Tips for the best results with Pritty pearl pigments in the paint industry:

1. Dosage/loading
Pearl pigment dosage is determined by many factors, such as its coating thickness, the method it’s applied, its transparency, and the surface area to be covered and the final pearl effect. In general, a sufficient dosage is 5 - 10% in weight. Sometimes, a weight of just 1% can produce a beautiful transparent and sparking effect. For thin coatings, the dosage should be increased to around 20 - 30%. Be warned, too many pearl pigments doesn’t guarantee that the platelet-shaped effect pigments will be aligned evenly to the surface and will have their full optical effect.

2. Pre-wetting, dispersion and stirring

Pre-wetting the pearl pigments with solvent or binder components usually makes it easier for dispersion and the best way is to make it into slurry to avoid foam coming out while stirring. To keep a consistent colour shade and avoid flocculating, optimal length of time for pre-wetting is 24 hours.Pearl pigments are easy to disperse and normal stirring is sufficient, so never use high shear machines, which will destroy the pearl pigment platelets and reduce or totally lose the pearl effect. 

3. Methods to improve hiding power of pearl pigments:

1. Small particle size can improve hiding power, but one can only get a silky gloss effect with no shining. To get the ideal pearl effect and hiding power, you can choose to add some small particle sizes instead of using all big particle sizes.
2. Adding metal powder to the ink can improve its hiding power (like Aluminum powder, bronze powder) and the dosage of pearl pigments should be about 5 - 10%.
3. To formulate dark colours, a small proportion of carbon black can improve the hiding power and also enhance the reflection colour of pearl pigments.
4. To formulate lighter colours, TiO2 (Titanium Dioxide) will be helpful to strengthen the hiding power. But, since it is not good for pearl effects, you will need to use more pearl pigments to enhance the reflection colour. The best way is to use as little TiO2 as possible to reach the best hiding effect.

Note:  Non-transparent or dye will reduce the pearl effect.