Anything "Duochrome" or "Chameleon" can also be found using the tag "Color Shifting"

Updates & Notices

Warning: This blog and some info within is out of date. The date of any updates are usually noted at the top of each page/entry. As of 1/08/20, all pages have had dead links removed/repaired as well as 2010 entries and 2011 Jan-July.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Color Shifting Pigments (Part 2)

Please refer to All Chameleon Pigment Suppliers for the latest info, options and prices.

Eventually I'll get to duochrome cosmetic pigments but for today I'm continuing with automotive paint.

The Alsa Corporation, manufacturer of paints, flakes and pigments, sell products from their site that can be found nowhere else. Although this means there is no price comparison on a few items, the prices really aren't so bad.

One of the things Alsa sells is "Flop Crystals", available in 4 colors: Jupiter, Mars, Neptune and Saturn. They range in particle size from 1 micron to 300 microns. 2 oz jars are $155.00, $2.77/gram.

Another of their products, SpectraFX, is sold in two colors, Copper/Patina & Blue/Emerald, each available in small and large particle size. Added since this entry are several other colors, San Juan, Havana, Rio and Cabos.
16 gram jars (slightly over 1/2 ounce) are $115, $7.18/gram.       
32 grams jars (slightly over 1 ounce) are $180, $5.63/gram.

Kustom Rides sells SpectraFX as well but in varying quantities. No particle size is mentioned.
2 grams, $19.95 = $9.98/gram  
4 grams, $35.00 = $8.75/gram  
8 grams, $60.00 = $7.50/gram  
16 grams, $110.00 = $6.88/gram        
32 grams, $175.00 = $5.47/gram        
As of 12/11/13, product cannot be located on their site.
I mentioned TCP Global in a prior entry because of their Micro Prizm flakes but their inventory is extensive. Located in the Kustom Shop, TCP has their own line of color shifting powders, 2 sets of "Pearls" that are quite reasonably priced.

The first set is simply called "Color Shifting Pearls" and features 5 colors: Red to Gold, Purple to Green, Blue to Red, Green to Orange and Gold to Blue. They are sold in 1/2 oz., 1 oz., and 2 oz. packages and also in sets of the same sizes. No particle size listed.
1/2 oz. is $14.95, $1.08/gram
1 oz. is $24.95, $0.89/gram
2 oz. is $39.95, $.71/gram
5 color sets in 1/2 oz is $74.75
5 color sets in 1 oz. is $124.75
5 color sets in 2 oz. is $199.75

The second line from the Kustom Shop is called "Rev-illusion Special Effect Pearls", also sold in 5 colors. They have them listed on their website as:
Sapphire Blue / Purple Color Shift
Nitro Blue / Nitro Green Color Shift
Extreme Green / Xtreme Gold Color Shift
Maple Orange / Lime Green Color Shift
Cobalt Rage / Tropical Turquoise Color Shift

They are sold in 1/2 oz., 1 oz., and 2 oz. packages and in 1/2 oz or 1 oz sets of all 5 colors. No particle size listed.
1/2 oz. is $64.95, $4.64/gram
1 oz. is $114.95, $4.11/gram
2 oz. is $214.95, $3.84/gram
5 color sets in 1/2 oz is $299.25
5 color sets in 1 oz. is $524.75

Eventually, TCP Global will also sell a "color shifting flake" although this is not current stock and there is no estimated arrival time. I imagine this to be similar to Old School Flake's Ghost Flakes (or Innate's Magic Flake which OSF).
Description: Kustom Shops Color Shifting Flake (CSF) produce a dramatic color shifting effect that changes in dramatic fashion at every angle viewed. The effect of Color Shifting Flake is intensified by the size of the shifting flake particles. While being a large flake requiring a 1.8 or 2.2 Gun tip, they lay down extremely smooth for their size and require much less clearcoat to flow out and level. They are best used over a black or dark base color for maximum effect. But because of their transparent nature they can also be sprayed over any color base to produce color never seen before.

The Coating Store is the only store online to sell the KonFusion brand of kameleon/chameleon pigments that Kitties26 used to make her wonderful color morphing frankens. Available in 3 colors, Gold to Green, Copper Red to Green and Emerald Green to Viola Blue and sold in either 1/2 oz. or 2 oz quantities. Average 90 microns.
1/2 oz. is $44.99, $3.21/gram
2 oz. is $169.99, $3.04/gram
As of 12/11/13, product cannot be located on their site.

Paint with Pearl sells Chameleon Paint in 6 colors, in 25 gram quantities.
The colors are: Lemon Lime, Blue to Purple, Green to Purple, Blue to Green, Gold to Green and Gold to Green to Blue. No particle size is mentioned for any of them. All colors sell for $19.99, $.80/gram.

Since the date of this entry, other colors have been added to their inventory but they are priced quite a bit higher, $50.00 for 25 grams. These are found on the same page as the original ones I noted, listed first.

Riley's Rods actually sells pigment for, you guessed it, fishing lures but they also happen to sell "Color Change Paints" in six colors, Green to Gold, Green to Light Green, Green to Purple, Blue to Green, Brown to Green and Blue to Purple. Sold in 1/4 jars, 5 grams of powder for $9.00. 

The final store I have for you is Pearl Magic Custom Paints, the only one on this list that is located in Australia. They sell 3 chameleon colors, Green-Gold and Yellow-Green, particle size unknown.
25 gram package is $16.50, $.66/gram.
100 gram package is $39.95, $.40/gram.

Newly discovered as a source of "chameleon pigments" is Solar Color Dust. I knew about the company already because they sell temperature responsive pigments but their inventory has expanded since my last visit to the site. Now they have a range of color shifting pigments, all priced the same at 10 grams for $15.00.
6 pigments shift to 4 different colors and are listed as "The Four Color Series" but at the moment, 4 of these are out of stock.
The "Two Color Series" have 12 pigments and all of these are in stock.
Three colors are listed as "Fantasy Chameleon" and in stock.

Another source is Didspade Metal Flake Co. This brand of pigments can be found on eBay in North America but none of the sellers have a lot of feedback and each has negative so their rating is low. You can buy from Didspade themselves and at the same price so that's the link I'm using here. They have many Chameleon colors, 14 to be exact and they sell 6 gram sample sizes for $14.99. 25 grams are available for $44.99

There is a company I stumbled upon during a Google search this afternoon, Spectraflair4u, that sells ChromaFlair pigments and SpectraFlair pre-dispersed and concentrated in suspension base. Price varies by quantity.

-MK

Related Entries:

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Color Shifting Pigments (Part 1)

Please refer to All Chameleon Pigment Suppliers for the latest info, options and prices.

Continuing with the pricelist theme, since I already have all the stores saved, here are the places you can buy chameleon paint/flakes from the automotive industry. SpectraFlair and Kitties26 (More Nail Polish) got me considering automotive pigments with her color morphing frankens and once I began looking for SpectraFlair, it was obvious nearly every brand had their own take on the concept.

I'll start this out with House of Kolor because they are the highest in price but offer the most variety. They have 3 different types, Kolor Shift flakes, Kameleon Opals and Kameleon Pearls.

Kolor Shift flakes are F size: 1/64th to 1/166th Hex or 396 microns to 153 microns and come in three colors: Green Purple, Blue Red and Gold Green. Generally sold in 3 oz containers.

Best price is from Coast Airbrush who sells the Kolor Shift Flakes in 1 oz and 3 oz packages.
The one ounce is $39.95 which breaks down to $/gram. The 3 ounce package sells for $171.85 which is $/gram (They show prices in Canadian, Euro and Australian dollars in addition to US currency.)

Second choice based on price is from Smart Shoppers Inc, also sold in 3 ounce containers. $156.50 for 3 ounces which equals $/gram.

House of Kolor's Kameleon Pearls come in 5 colors: Green to Blue, Gold to Green, Copper Red to Green, Sapphire and Aquarius. Particle size is 40 microns or 90 microns depending on what you choose, while package size is usually a 2 ounce jar. For the 2 ounce, your options are:    
Smart Shoppers Inc, $258.50 = $/gram.
Coast Airbrush, $304.95 = $/gram.

For a smaller quantity it's Coast Airbrush again, 1/2 ounce packages, $84.95 = $/gram.

Moving on, House of Kolor's Kameleon Opals are available in 8 colors: Purple Passion, Maple-Nut, Dorado Dreams, Tequila Sunrise, Honey Blush, Shady Green, Burnt Lime and Plum Blue.

Coast Airbrush tops the list because they sell all 8 colors. Pricing these is a bit different as 4 colors are more expensive than the other 4 and sold in different quantities.
Purple Passion, Maple-Nut, Dorado Dreams and Tequila Sunrise are sold in 1 oz and 6 oz packages.
1 oz. is $64.95, $/gram.
6 oz. is $218.95, $/gram.
Honey Blush, Burnt Lime, Plum Blue, and Shady Green are sold in 1/2 oz. and 2 oz. packages.
1/2 oz. is $73.95, $5.28/gram.
2 oz. is $224.05, $4.00/gram.

Smart Shoppers Inc is next but they sell only 7 colors, in 2 ounce jars.
Purple Passion, Maple-Nut, Dorado Dreams and Tequila Sunrise are $187.00, $./gram.
Burnt Lime, Plum Blue, and Shady Green are $77.00, $/gram.

Part 2 to follow soon. -MK

Related Entries:

Thursday, August 25, 2011

SpectraFlair or Something Like It

*Rather than having 30 links to the SpectraFlair website, at the very bottom I provided the link to the SpectraFlair .pdf brouchure. All prices and links had been updated 6/29/16. 

Holographics are probably number one on the list of favorite polishes and the reason for this is obvious- spectacular color display. While there are retail brands that have indulged our desire like the old Sally Hansen Nail Prisms, OPI, China Glaze, Nubar, and Color Club more recently, they are, at least in my opinion, too valuable to franken with. Of course if you simply want to indulge your love of holographic polishes, you can find an endless array of colors in the indie-polish world (those people are way ahead of the polish retailers) but I'm not content with what other people make when I can do it myself.

SpectraFlair® caught my attention on the blog More Nail Polish when Kitties26 posted her first franken using it. She, along with many of you, had made beautiful polishes so it was only natural that I’d want some but it didn’t take long to find that SpectraFlair® was not widely available and came at a premium price, premium compared to most pigments and glitters I'd previously used.

JDSU (later bought out by Viavi Solutions) apparently didn't appreciate our frankening with their product after the initial SpectraFlair boom and tightened their regulation which had made it harder to find, at least temporarily. It's become more available since but regulations still restrict the selling of it in dry form so the options I've provided here are all pre-dispersed in suspension base.

About SpectraFlair® itself, from the JDSU's Viavi Solutions website:
- Fine grade pigment (D50 average of 14 microns) - creates a diffractive rainbow effect that appears to emanate from the surface in pleasing and subtle tones but with noticeably smoother, softer and more satin-like effects.
- Standard grade pigment (D50 average of 20 microns) - optimally balances the diffractive rainbow effect with a high level of specular reflection.
- Coarse grade pigment (D50 average of 35 microns) - produces a silver-based color with a diffractive rainbow effect that is more distinct and chromatic with a noticeably coarser and more sparkling appearance.

I own the 14 micron and the 35 micron. For a visual, you can view swatches in my post The Arrival of SpectraFlair.

One alternative is to buy a holographic glitter/pigment to use, just don’t expect to find one that produces the exact linear holo comparable to that of SpectraFlair®. Glitter isn’t the same but there are still good options out there if you want to try it and I provided those too, at the bottom of this post, but we're going to skip ahead to the real thing.

SpectraFlair: Top Coats

On ebay there are several listings for SpectraFlair top coats (but no powder). Follow the link to see the options.

SpectraFlair: Pre-Dispersed (not top coats)

...is a good resource for all things franken related but in this case, SpectraFlair in 4 different grades- 14, 20, 25+, 35 and 14/35 mix. All 5 grades available in all package sizes.
Spectraflair (1 gr. & 2 gr.) $11.00 - pre-dispersed in .25 oz. of 5-free nail polish suspension base per gram of Spectraflair.
Spectraflair (5 gr.) $47.50 - pre-dispersed in 1.25 oz. of 5-free nail polish suspension base.
Spectraflair (10 gr.) $90.00 - pre-dispersed in 2.5 oz. of 5-free nail polish suspension base.
Spectraflair (50gr.) $425.00 (U.S. Shipping Only) - pre-dispersed in 12.5 oz. of 5-free nail polish suspension base.

..., as well as being another great source for franken polish supplies, sells SpectraFlair in 4 grades and a mix-. 14, 25, 35 microns and 14/35 micron mix. All grades have the same price/size options. This pigment is sold pre-mixed with suspension base. This is a requirement per the manufacturer. (1/4 oz suspension base per gram of pigment)
1 gram - $11.00, 2 grams - $20.00, 1/4 oz (7.08 grams)- $63.00, 1/2 oz (14.17 grams)- $125.00

...on etsy, also sells pre-dispersed SpectraFlair in 2 grades and 1 mix.
1 gram, $12.00 - 2 grams, $22.00 - 5 grams, $59.00.          10g, 20g and 50g also available.
-From the listings themselves: This product is SpectraFlair [insert micron size] mixed into (5 Free) clear nail polish base. This pigment is a concentration of 4 Grams of SpectraFlair to 1 oz of Base in squeezable bottles. Mixing ball included. Please note. Not all bottles will be full and is measured by weight instead of volume. Example 1gram will be in 1/4oz base and will come in a 1/2 oz bottle.

also on etsy, is another source for pre-dispersed SpectraFlair. 1, 2, 5 and 10 gram quantities available.
1 gram- $10.49
2 grams- $19.49
5 grams- $46.99
10 grams- $88.99
From the listing itself: This is the Silver 1500-35 size. This means the color is silver and the particle sizes is 35 microns. This is the official JDSU SpectraFlair TM premixed into a 5-free base. Each 1 gram of SpectraFlair TM is mixed into 1/4 of an ounce of base. So, if you buy 5 grams of SpectraFlair TM it'll be mixed in 1.25 ounces of base. This is the standard for many companies that sell SpectraFlair TM.

...consider this part updated until I am lucky enough to stumble onto a new source, of which there still aren't many.


Glitters & Other Alternatives

What I used prior to purchasing SpectraFlair® was TKB Trading's .004" size hex cut Holographic Holla Glow glitter. I like the effect it gives off but the polishes it's used in never apply visually smooth enough- a slightly bumpy glitter can be overcome with a topcoat but this one resisted in heavier concentrations. Again, that’s not a texture issue so much as an appearance issue because the glitter itself has a very thin profile. My complaint was that the holographic effect compared to SpectraFlair® is more random and not as linear although it’s at least as brilliant.

TKB Trading has a .004" Holographic glitter, square cut sold here, 1 ounce for $4.50 or a 2.5g sample for $1.50. I listed this as a comparison to the original, hex cut Holla Glow I've used.

Second is Luminosity is .002” hex cut glitter, sold as 1 ounce for $4.25 or a 2.5g sample for $1.50. I own this too, bought as part of a glitter set but I've never used it in nail polish. All I can say is the difference between a .002" and a .004" size is easy to see.

One final alternative is a newer product from TKB Trading, a frankenpolish base called Magic Holographic. I have no personal experience with this product either. Go to their website and to that item to read the full details about usage and to view swatches.
1/2 fl. oz, $3.25
4 fl. oz, $24.00.

From TKB's Site: Magic Holographic is a pre-colored nail polish made from cosmetic grade ingredients. This is an important fact because it means that formulating with Magic Holographic allows you to confidently sell your holographic nail polish. Other options, such as Spectraflair, are industrial pigments not approved for use in cosmetics by the US government. Selling a nail polish made from Spectraflair would be deemed illegal by the FDA.The prices are for both U.S. and Canadian customers.1/2 fl oz Magic Holographic $3.25 (fills one full size bottle full strength)4 fl oz Magic Holographic $24.00

***** 
Solar Color Dust sells several holographic options.


***** 
ColorCraze2000, another etsy seller, has a wide array of pigments, suspension base AND a SpectraFlair Alternative... and the swatch is actually pretty impressive. Details below.
1 gram- $10.00
2 grams- $18.00
5 grams- $40.00 (sells quantities above that too)

From the listing: 
Silver Holographic Ultra Fine Powder
Size 35 micron 
Cosmetic Grade
Solvent Resistant 

This is our custom made holographic powder, It is unlike anything you will find on the market and unlike Spectraflair, we are not required to sell it pre-mixed. So you can use it in nail polish, cosmetics, bath & body as well as any other craft project you may have. 

When mixed with lacquer base it has an iridescent, liquid silver metallic appearance and as the pigments reflects light it generates the appearance of multiple, bright linear rainbow producing prisms. This is not glitter so the finish is smooth and it is easy to remove. This holographic dust is the perfect alternative to SpectraFlair of nail polish and is FDA compliant so if it perfect for use in nail polish, cosmetics or any art project. 

-MK