Inorganic Pigment Stain

Inorganic pigmented stain is a stain that uses a mixture of inorganic pigments to form its color. Inorganic pigments are made from minerals that are grounded to a certain subtlety. Minerals that have a certain delicacy are then mixed with a resin as a binder and then dissolved in a solvent to be used as stain. Some inorganic pigments are widely used in wood finishing industry are: titanium white, carbon black, chromate yellow, red oxide, burnt sienna, raw umber, van dyke brown, etc.
The inorganic pigments have different properties; overall, he has higher cover ability, is less bright and is less transparent than the dye pigment  (the stain for wood finishing) The particles of the inorganic pigment are relatively large, so it can not form a solution as the dye stain but merely a suspension. The pigment will settle after it is left for awhile. A consistent agitation is required at its application to produce a stable coloration.
Compared with aniline dyes or inorganic pigments, they are relative more stable and have better durability against UV light, making them more resistant for outdoor finish applications.
There are many stain colors available for this type of stain, but as well as organic pigments, we can also make our own stain color by mixing from the primary colors. How to color mix is done by using the principle of the color triangle. But when we mix the color, we need to be sure that we never mix the inorganic pigment with the organic pigment and vice versa. The mixing of different types of pigment will result in an unstable color stain.

There are several types of inorganic stain that are mainly determined by the binder used.

• Pigmented wood stain (inorganic pigmented wood stain)

This stain is a wood stain that uses the colorant from the inorganic pigment. This stain is made from a mixture of inorganic pigment, some binder, and solvent. This stain is usually applied directly to wood surfaces. This stain produces a duller, less transparent, and less bright than the aniline dye stain. Therefore, this stain is more suited to do the finishing with a more soft and less bright color. Stain for even the color, such as sap stains and equalizer stains, should be made of inorganic pigment. The inorganic pigment, which has a greater cover ability, is more suitable to cover the uneven color in the wood substrate and bring it to a more even color result.
There are many names used for this stain, but the stain can be distinguished from the dye stain by its dull, less bright appearance.  This stain also will have sediment after it is left in place for some time.
Application by spray is the most widely used for this stain. By spraying, the stain can be applied with a thickness that can be adjusted in accordance with the desired color. A slow-dry solvent type such as mineral spirits can also be added to the mix of this stain so it can be applied by brushing or wiping. But the application by brush or wiping with this stain is difficult to produce a dark color. The relatively large pigment particles make it cannot be absorbed by the wood. The stain will only coat the surface, so it will be easily erased at the wiping or brushing operation.

• Glaze.

Glaze is one type of stain that uses inorganic pigments. The inorganic pigments are mixed with some resin binder, some inert, and solved in a solvent. Glaze is designed to be applied between the clear coatings. The binder and inert make the glaze easy to apply in a certain thickness between the clear coating. More about glaze can be viewed in our previous article: glaze in furniture finishing

• Base coat, enamel, paint.

It is a stain to make a solid color finish. This stain is made from inorganic pigment mixed with a clear coating as a binder. There are many types of this paint, depending on the type of binder used. Many colors of NC base coat, water-based base coat, PU base coat, and many other base coats are available now, which all can be selected in accordance with the finishing system used.