Ok so we have already learned from Stacey that we don’t need to use a muller when only using micas but I am wondering about mulling times? I typically spend about 20-30 minutes mixing mine with my palette knife but I see a few on their Etsy listing stating that they are mulling them for an hour or more? Do they really need that long? Especially when making small batches. I genuinely only mix batches with 1-2 tsp of pigment at a time due to limited drying space.
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Is this purely regarding the micas? Are these makers using combined pigments or bigger batches?
They are only micas. I am sure their batches are bigger. Although not sure as some state small batches and a few say micro batches. My batches I make with 2tsp generally will give me 10 half pans filled about 2/3 full. Sometimes I only fill them halfway to help with drying speed then I get a few more half pans from that batch.
That interesting isn't it. It shouldn't take an hour even with a bigger batch. Fancy an experiment? Mulled vs unmulled?
@Stacey Dodd they all state mulled. I use my palette knife as I don’t have a real muller. I have a glass espresso tamper that has a flat bottom. I might give it a try with some of the micas I got that only come in a 24 set of 10g bags since I won’t be selling them. I will see if I have a couple jars to put them in as I don’t want to sacrifice my full or half pans. Definitely will have to find a good show to watch for an hour.
I personally did a little experimenting some time ago, with my first batches. I used mica only, and while the difference was subtle, some of my colors dried definitely better on paper with a slight mull. So I kind of give them a quick hug with the muller and just let them go. Sort of a 5ish minute thing.. 😬 maybe I’m just being lazy
A quick hug with the muller I love that.
I've only done a couple of micas so far, but for the ones that are labeled only 'mica', I just mull for a few minutes to make sure there are no little clumps I missed with my palette knife. I have a couple that are combination pigments right from the factory, and those I make sure to mull for at least 10 minutes before testing them, just like a matte pigment, to make sure the underlying color is incorporated properly. The longest I had to mull a mica with an underlying oxide pigment was about 30 minutes.
They could just be copy-pasting their descriptions and changing relative words per listing? Odin knows I’ve done that to save time when listing things back in the day.
This is a good point. Lots of Etsy sellers copy and paste a general description about their wares to save time. It also looks a little more professional imo to have a uniform product description.