Turquoise dye/tint for epoxy

[Bennett Ostroff]

Hi gang. I'm looking for some kind of turquoise dye/colorant to be used with epoxy for an inlay. Not stones - just something to completely dye the epoxy so it's solid/opaque. I've used aniline dyes and transtint dyes in epoxy which work well, but haven't found a turquoise color. Here's a sample pic. Thanks!

[Wayne Lomman]

Go to an auto or industrial paint supplier, show them your colour and they can supply you with tinter to match that will work with epoxy. Cheers

[Bill Adamsen]

That actually looks like one of the photoluminescent colors mixed with epoxy ... there are a broad range of UV reactive/absorbtive luminescent colors as powders that can be mixed with epoxy. They can be either phosphor of zinc sulfide or alkaline earth aluminates such as strontium aluminate which absorbs uv light. I have been intrigued by these products but never had a compelling reason to use. If you go that route, I'd be interested in hearing your process and seeing the results.

[Keith Outten]

I believe that WoodCraft sells tint supplies that are compatible with epoxy. I remember talking to a salesman a couple years ago about color tints for epoxy and he showed me what he had n the shelf. I haven't purchased them yet so I don't know how well they will work.

I often use my edge sander to sand different materials and capture the dust so I can mix it with epoxy that I use for custom pens.
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[Bennett Ostroff]

Thanks everyone. I think the WoodCraft product is the answer. I had only looked at the TransTint dyes - no turquoise. There is however a TransFast turquoise dye. I believe I read somewhere that TransFast is compatible with epoxy... can anyone confirm this?

[Jeff Jewitt]

TransFast and TransTint dyes will not produce that effect. You need a powdered turquoise powder as mentioned above. When dyes are added to epoxy you don't get solid opaque colors. Even Yellow and Red TransTints wont produce good reds and yellow.

Also we've never advised using TransFast powder dyes in epoxy. That recommendation started some years ago by who knows.

[Stan Calow]

I've seen but not used artificial turquoise powder for inlay purposes on Amazon.

[Mark W Pugh]

Try also asking in the "Turners" forum. I've seen a lot of inlay work done on turned pieces.

[John Blazy]

I have had great success with dry pigment powder for epoxy, because it is dry, so no solvents or other binders that will compromise the epoxy's properties. Never use automotive tints - they are only compatible with 2K urethanes generally. Jeff Jewitt is dead on in this regard.
So I went to amazon, and ordered dry pigments used for tinting concrete. They are essentially pure, dry pigment, and cheap. Its easiest to grind up and mix the pigment in alcohol because alcohol is the best solvent in epoxy, which in least amount of concentration will have least effect on properties. But just the dry pigment is fine in epoxy, so order white and blue dry pigment, and mix to get the turquiose shade you want. Maybe a tad bit of yellow too.