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Colorit from Gesswein

#1

I have been reading comments in Orchid about colorit but the
discussion revolves mostly around whether or not colorit and
ceramitation can rightly be called enamels. What I want is feedback
from anyone who has actually used the stuff. The system is fairly
expensive to buy and I would like to avoid a pile of costly
equipment and chemicals if they aren’t going to live up to
expectations. I have tried the ceramitation product and, while the
result was pretty, the product was a nasty brew of xyelene and other
things which I would rather avoid if I can. I notice in the
Gesswein catalogue there is no mention of the toxic nature of this
product so I am wondering if the chemicals in the colorit system are
any less toxic and if anyone has experience they would share about
how it works and any pitfalls I should know about before I order all
this stuff.

Thank you so much–
Janet Alix

#2

Janet:

I bought a assortment of colors of Porcelaine #150 from Pebeo. The
artist store here in Torrance Ca. has all of the major colors . It is
a Enamel liquid that you apply with a fine Artist brush and let it
set for 24 Hrs. and then put in a oven gas or electric at 250* to
300* for 35 min. it will be dish water resistant I have used the
material on my Silver miniatures and the colors came out good.

It is easy to paint on and the brushes can be cleaned with water
after using.

It has a slight odor which I can live with. If you type in at google
this.

Pebeo and their web site will come up with their products for sale.
Inquire art your local Artist store and you will probably find it.

Yours:
Billy S. Bates
royalminiatures.com

#3

Hi Janet,

I work at Gesswein in the Technical Services Dept. Colorit is
basically the same material that dentists use to fill gaps such as
the gap between receding gums and teeth. You may have had this
done or know someone who has. The dentist will color match the
material to your tooth color, fill the gap and then direct a
special light at the material to cure it. When it cures and if the
dentist has done a good job, you can’t tell that there was ever a
gap. It looks like part of your teeth and it’s just as hard.
(This has been a bit of a simplication of course but it’s accurate
enough for our purposes.)

The Colorit that we sell has additional material added to produce a
range of colors. Colorit is very low on the scale of toxicity but
the MSDS says that direct skin contact can be irritating. You can
easily avoid touching the Colorit liquid but if skin irritation is
a concern, thin latex gloves will protect your hands. Of course it
goes without saying that you won’t want to drink the liquid Colorit
or get it in your eyes. In other words, normal shop safety
precautions will suffice.

The light which cures the Colorit has a UV component so you won’t
want to look directly at the lightbulb. However the lamp is
designed so that the light is shielded from the sides. You’d have
to make a real effort to harm your eyes with it.

If you’ll email me your address I’d be happy to send you the MSDS
(Material Safety Data Sheets) on Colorit. In fact, whenever you
are concerned about the safety of a product and would like details
on safe handling, precautions and emergency info in the event of an
accident, ask your supplier for an MSDS on the product.

For details on working with Colorit and what it can and cannot do,
you can give us a call at 1-800-544-2043 and ask for Chuck Duncan.
Chuck is the Colorit expert here and would be happy to discuss it
with you. If you’d like to talk to me, please ask for extension
287. I am always happy to meet Orchid members – a great group of
people.

Best Regards,

Elaine

Elaine Corwin
VP Technical Services
Gesswein Co. Inc.
http://www.gesswein.com
Tel: 1-800-544-2043 x287

#4

Reply to Billy Bates about porcelaine 150.

I too used this product quite happily the first time I tried it but
now I am getting bubbling and generally overcooked-looking results.
I have bought a thermometer for my oven. I have bought new product.
I am getting burnt looking samples over and over and was therefore
looking around for something else that might work. However, the
resin epoxy products seem so toxic. At least that’s what I thought of
ceramit. I am interested to note that you give a range of baking
temps–250 to 300 for the porcelaine product which is on the low
side as they recommend 300 degrees. So I am going to try that.

Thanks,
Janet

#5

I tried it and went right back to vitreous enamel. It is much
quicker and if all preparatory work has been done correctly it is
much easier. It takes 2-3 minutes per firing and I usually do 2 or 3
layers. I would like to see someone using ceramit beat that. Not to
mention the array of colors I have (about 150)

Robert