Working with colored Mica pigments

Time to stain, yes! One of the most fun things to do in your project is staining. The effects that you can achieve with our suStain Mica is stunning and really provides you something different; shine, shimmer and metallic effects. Traditional specialty finishes such as golden archtops have been created with Mica pigments in layers of bronze and gold in a secret recipe. Fancy trying something like that, or are you going for a single layer, double stain, or combination with our other suStain products… Let the fun begin!

Make a plan:
1) Envision your design, make a little draft and write down the color pattern.
2) Choose your colors.
3) Get your scrap wood that is comparable to the project you’re going to stain, sand them and remove dust and grease. Your wood will influence the color result.
4) Put on some gloves, get a fine sponge, folded rag, paper towel or get your airbrush, spray gun and mask.
5) Make some testers!!

Prepare your mixture:
1) You can mix with water, alcohol, Epoxy and Nitrocellulose, however they will not fully dissolve and will have to be stirred or shaken regularly. When mixed with Nitro or epoxy and stirred properly, they will not sink before the product is dried.
2) Keep track of your mixing ratio, as you may need to scale up.
3) We suggest to mix with water or alcohol in a ratio of 1:1 to 1:3.
4) When mixed with epoxy resins, we suggest half a teaspoon on 30ml.
5) When mixed with Nitro, we suggest a small teaspoon on 30ml.

Preparation
1) Make sure your base is well prepared. Sand down to 400 grit in the direction of the grain and free from dust and grease.
2) If you have wood that raises its grain when made wet, you may want to wet it with water and sand down those grains. Do not use a sanding sealer, as it will also seal the wood and your stain will not penetrate those spots. If you’re going for an opaque coverage, you can use sanding sealer as per the instructions.
3) If you have open pores and want to have a completely smooth finish, you can fill the pores with a grainfiller in a color as close to your wood as you can get.

Application
1) Put on some gloves or get your airbrush or spray gun with a minimum 1mm needle and put on a mask.
2) Apply with airbrush, fine sponge, a folded lint-free cloth or a folded strong paper towel.
3) Shake or stir your mixture well before application.
4)Dab your sponge, cloth or towel with your mixture and gently run it over the surface. Or fill your airbrush and spray an even coat. Ventilate properly.
5) Work in sections, for example start at the lowest side and work upwords. Apply from the center of your section to the outside to avoid any overspill running down the sides. Work fast, don’t let a section dry and don’t rub, but work gently.
6)Spread till you have an equal coverage. Start a new section a bit above the previous one and connect them by gently rubbing the stain down to the previous section.
7) After you covered the whole top/sides/back, gently go over it with a paper towel or fine dry sponge.
8) Applying Mica takes some practice especially with larger surfaces.

Optional:
1) Apply a second layer to intensify the color, but let the first layer dry completely before applying a second one.
2) For a double stain, or combination with the liquid suStain, leave the first coat to dry for at least 30 minutes, sand down till the suStain or the Mica is left in the more open grains. Apply a second layer of suStain or Mica.

Finish:
Mica is a mineral powder that you can feel on the surface. For a smooth finish, you need to sand lightly with 600 grit, be careful at edges!

Finish as desired with Nitro or other lacquer types or even oil. When applying oil, keep in mind that oil also penetrates the wood and will affect the color. We recommend to apply at least 6 layers of oil and 9 to 12 coats of Nitro and let it cure properly.