Of all the steps involved preperation of the size is the most important as without the right size the colours simply will not float that being said there has been numerous types of sizes that were used throughout the history of marbling including but not limited to carrageenan gum tracaganth and most.
Carrageenan for marbling recipe.
4 tbsp 1 4 cup carrageenan powder.
With a coffee stirrer drop paint onto several spots on surface of size.
That is how to prepare the water and thinking it for turkish sty.
Add another color dropping paint into middle of previous color if desired.
For example kappa carrageenan quickly turns to jelly whereas lambda can be left out for a couple days or refrigerated for up to a week.
5 lt warm water hottest tap water blend 2 5 lt water and 1 4 cup carrageenan powder with blender until the carrageenan mixed well in the water add 2 5 lt more water o complete to 5 lt.
Marbling carrageenan not the food variety mixed at 2 5 tablespoons per gallon of water i use distilled bottled and marbling alum again not the food kind mixed at 1 to 2 teaspoons per cup of water.
The solution on which the colors are floated is referred to as the size the size can be made of several different types of gel or gum but the finest and most detailed marbling must be done on carrageenan size carrageenan is an extract from a seaweed called irish moss.
Let pigment spread out 2 to 3 inches.
Dissolve 2 tablespoons of carrageenan in 2 cups of water you must stir it vigorously i use both a whisk and wooden spoon and then add enough water to make 1 gallon 16 cups while stirring.
This recipe makes 1 gallon of size.
The carrageenan is mixed in a high speed.
The carrageenan must sit for at least 12 hours to set properly and then you can pour it into the marbling tray.
Make marbling size.
Preparing for marbling is an art in its own right one that requires a strict precision.
Water quality is the main issue for marbling.
Many times online retailers don t specify which type of carrageenan they are selling and not all carrageenan is the same.
Increase ingredients proportionally to make larger quantities.
Carrageenan size recipe for marbling.
It will never set after this point nature takes course and it starts to break down.
Continue in this fashion adding color over color and letting paint spread out and form random shapes.
In this tutorial i will show you one of the most important steps when it comes to marbling.
I mix my alum a bit stronger than some recommendations just because i find it works better for me.