joelhains Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 I have some colorant that is a few years old now and I haven't used in a while. I went down to my bait room and found some of my colorant has settled pretty badly. Most of the bottles are fine but there are a few that I can't get to break loose. any tips for breaking up what has settled and how to get it to mix back in? I've tried shaking, scraping the bottom of the bottle with a small screwdriver, even adding a couple small nuts to the bottle and shaking some more. I've considered trying to put the bottle in the microwave to see if that loosens it up but I don't want to cook it and make it useless. Any advice would be great. Otherwise its time for a few new bottles of colorant. Thanks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majic man Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 Keep shaking, It will break it up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaBehr Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 I put a stainless steel nut in every new bottle and that will really help in mixing the ingredients completely. I use a small flat head screwdriver to breakup and stir the really tough ones...but sometimes it's best to just buy a new bottle! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted July 8, 2016 Report Share Posted July 8, 2016 Sometimes adding a couple drops of worm oil will help. Add it, let is sit for a couple hours, then shake it up and do the screwdriver thing. If that doesn't work, as mentioned.........time to break down and buy some new colorant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe Posted July 9, 2016 Report Share Posted July 9, 2016 The room im pouring mine in is not climate controlled. All my colorant is separating. I was wondering what the heat is doing to them. Would it help or hurt if i put them in a refrigerator??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted July 9, 2016 Report Share Posted July 9, 2016 The room im pouring mine in is not climate controlled. All my colorant is separating. I was wondering what the heat is doing to them. Would it help or hurt if i put them in a refrigerator??? My wife's friend does that with her makeup......for the very same reason. Might be worth a shot to give a couple colors a try. Couldn't hurt! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveMc1 Posted July 9, 2016 Report Share Posted July 9, 2016 The room im pouring mine in is not climate controlled. All my colorant is separating. I was wondering what the heat is doing to them. Would it help or hurt if i put them in a refrigerator??? Well, the carrier is an oil based product, so as it warms it thins out. most colourants are pigments, which suspend in the carrier. As the carrier thins out the pigment settles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogbaits Posted July 10, 2016 Report Share Posted July 10, 2016 I have several bottles of colorant that was old and settled,put them in the mic for short burst,worked great,seem to thin out the color,heated it up and made it a breeze to mix again,just watch it closely 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipt Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 put in some softener / worm oil, add a stainless nut, microwave with the top off for a few seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelhains Posted July 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 Might be a good idea to add the nut after putting it the microwave? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogbaits Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 Never even needed a nut or worm oil,just get it hot then shake the you know what out of it but if its really old and the seperation has dried the liquid out the ad the worm oil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff@mf Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 (edited) Try this, with cap tight turn them upside down on the cap for a week and they will start to release, do this over and over until you see results. Then you may be able to shake them manually. Are they pints, quarts or what size? A 2 ounce will work the same way. If they are totally dried out then cut the top off use as a paste. jeff@mf Edited July 12, 2016 by jeff@mf 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogbaits Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 Try this, with cap tight turn them upside down on the cap for a week and they will start to release, do this over and over until you see results. Then you may be able to shake them manually. Are they pints, quarts or what size? A 2 ounce will work the same way. If they are totally dried out then cut the top off use as a paste. jeff@mf This will take forever,do the microwave thing,it will be good as new in under 10 minutes,done it several times 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 This will take forever,do the microwave thing,it will be good as new in under 10 minutes,done it several times Just be sure you remove the cap, or loosen it really well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff@mf Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 (edited) Some color dyes may turn or discolor in the mic like pearl or watermelon and heat sensitive colors but yes it will take time to actually let it drop but it works. We have colors from the 80's still takes hours to break-up correctly and unfortunately won't fit in the mic so the old fashion way. A few years back we sent 100lbs. to be rolled into a paste to make it workable. It's either try a few different ways or trash it. Shake and Bake! Edited July 15, 2016 by jeff@mf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majic man Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 If the color will turn in the micro at 150 degrees or so, it surely is gonna suck at 350. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff@mf Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 If the color will turn in the micro at 150 degrees or so, it surely is gonna suck at 350. Thats a great opinion, now I have to ask if customers are having issues with colors if you are mic-ing them. Thanks for the heads up. Jeff@MF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majic man Posted July 15, 2016 Report Share Posted July 15, 2016 I dont, i find it easiest to just stick a screw driver in there and break it up. Add some nuts and shake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted July 16, 2016 Report Share Posted July 16, 2016 I am just a hobby pourer, and pour only for myself and my buddies. I add my colorant after I've stirred in my flake to my already heated plastisol, so I can see how the flake I want to use affects the color. I also don't reheat over 335, if I can help it. When I'm adding fresh plastisol to some leftovers that I've already poured, to make more of the same color, I do get it up to 350 again. Then I add more flake and color. I've noticed that the "extended" plastisol does seem to be a little less crisp in color, and I wondered why. Now it makes sense. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
