[Jewelry making - Article 00281] - Re: [Orchid] Curious About Colorit

[John Walbaum]

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    I too blanched at the high cost of Colorit curing lights and decided
    to investigate. After studying dental polymers and UV curing lights
    extensively, I decided it was worth the risk to go the eBay route. I
    acquired both a 40-watt tray (sold as a nail curing light), and a
    generic high-powered, wand-type light. 

    What I have found in speaking with the folks at Gesswein
    (distributors of Colorit in the US), and reviewing product literature
    of the German company that makes it (on the web, but quite hard to
    find), is that Colorit is basically a dental product adapted for the
    jewelry market. The curing wavelengths are similar though not
    identical to those required for the various dental inlay products. It
    is important to understand that the wand light emits a narrower
    wavelength band, and also must be used at very close distances to the
    enamel when curing. The scientific papers I have read on this process
    all indicate an optimal curing distance of 1 cm or less. Many of
    these lights have short timers (20 or 40 seconds), but I have found
    curing can be four or five times that long. In practice it is very
    difficult to hold the wand close above the gooey enamel without
    touching it for two to three minutes at a time. My solution was to go
    with the UV nail curing light, which is far cheaper and, in my tests,
    works just as well as the wand. 

    The biggest difference between Colorit and dental enamels is the
    pigmentation, which impedes the curing by blocking light from
    reaching the photoinitiators in the polymer. This also turns out to
    be the biggest hang-up with using a cheap UV light, which can't be
    adjusted to match the different colors being cured. There are lots
    of tricks to getting the process right, such as heating. If you have
    the money, however, the unit Gesswein sells is "married" to the
    Colorit product and may produce better or more predictable results
    for you. 

    Colorit is a neat product that can be grinded and polished pretty
    much as advertised once it's cured. But one aspect I have discovered
    is that, unlike Ceramit or Durenamel, it is really translucent. The
    manufacturer's literature specifies a depth of 0.8 millimeters as
    the recommended minimum for opacity. Etching fine designs to this
    depth, I have found, is a bit difficult without severe undercutting. 

    Castings and cloissone will work better. In my experience, shallower
    recesses appear translucent or muddy
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