Hi All;

After some experimentation, I think I have a foolproof way for coloring epoxy for those hatch lips & what-not that a number of posters are building. I wanted to match the spruce on my deck, so fairly fine color control was called for. Here's how I did it :

I mixed colloidal silica with the epoxy until a paintable consistency that stuck without running was obtained. To make the mix opaque, I added West 501 white pigment (I have tried 4 epoxy pigments and this is the only one that works well). The silica aids the opaqueness as well. Then, using a trick I learned from the local surfboard artists, I used airbrush inks (water based) to tint the now neutral-white epoxy. To make spruce, I used 2:1 process yellow and light brown, for example. FWIW, you can mix *water* into epoxy with no ill effects if you don't go overboard, so feel free to experiment with virtually any water based pigments. If you eliminate the white pigment and silica, you can make transparent colors as well . . .

The pic below shows the brushed epoxy finish on my fiberglass coaming, and if you squint, you can see the spruce part of the deck design forward of the cockpit - It is a really close color match. Hardening time has not been affected one bit, and it sands quite normally. Of course, a surfboard builder would include a faux woodgrain design, but I like this solid color against the cedar grain . . . 8-)

Enjoy, Spidey