Pigments, pigments everywhere! Or are they dyes? Meh, whatever. THEY’RE COOL! We now have the pigments in two forms, the traditional form, where the pigments are bound to the glass and need to be resolubilized, and our new tech form–flakes (coming soon!). Those looking for colorants for paints (oil or acrylic) will likely be more interested in the flake form, whereas woodworkers will likely still prefer the bound form. More information on each, below.
Please note that the pigments are available to spalting cooperative members only. To join the cooperative, click here.
Bound Pigments
Read our quick guide on how to use the pigments bound to glass.
There are NO shipping restrictions on these, as they are only the pigment, not the fungus.
Coverage you can get out of one vial depends on the grade (lab grade is more concentrated than craft grade), color you want (the colors build in intensity – orange takes fewer coats than red, etc), and wood color (lighter woods show the color faster than darker woods). In general, a craft grade vial could reasonably give one surface coat of color to a 6″ by 6″ bowl.
Please note that while yes, these are natural pigments derived entirely from fungi, they are NOT food safe. Consider them for decorative use only.
To purchase, select from the list below. When you have made your selection, fill out our order form (cooperative members only).
Pigment Grades
note that these prices are for the base cooperative membership. Full cooperative members get pigment free of charge, monthly.
* trial grade gets you a tiny vial that will solubilize up to do maybe a few internal zone lines. Basically we take any vials we find with an unknown amount of pigment in it and keep them catalogued for this use. Some are heavily concentrated, some are very dilute.
* laboratory grade gets you a large vial with solvent safe lid of a color standardized (you get the same hue and saturation each time) pigment. One vial, solubilized, is generally enough to do one full coat over an 8″ diameter bowl in a white, diffuse-porous wood.
* hyper concentrated gets you a large vial with solvent safe lid of a color standardized but hyper concentrated. Add $10 to the price of the lab grade for each additional ‘fill up’. So, if you want a double concentrated lab grade, we will fill the vial up once, evap the solvent, fill it up again, and evap the solvent so you have twice the contents of the lab grade. This is by far the most economical way to purchase pigments.
State of Pigments
The pigments will arrive in a dry state, bound to their borscillicate glass container. To use they will need to be resolubilized with something like acetone or dichloromethane. Please use caution when working with solvents.
Place an Order (cooperative members only)
Flake Pigments
Available only to full cooperative members. To inquire, you will need to join the spalting cooperative at the full member or full company membership.
