# Color filling



## kweinert (Sep 28, 2015)

I've been on the lookout for something to use as a color filler. In this particular instance it's to fill the "maker's mark" in the bottom of my turned pieces.

I was in HF the other day since they had some spray guns on sale and saw the powder coating containers there. For $6 I thought I'd give it a try.

First experience wasn't too good. I tried putting the powder in the recess and used some CA that I thought would wet it. It just rolled around on the top, didn't do anything like what I wanted. Since all I had on hand was some medium thickness I thought I'd try it again later with some thin CA.

A second attempt was made by squeezing out some CA and trying to mix the powder with it. That didn't work even better than the first try. It just turned into one big mess and it cured really quickly.

The 3rd attempt worked, but it took too long and would probably be a bit more expensive than I'd want to use over the long haul. I mixed the powder with some epoxy, poured it into the grooves, and let it cure.

After curing I turned it back to just show the grooves and it doesn't look too bad.



 

I suspect that the CA isn't going to work no matter how thin it is. My belief, now that I've seen it, is that the powder is ground much too fine to be very wettable.

And I don't think that subjecting the bowl to temperatures that will set the powder is a viable option either :)

So, perhaps it's $6 down the drain.

But if you're looking for primary colors that are pretty inexpensive to add to your epoxy to fill cracks in your turnings you might want to take a look at powder coatings.

Reactions: Like 1 | Useful 3


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## duncsuss (Sep 28, 2015)

For a more expensive option, System Three (the folks who make 2-part epoxy) have a range of paste pigments. Woodcraft only seems to sell the black, and I've used it a couple of times, it's very saturated so just a tiny amount will pigment quite a lot of epoxy. Example: a spot on the end of a bamboo barbecue skewer was enough for the epoxy to glue 6 pen tubes into the blanks. LINK to the System Three site that lists the colors they make.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## kweinert (Sep 28, 2015)

Amusingly enough it's System Three that I have on hand that I used on that small platter.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## The PenSmith (Sep 28, 2015)

I also have used S 3 but I used both crushed stone and stone powder with great results. If I have a larger area the crushed works better as it fills a greater area. If the area is small then the powder works really well. Craft Supply in Provo sells it but I found a better selection and price at some of the jewelry suppliers. I use small craft sticks, they look like a small version of the old tongue depressors to work with the epoxy. I use it a lot on hollow forms when I have bark inclusions or cracks.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## CWS (Sep 28, 2015)

On my butterfly box I use a product called Inlace. I purchased it from craft supply in Utah.


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## DKMD (Sep 28, 2015)

You can color epoxy with just about anything... I've used dye and acrylic paint with reasonable success.


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## kweinert (Sep 29, 2015)

Yes, mixing the color with epoxy worked. I was more concerned with the setup time - the time it takes to add the feature. If I'm filling a void then I'm taking the time to save the piece. In this case it's more decorative, a way to mark a piece made by me. For that purpose this seems to take more time than I perceive it to be worth.

That's why I was hoping to use the CA, as it would be a relatively straight forward process that wouldn't add a lot of time to the process.

Could be that that's the wrong attitude to have. I'm still a work in progress. Sometimes very little progress :)


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## barry richardson (Sep 29, 2015)

I have recently been using black CA that I heard about here on Wood barter. Very handy stuff for filling, comes in every color,... as long as it's black

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 1


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## kweinert (Oct 5, 2015)

Just a quick follow-up.

As I suspected, even the thin CA doesn't work with this powder. It's just too fine.

What I did do, though, was go Lowe's (well, I was at Lowe's for something else) and I picked up a 5 minute two part epoxy to use instead of the System 3. Cheaper and cures quicker. Since it's not structural I'm not overly worried about its holding properties. The hour cure time is attractive, though. I can always find something else to do in the shop while I wait for it to cure and it cures much quicker than the S3 does.

It worked just fine for the segmented bowl.

Reactions: Like 1


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