I sure would eliminate step number 2!!! If I am pouring 1 color, I use one cup. So I can pour an ounce of alumilite in a cup, add the color and stir, then reset the scale and add 1 ounce of the b and stir again then pour. For 2 colors you can also do that, but it starts to get tricky, and with 3 colors I find that I just don't have enough time as 1 person managing and stirring 3 cups. In those events I use two cups, and I mark the cups. If you have A 1.5, then you have a second cup you label B 1.5 and so on. You add the colors into the A cups. Once those are stirred in, you can pour the B cups into the A cups..it will save time this way because the measuring step is taken away. Mix them up really really good.
Testing is a good idea, you can do a test pour, just 0.3 ounces of each color poured into a cup and set into the pot and pressurized for a visual check. You can trim the cup, chuck it in the lathe and spin it if you want.
Ask yourself is there going to be a dominant color??? This is important. If I pour an equal amount of white and black into a mold, the end result is going to be a blank that is far more black than white. So..if I want the black and white to be more balance, I actually have to go with more of a 1/3 black 2/3 white combination. Black is a powerful color. Silver is a more difficult color to obtain too. Silver powder won't necessarily look like what you think. It may be more of a grey with some shimmer of silver hidden in it. These are things to think about.
Color blending..yes that will happen, it is a good thing or a bad thing, depends what you want. I like a bit of blending of colors most of the time, because blending creates transition. But..sometimes blending brings in colors you don't want. If you mix and pour a red and a blue real fast, then you end up with red and blue swirl but the transition effect is purple. So this is where you have your "1 minute" thought in your head. But it isn't quite right. Get the colors mixed and in the cups all ready to pour as soon as possible. Now you have everything ready to go, the lid is ready for you to quickly put it on, all that, so you just have to mix and pour. Hold on to the two cups. They should be "cold" right after they are mixed..cold being relative in meaning they are the same temp as they are in the bottle they came from. You will start to feel the cups warm up. Time is becoming critical and timing will involve some luck now too. Because they are warming up, they will blend colors less..they will still swirl, just not blend into each other as much. The more you wait, the less blending, but wait till it's too hot and you might get it poured but won't have time to pressurize it before it's too late. The longer you can hold out, the more seperation of colors you will have. It's better to be too early than too late. Hope this all makes sense to you.
