Pearl Ex Mica Pigment Powders

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LarryDNJR

LarryDNJR

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Heads up for anyone interested.

Jo-Ann Fabrics online currently has the 12 3g Series 1,2,3 on sale for 30% off $18.99 that is $8 off from $26.99.

Using promo code "PIA342" up until 12/08/10 you can get Free Shipping on orders $35 or more.

Ordering all three of these make it $56.67 before tax or $37.98 if you just order two and still be eligible for the free shipping discount.

Not sure how long the sale is going on for and this is online only.

LarryDNJR
 
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It's not a good deal at all. If you are new to casting and want to play with a whole array of different colors, then it is an ok deal, but otherwise it's a total rip off. Those bottles of pearl ex are so small, you make a large mold you use up half the little jar, if not the whole darn thing.

you take 19 and divide it by 9, is 1.58 per jar. I pay between 3.49 and 4.49 for jars of pearl ex that have like maybe 10 times the amount of powder in them.
 
workinforwood said:
It's not a good deal at all. If you are new to casting and want to play with a whole array of different colors, then it is an ok deal, but otherwise it's a total rip off. Those bottles of pearl ex are so small, you make a large mold you use up half the little jar, if not the whole darn thing.

you take 19 and divide it by 9, is 1.58 per jar. I pay between 3.49 and 4.49 for jars of pearl ex that have like maybe 10 times the amount of powder in them.
Click to expand...

So....
Where's the better deal?
 
http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1933-AA.shtml?lnav=paints.html

Ok..I guessed at the price..the real price is $3.99 unless you buy bulk.

There is 21 grams in a jar ..and the jar works great for storing bushings when empty.

if you take the 12 pack Joanne Special, it's 1.58 per jar, that's 53 cents per gram.
If you buy the 21 gram jar at 3.99, that works out to 19 cents per gram and you only have to buy the colors you want. Dharma shipping is cheap and it gets to my door real fast..like usually just a couple days later. Pearlex is not exactly heavy stuff.

Now you can also go with coastal scents for mica powders. Dharma prices are basically the same for all pearlex jars. Coastal mica powders, the prices vary according to color. The average price is probably 4.99, but you get an ounce, which is 28 grams. You break that down per gram and it's 18 cents per gram. Their shipping can be just a little more money and definitely not as fast to get to my door, but they have a larger color selection. They have some jars at 3.99 but they have jars at 5.99 too..just depends on the color with those guys.
 
Having never bought Pearlex powder before, I bought the sample sets. If I end up using certain colors more often, I'll get the individual ones from coastal scents, but this will get me started with a good variety of colors. Thx for the link & promo code..
 
I thought it was a decent deal as you said someone just starting out in casting, such as myself. It would give me a small amount to mess around with if I got it. I'm actually going to Michaels hopefully today with a 50% off coupon to get the Series 2 pack. Normally $23.99 so that should be an ok deal at about $12 for one of those right? :)
 
Larry...you can do anything you want buddy! I only chimed in because although like you said, it's a good deal if you just started and are experimenting, but otherwise it's a terrible deal.

I had no idea about some of the mica's having additives that degrade over time. I mostly use pearlex, but I do use a little mica once in awhile. I wonder what the additives that degrade are, and if they degrade, just what does that mean?
 
Larry,
You did just fine as someone who does not cast as much as Jeff, Dawn, or some of the others might.
It also gives you a chance to sample and see what YOU really like.
If you do decide to cast a good number of pens, then it would be a better deal to buy those that you intend to use in the larger sizes.

I too have to ask what might be in the the micas that would degrade, and what does happen when they do?
 
Glass Scratcher said:
el_d said:
Some of the micas are very good, but you must read what is in them. Some have additives that can degrade over time.

The Pearl-Ex on the other hand are made to be added into just about any art or craft media.
Click to expand...

I work with mica in various forms...scales, block, grains, and powders. The only issue I can imagine that would be degradable would be if the color saturation were not UV stable.

Other than that mica is an industry standard for many applications, without any degrading that I know of.

Now that goes without saying that larger pieces of mica are brittle and can easily shatter, but as far as being a castable product I can not imagine powdered mica being degradable beyond weak color endurance.

Perhaps if dealing with a source other than the ones noted above, that have a history of extended use with make-up and other industry, there may be issues...such as that deal which sounds great; 20lbs of any color for $1...there may be issues there.

In most cases if it sounds too good to be true there is usually a catch.

But for the big two or three suppliers here in the states I am fairly confident that there are no degradable issues.

That said, the two colors that historically are notorious for fading, regardless of the material and use, are red and yellow. But this has more to do with refraction and how we see color. All the colors are attacked by UV but we appreciate the loss in the red and yellow first.

Anyway have a great day :bananen_smilies051:

Raymond
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