite sells resin dye for $4 a bottle. One bottle of each color is all you will ever need. The red and blue work great. And you can control how dark the color is by the amount of dye added.