I bought a number of bottles of pigments some time ago for marbelizing. I have not used them and planned to do so now. The pigments are not in liquid form, but somewhat a paste. Could someone tell me if they are usable and supposed to be that consistency, or should they be liquid flowable. In other words, are they too old. I have never opened the sealed bottles until now. In the paste form, would they mix with the finish? Thanks,
Sanford Hochman

Sanford, what brand are they? Actually, you want them thick. TAP pigments are very thick and if I use Testor's,etc., I let it settle very good and pour the solvents off. Most pigments are thick by nature. What makes paints thin is the solvents.etc that the pigments are added to.
Use a toothpick or something to stir in tiny amounts of pigment until you get the shade that you want.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Thanks Mike,
I see that they are fine as they are in the paste form. Do you mix them in the final mix of finish, or put them in the resin or hardener before they are mixed together, since there is a limited pot life? I want to make a mosaic using a number of colors, and don't want them to blend so well that there is only one color. I want to try to use them with the Threadmaster finish. They are the TAP pigments.
Sanford

Hi Sanford,
Email me by clicking on my name at the top of my post and when I get home I'll send you a tutorial.
Also, concider getting Randy Parpart's (Putter's) DVD.

Raymond Adams
Eventually, all things merge, and a river runs through it..

Sanford, After my finis is mixed, I pour out however many small "puddles" that I will need on a piece of foil, leaving enough for the base coat in the cup. I than color the base coat and apply like I would with any finish. Let it turn for 5 or ten minutes to flow and set up a little. Mix the other colors into the "puddles" and using a toothpick, drop or swirl the colors into the base coat, pulling it around with the toothpick. You do want to let it set a little first or the colors will just run together. There is an article in the library above.

Just remember that marbleing isn't brain surgery and there is no real right or wrong way. Just go for whatever look/effect that pleases your eye. About the only No-No is using Acrylics to tint!! Other than that, anything goes. To get more defined pattern, let set up a little longer before marbling. to get more of a true marble look or subtle blend effect, hit with a little heat while it's turning!!

Have Fun!!!!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Thanks MIke.
Sanford

I just got Randy's DVDs and they are great. Very informative and well done. You can get them from Neal's Fishing (one of the sponsors on this site) Good work Randy.

Big John
Rio Hondo, Texas
Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting

Sanford,

What people have told you is very true. IMO the TAPS is the best. It has higher covering power (Higher concentration of fine particle size pigment) than any of the rest. The major problem with the TAPS is that it does not come in that many colors. The Testors comes in many colors but it does need to settle and requires more material than the TAPS. (Beware it does not take very much TAP's to get an intense color.) There is a pigment called "Liquid Leaf" or something like that, that comes in gold and silver. (I got them in the craft Dept. at Walmart.-Putter told me about them) These , when used with ivory Tap's are very impresive.

My advice is do not even think about using acrylics!!!

Ed Smith

Ed, yer really gettin' nasty 'bout them acrylics! LOL!

Sanford, give the white and red in the TAP's a good shot. Then do a test with the blue, purple, and green if you have them. They (the last 3 mentioned) seem pretty dull to me; not much 'lustre' to them-they remind me of a 'flat' paint compared to a gloss paint.

I like my hardware store pigments in those 3 colors a bit better. But the red TAP is the best red I've found yet. The white is great; very hard to beat. I just got some TAP black (thanks, Sam!) and am going to give it a go next. A small bottle of TAP's would last most marblers the rest of their lives; it's that concentrated.

Putter
Williston, ND

Thanks to everyone for the help.
Sanford