Grey???

[jttheclockman]

A color in pens you do not see much of or at least I have not. My question is can you get different shades of grey from just below black,to steel grey or thereabouts?? If so is it just a matter of adding white to black when casting or is there other ingredients??

Are there any commercial blanks available??

As I said I have not seen to much in the range of greys. I have a idea I want to try. If you have done this do you have examples to show here?? If you have done this do you have a formula for mixing?? I would like to try myself. Thanks in advance.

I should have mentioned looking for straight colors, no combos or swirls.

 

[CREID]

Don't quote me on this, but I have heard that there may be as many as 50 shades of grey.

 

[CREID]

Oh, and I noticed that you DID spell grey correctly.

 

[mecompco]

The school colors of the district I work in are blue and grey and I've cast some blanks in those colors.

I have had reasonable success mixing white and black Pearlex powders to make the grey. I suppose one could mix of multiple different shades and do a multi-cup pour. I use PR w/no pressure, FWIW.

Oops, just saw the "no swirls" requirement, so this probably isn't going to work for your application.

 

[Terredax]

There are several ways to make grey colors. The obvious is to use black and white.
Mixing complementary colors will result in grey. The shade/tint is adjusted by offsetting the ratio.
Another way is to use the primary colors.
Using any combination of the above, can result in various shades/tints.

For some, it's easier to purchase the color of interest.

 

[vmsherp]

I've used the solid grey pigment from us composites in poly resin to create solid blanks. I've only tried lightening the shade by mixing in white on one occasion. It was failure, but due to my stupidity I think. It seems the white has a slightly higher density than the grey, and after stirring I simply poured right away. This gave time for the white to settle to the bottom before hardening. If I'd stirred right up to the last moment I'm sure it would've worked.


Sent from my iPad using Penturners.org mobile app

 

[Woodchipper]

I know this is about casting but, FWIW, I made a pen with a piece of maple for the blank. I colored the blank with a black Sharpie and wiped it with DNA to give it a grey color. Came out rather nice. Sorry, didn't take photos.

 

[jttheclockman]

There are several ways to make grey colors. The obvious is to use black and white.
Mixing complementary colors will result in grey. The shade/tint is adjusted by offsetting the ratio.
Another way is to use the primary colors.
Using any combination of the above, can result in various shades/tints.

For some, it's easier to purchase the color of interest.

I would be open to purchase color of interest if I could find them. The next question is is it better to add white to black or black to white?? I heard someplace that red comes into play when making grey and thus the question.

I've used the solid grey pigment from us composites in poly resin to create solid blanks. I've only tried lightening the shade by mixing in white on one occasion. It was failure, but due to my stupidity I think. It seems the white has a slightly higher density than the grey, and after stirring I simply poured right away. This gave time for the white to settle to the bottom before hardening. If I'd stirred right up to the last moment I'm sure it would've worked.


Sent from my iPad using Penturners.org mobile app

Thanks for the heads up on US Composite. I will put an order in.

 

[jttheclockman]

I know this is about casting but, FWIW, I made a pen with a piece of maple for the blank. I colored the blank with a black Sharpie and wiped it with DNA to give it a grey color. Came out rather nice. Sorry, didn't take photos.

I would not be able to do that because the project is segmented and I need a true color throughout.

 

[Terredax]

It doesn't matter whether white is added to black or visa-versa.
If you are looking for a light grey, start with white and add a little black until the color is achieved. If a dark grey is desired, start with the black and add white until the color is achieved.

If you want to add red, use either the complimentary color mixes, or the primary color mixes.
These will enhance the color next to it, and potentially make it seem brighter, because it has it's hidden complimentary color beside it.

All mixes of grey, no matter which method used, have inherent adjust-ability by altering the ratios.
With the primary mix, the color can be cooler, by adding more blue. It can be warmer, by adding more red.
When using primary/complimentary mixes, they can be lightened by adding a bit of white, and darkened by adding the darker color in the mix.

I'm probably only confusing you.:redface:

 

[bmachin]

I would be open to purchase color of interest if I could find them. The next question is is it better to add white to black or black to white?? I heard someplace that red comes into play when making grey and thus the question.

Thanks for the heads up on US Composite. I will put an order in.

John,

I think that the problem with off colors, (usually bluish or purplish) comes from combining dyes to make the black. If you stick with black and white pigments which are almost always carbon black and titanium dioxide, you shouldn't have any problems.

I know that Alumilite white and black are TiO2 and carbon black, and I'm pretty sure that Pearl-ex black is carbon black. Don't know about their white micas.

Bill

 

[jttheclockman]

I would be open to purchase color of interest if I could find them. The next question is is it better to add white to black or black to white?? I heard someplace that red comes into play when making grey and thus the question.

Thanks for the heads up on US Composite. I will put an order in.

John,

I think that the problem with off colors, (usually bluish or purplish) comes from combining dyes to make the black. If you stick with black and white pigments which are almost always carbon black and titanium dioxide, you shouldn't have any problems.

I know that Alumilite white and black are TiO2 and carbon black, and I'm pretty sure that Pearl-ex black is carbon black. Don't know about their white micas.

Bill

Thanks Bill I will play around with this some to see what concoctions I can mix up. Like a mad scientist.:biggrin:

 

[Sylvanite]

I've cast grey blanks a multiple times in a variety of shades and patterns - including solid grey (to match aluminum for a customer), swirled steel grey, sparkly silver, transparent smoke, and opaque grey marble - using polyester and urethane resins. For colorants, I've used mica powder, monochrome and color dyes, opaque pigments, and pre-colored resin. It's certainly possible (and not particularly difficult) to get whatever shade you desire.

If I wanted to cast a specific shade of solid grey, I'd probably use PR with titanium white and carbon black opaque pigments. That way, I could adjust the mix to get the exact right shade before adding hardener. I'd start with white and add small amounts of black because black pigment can easily overwhelm white.

I hope that helps,
Eric

 

[Woodchipper]

I see- segmented. Mine was a one piece blank.

 

[jttheclockman]

I've cast grey blanks a multiple times in a variety of shades and patterns - including solid grey (to match aluminum for a customer), swirled steel grey, sparkly silver, transparent smoke, and opaque grey marble - using polyester and urethane resins. For colorants, I've used mica powder, monochrome and color dyes, opaque pigments, and pre-colored resin. It's certainly possible (and not particularly difficult) to get whatever shade you desire.

If I wanted to cast a specific shade of solid grey, I'd probably use PR with titanium white and carbon black opaque pigments. That way, I could adjust the mix to get the exact right shade before adding hardener. I'd start with white and add small amounts of black because black pigment can easily overwhelm white.

I hope that helps,
Eric

This is reassuring Eric. I just ordered some colorants from US Composites. Will play with the black and white most. So to get to greys on the darker side, would it be best to start with black and add white and vise versa with lighter shades????

 

[jttheclockman]

It doesn't matter whether white is added to black or visa-versa.
If you are looking for a light grey, start with white and add a little black until the color is achieved. If a dark grey is desired, start with the black and add white until the color is achieved.

If you want to add red, use either the complimentary color mixes, or the primary color mixes.
These will enhance the color next to it, and potentially make it seem brighter, because it has it's hidden complimentary color beside it.

All mixes of grey, no matter which method used, have inherent adjust-ability by altering the ratios.
With the primary mix, the color can be cooler, by adding more blue. It can be warmer, by adding more red.
When using primary/complimentary mixes, they can be lightened by adding a bit of white, and darkened by adding the darker color in the mix.

I'm probably only confusing you.:redface:

Yes but I am always confused anyway. I do not do much mixing of casted colors and never did so this is new to me. But I have some future ideas and instead of trying to buy blanks to match I though I would give mixing my own a shot. I am sure there is a huge learning curve but need to start somewhere. Thanks for the info.

Sorry I did not see it but you answered my question to Eric about how to start grey mixes. Will try.

 

[skiprat]

Eric pretty much said what I was going to add.. I have used white as the base colour and added tiny amounts of black until the right shade was reached.
Very little black is needed in the white to make a big difference.

 

[jttheclockman]

Eric pretty much said what I was going to add.. I have used white as the base colour and added tiny amounts of black until the right shade was reached.
Very little black is needed in the white to make a big difference.

Yes a little like Salt and Pepper:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

 

[Sylvanite]

So to get to greys on the darker side, would it be best to start with black and add white and vise versa with lighter shades????

Well, I presume it would depend on the specific pigments used, but my experience was that a 50/50 mix of white and black yielded a dark charcoal grey. So, for anything lighter than that, I'd start with white and add small increments of black to sneak up on the desired shade.

Regards,
Eric

 

[jttheclockman]

So to get to greys on the darker side, would it be best to start with black and add white and vise versa with lighter shades????

Well, I presume it would depend on the specific pigments used, but my experience was that a 50/50 mix of white and black yielded a dark charcoal grey. So, for anything lighter than that, I'd start with white and add small increments of black to sneak up on the desired shade.

Regards,
Eric

Again more good info. Gives me a ballpark figure to start at. Thank you.

 

[PenPal]

Takes me back to the days when the Groom wore black and the bride white, printing in black and white was a beast. Two tough assignments detail black or detail white together.

I learned early that the Tone black is not a colour,nor is Grey,think tones.

Peter.

 

[jttheclockman]

Takes me back to the days when the Groom wore black and the bride white, printing in black and white was a beast. Two tough assignments detail black or detail white together.

I learned early that the Tone black is not a colour,nor is Grey,think tones.

Peter.

Yea and I am tone deaf. :biggrin::biggrin:

 

[Dinosaurnut]

If you use Smooth On's Smooth Cast 300, which casts as solid white, all you'd have to do is add drops of the So Strong Black until you get to the desired shade. They are located in Macungie Pa, so might be close enough for you to drive out to.

If the picture loads properly you can see the color range ... White not pictured but everything else from pale grey to black.

 

[jttheclockman]

If you use Smooth On's Smooth Cast 300, which casts as solid white, all you'd have to do is add drops of the So Strong Black until you get to the desired shade. They are located in Macungie Pa, so might be close enough for you to drive out to.

If the picture loads properly you can see the color range ... White not pictured but everything else from pale grey to black.

I see it is also located in Walmarts. May have to look into this. Thanks

 

[bmachin]

John,

Alumilite also makes an opaque white resin (Amazing Casting Resin). It has the downside that it is clear when mixed and doesn't turn white until it starts to set up. The Smooth-0n works the same way. So you really have no idea what sort of grey you're going to end up with without a lot of experimentation.

Just another data point.

Bill