mixing tremclad

[n3wt0n]

Hi Everyone! I am thinking of doing a couple stripes/shapes of colour on the side of my cab. Stripes would be light grey and darker grey on a white background. Can I add black to the light grey Tremclad to get the dark grey shade I need? Will the paints play nice together and harden like Tremclad is known to do? I will be rolling this, not spraying.

Thanks,
Jeremy

[Le Chuck]

If it's a black oil paint yes (unless tremclad has a water based I'm not aware of).  A little black goes a long way so I wouldn't even worry about it being tremclad black, it won't do that much to alter the paint chemically, just chromatically.  Also note that blacks paints are different than black pigments, you can pick up a tube of artist pigment in either powder or oil and really dial in your shades.  Using a pigment would ensure that the paint moves and cures like it did before coloring.  Just remember to mix more than you'll need because rematching after the fact is yeoman's work. 

Some free info about black pigments because art is fun!

I. Carbon-based Blacks

Char carbons: Derived from charred, organic substances that are heated, or carbonized; they tend to be opaque and have excellent hiding power—almond shell black, cherry pit black, coconut shell black, cork black, peach stone black, vine black, wood charcoal

Coke carbons: from substances that were in a liquid or plastic state before being heated; ivory and bone black fall within this category because the protein collagen softens before charring—bone black, Frankfort black (from wine lees), ivory black (Scroll down for additional information.)

Flame carbons: These blacks, originally gases, derive from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons, i.e. soot—acetylene black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black

Crystalline carbons: A crystallized form of carbon—graphite
II. Mineral-based Blacks

Iron oxide blacks—Mars black (a synthesized iron oxide), magnetite (a naturally occurring iron oxide) Manganese oxide blacks—manganese oxide black, pyrolusite (naturally occurring manganese oxide mineral) Mixed metal blacks (spinel)—copper chromium iron oxide, copper chromium manganese oxide, iron titanate, Jacobsite
III. More About Ivory Black

Genuine ivory black was made traditionally from charred ivory scraps. It was esteemed as a particularly intense and fine black. Fortunately animal sources of ivory are now protected. If you see a contemporary tube of paint labeled “ivory black,” it’s most likely a variety of bone black, one with a finer particle size and enhanced carbon content. Pigment manufacturers who claim to produce a genuine ivory black should be able to name their sources. One such company is Natural Pigments (www.naturalpigments.com), a supplier of rare artists colors. They’ve acquired a stock of old mammoth ivory scraps from Siberia from which they are producing a genuine ivory black pigment.

 

[n3wt0n]

Thanks LeChuck.  I will probably just mix black tremclad and grey tremclad since I have them both but I appreciate the art lesson on carbon based blacks.