Tips for Coloring Epoxy Resin With Mica Powder

Mica powder is a versatile craft supply, and one of the crafting materials you can combine it with to achieve colorful results is epoxy resin. However, a project involving both supplies may feel overwhelming for those who’ve never worked with either mica powder or epoxy resin. Keep reading to learn tips for coloring epoxy resin with mica power so you can be prepared for your next creative project.

Put Safety First

Epoxy resin is a popular craft supply, but those familiar and unfamiliar with it should take safety precautions when using it. Start by choosing a safe work environment, ideally somewhere well-ventilated. If you can’t work in a well-ventilated environment, you’ll need to wear a respirator. Depending on the manufacturer, some epoxy resins are hazardous, so you must protect your airways while you craft with the material. You’ll also need to protect your hands. Wear gloves when working with resin and keep them on until you pour the resin into the mold and it starts to set.

Another safety precaution you need to take for yourself and to obtain good results in your project is knowing what’s safe to mix with resin. Some craft supplies and colorants contain acetone, alcohol, or vinegar, which can break down the resin and prevent it from hardening. Those ingredients can also break down certain types of rubber gloves, so avoid any products with those ingredients.

Know Your Measurements

You can wing it with some creative projects and use as much of whatever you want to create a finished product. However, you won’t have that same freedom with epoxy resin. Too much colorant can weaken epoxy resin, preventing it from properly hardening, which can ruin the result. Using exact measurements can help you avoid this problem.

Start by measuring your epoxy resin. Depending on the size of the project you’re doing, you may use a little or a lot of epoxy resin. For resin beginners, we suggest starting small with a project like making coasters or jewelry. Once you know how much resin you’re using, such as eight ounces, you can measure your mica powder. Whatever colorant you use should make up about five percent of the resin, so if you use eight ounces of resin, you’ll add in 0.4 ounces of mica powder. This will be enough powder to saturate your resin and provide color without weakening it.

Choose the Right Finish

At the end of your epoxy resin and mica powder project, you’ll have to decide how to finish it. This will partially depend on whether you included the resin-mica mixture in a woodworking project or if you left the resin by itself.

For woodworking projects, you’ll need to sand down and polish the entire product, including resin-filled areas. Use a clear polish to allow the mica powder to shine through the resin. For resin products that you made with a mold, you shouldn’t need to sand them down, but you can polish them as desired. Again, a clear polish is best.

To color epoxy resin with mica powder, you must put safety first, know your measurements, and choose the right finish. Once you follow those tips and specific project instructions, you can create anything you want with colorful resin. If you need mica pigment powder for your next epoxy resin project, Eye Candy Pigments is proud to offer a variety of colors that will fit your needs.