$10.66
CLICK THE "LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS ITEM" LINK JUST BELOW TO READ THE FULL DESCRIPTION FOR THIS ITEM.
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Please note this is a raw pigment intended to be dispersed into a liquid medium to make paints. Our raw pigments are not meant for use in cosmetics and are not cosmetic grade. Certain pigments disperse more easily than others in certain liquid mediums. For those difficult to disperse into a liquid of your choice, they will need to be ground by a muller or a mortar and pestle into the medium.
Safety note: Handle all dry pigments with care. Work slowly to avoid generating airborne dust and wear a dust mask for extra protection. Also avoid getting the dust all over your hands. Latex gloves are good at providing skin protection without "getting in the way".
Graphite is an extremely unique substance. Consisting of 100% pure crystalline carbon, it is the closest allotrope of diamond (substances made of the same element but in a different atomic structure). Diamond is a 3-D tetrahedral crystalline structure, graphite is a 2-D layered hexagonal crystalline structure with only weak bonds between layers, allowing them to slide past one another, making it a flexible solid lubricant. It is not a metal, but is the only non-metal that readily conducts electricity. It is one of the softest minerals (less than 1 on the moh's scale), while diamond, is the hardest mineral (10 on the moh's scale). Graphene is a high tech form of graphite that is a buzzword on the internet and holds promise as a material of the future. Graphene is more than just a form of graphite, it is exactly one atomic layer of graphite
This is a pure (100 to 99.9%) graphite. It has a very fine flake size. Graphite is instantly recognizable by that gray-silver-black "sheen" it has when rubbed on a light colored slick surface. Or making a gray to black line on paper when made into a pencil. This can be added to paints and resins. Often less is better than more. The flakes will give the best effect at a certain loading percentage which is found by experimentation.
It is a Southwestern Graphite product, which is a division of Asbury Carbons. Asbury is a large graphite/carbon manufacturer. Graphite is available in many different flake sizes and we have two. Asbury has an interesting website with lots of information about carbon and graphite (a platelet form of carbon), and a lot of educational material if you want to learn more about carbon in general and graphite in particular:
https://asbury.com/technical-presentations-papers/introduction-to-graphite/
"Graphite can withstand high temperatures and is ideal as a lubricant and parting agent on pipe joints, gaskets, and packing subject to water, alkali, gas, acid, or brine. Also used to fortify various greases and oils. Commonly used for general maintenance and lubrication where a flake is required....Graphite is one of the three familiar naturally occurring forms of the chemical element carbon. The two other varieties are amorphous carbon (not to be confused with amorphous graphite) and diamond. Graphite is familiar to most people as the active ingredient in lead pencils. However, its use in writing instruments is far outweighed by a myriad of other industrial applications whose performance depends on the unique chemical and physical properties of this material. Graphite is a major additive to many industrial systems where it provides functionality as a refractory, lubricant, thermal conductor, electrical conductor, UV shield, electromagnetic pulse shield, corrosion shield, pigment, etc."
Also, almost all life on earth is carbon is carbon based:
"Carbon is the basic building block of all organic substances and is therefore the basis of all living things. Because carbon combines readily with oxygen, giving off heat as a by-product, it is also a vital energy source. Carbon is one of the most useful of all elements."
It bears mentioning that carbon is also the basis of plastics and oil. There is an entire branch of chemistry that devoted to carbon, organic chemistry. Also a relatively new form of carbon is finding many applications from airplanes to snowboards, carbon fiber.
When added to a water based medium this is not that interesting, it's another black tonal value. When added in very small amounts to a water clear urethane, epoxy or polyester, then it gets interesting, especially when combined with other pigments in very small quantities. It can be thought of a "surface effects" material, because like mica the particle shape is flakes. But, because graphite is dark the effects are not as bold as with micro fine flakes of mica with pigments, or flakes that have been rendered iridescent, or those that are classed as "interference" colors like some of the Pearl Ex colors. Graphite comes into its own as a pigment when suspended in clear resin castings or in thick clear coatings, again, in very small quantities.
Another huge potential for micro fine flakes is using them on castings made in silicone molds (castings can be any size or thickness). Silicone rubber has a natural "tackiness" (besides the fact that it will release resin castings without the need for a release agent). That tackiness can be taken advantage of by brushing fine flakes, be they pigmented mica or graphite, pigmented or not, into/onto the silicone rubber cavity (all you need is a thin even coating, don't leave loose powder in the mold). When the clear resin is poured into the cavity it will pick up the brushed flakes and they will "transfer" and become part of the surface color of the casting. This give some very nice effects, a variably shiny, multicolor effect when viewed at different angles. The casting doesn't necessarily have to be clear, pigment or dyes can be added to it before casting for different effects. The graphite gives a sort of triple black/chrome/color effect if done right. The "chrome" comes from the reflectivity of the graphite flakes when viewed at different angles. It's reminiscent of things made of composite "carbon" (also called "graphite"!) fiber/epoxy. Graphite or carbon fiber composite objects have that same black/silvery-chrome look that's very appealing. If you try this "silicone mold transfer flake" technique, be prepared for some work put into experimentation and try to get several different flake types and sizes. Pearl Ex interference powders are actually a great thing to use initially because they work pretty reliably with different resin types, viscosities, and colors. There's also an economic advantage to this technique because the amount of pigment used for any single casting is far less than you'd use if you were coloring the entire casting. With this method you're only coloring the resin on and slightly under the surface of the casting. Having said that, this is a much better look than applying a colorant to the surface after the casting is made. The casting still has exactly the same texture and sheen as the silicone mold surface, it's not obscured or covered by a layer of spray paint (as an example).-
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1-2 business days
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If you would like a smaller or larger quantity of a raw material, click the "Request a custom order" button and tell us how much you would like. Or just contact us and let us know what you'd like. We'll get back to you ASAP.
This problem usually occurs with multiple items. We have free shipping on many of our items. In your cart items will have the sum of all embedded shipping costs. If you place an order for 3 or more "FreeShip" items, you will receive a "rebate" for the excess shipping. The more items you have the greater the shipping refund will be. You can also message us to ask what the total cost of your order will be when excess shipping is refunded before you purchase.
Or, if you see "Request a Custom Order" or "Message Seller", you can request a custom order and your items will be put in a custom listing with the correct shipping. You would purchase it like any other listing.
If you have a technical question about an item we've listed, please don't hesitate to ask. We enjoy helping people out with a material or a process.
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Nov 30, 2024
Excellent CS. Responses were informative and quick. There's items here that are hard to fine anywhere else.
BrotherJocko
Jun 21, 2023
The graphite flake is fantastic!
Colin McGinn
Nov 26, 2022
great deal and fast shipping thanks
james fink
Aug 9, 2022
Belen chaidez
Mar 4, 2022
amazing item, very much appreciated
Jeklis