for Sale
MARBLING SUPPLIES
for Sale
The following supplies may be ordered by calling 1-(405)-949-1239.
Please call between
2:00 pm and 8:00 pm (Central Time Zone).
If there is no answer, please leave a message and phone number, and we will call you back to take your
order.
For more information, click on "How to Order" at the
top or bottom of this page.
Carrageenan: An extract from the seaweed Irish moss.
This is a powdered gelatin, which
you mix with water in a blender to form the "size" on which the colors float.
No boiling necessary. Even though there are many kinds of gels and
thickeners available, nothing has been found
that works better for marbling size than carrageenan. It is a non-toxic food product, and will not harm you or your
blender.
Half lb. bag...........................$20.00
One lb. bag............................$38.00
More
information on how to use Carrageenan.
Alum (aluminum
sulphate): Serves as a color binder. Makes the
color stick on the paper or fabric -- very important! This is pure aluminum
sulphate, and doesn't contain other unnecessary chemicals like potassium or
ammonium (which is often found in the alum used for pickling or for gardening).
Half lb. bag...........................$ 4.00
More information on how to use Alum.
Marbling
Gall: A wetting agent. Makes
colors spread on the surface of the size. Some colors need it, some colors don't.
If a color is not spreading, or is sinking, give it a drop or two of gall.
Also, gall is necessary for some patterns
such as
the Stone Marble and the Italian
Vein. This is not the traditional oxgall, from a cow... genuine oxgall
is not strong enough to work with acrylic colors; our gall is actually a type of
detergent and works much better (and doesn't smell bad).
2 oz. bottle...........................$ 5.00
More information on how to use Marbling
Gall.
MARBLING TOOLS:
The following 6 tools are made to fit a standard-size (11½" x 17¼") baking sheet or cookie tray, which can be used as a marbling tray to hold the size.
A clear plastic 11" x 14" box picture frame can also be used as a tray. The tools are made of a strip of wood with metal pins or nails for the teeth.
We make all of them ourselves right here at our workshop.
Standard
Comb: Used for making the Nonpareil pattern (sample shown below), and used
as a preliminary step for making the Bouquet, Feather, and several other
patterns. Five teeth per inch.
This is the standard spacing for a traditional Nonpareil. If you are only buying
one comb, this is the one you should get.
11" long...............................$ 8.50
More information on how to use the Standard
Comb.
Wide-spaced
Comb: Used for making a slightly wider-spaced Nonpareil pattern, and
is especially useful for up-and-down combing (Chevron). Four teeth per inch.
A
comb like this was used to make patterns #4-Birdwing,
#12-Thistle,
and #18-Chrysanthemum.
11" long...............................$ 8.50
More information on how to use the Wide-spaced
Comb.
Fine-tooth
Comb: Used for making very fine-combed patterns. Ten teeth per inch.
This comb is used just like the standard comb above, but makes a more detailed,
intricate pattern. A fine-tooth comb was used to make patterns #21-Swirl,
#23-Butterfly,
and most of the samples at #3-Peacock.
These combs have to have a double row of teeth, slightly off-set. If
they were all in a straight line, the carrageenan and colors wouldn't flow
through easily, and even the tiniest specks of dust would get trapped by the
teeth and cause a streak or flaw. These are harder to make, so they
cost more than the other combs.
11" long...............................$15.00
Rake:
Nails spaced at 2". Used alone or in addition to the comb, for making wide patterns such as the
French Curl, Feather, and
Birdwing. The rake is usually used lengthwise in the tray, so it is longer
than the other tools.
14" long...............................$ 4.00
Double Rake:
Nails spaced in 1½" triangle patterns. Used alone or in addition to the comb, for the
Bouquet, Peacock,
Frog Foot, and
Thistle
patterns.
10½" long..............................$ 5.00
Scraper Stick:
Used to skim the excess paint from the surface of the size between
prints. Fits into a standard cookie tray.
11" long...............................$ 1.00
The following 6 tools are similar to the ones above but are twice as long, to fit larger trays. You can cut them down if they are too long for your tray.
Standard
Comb:
(about 5 teeth per inch, or 5 millimeters apart)
22" long, two teeth per centimeter.....$16.00
Custom-made lengths....................$ 1.00 per inch
Wide-spaced
Comb:
22" long, one tooth per
centimeter.....$16.00
Custom-made lengths....................$ 1.00 per inch
Fine-tooth Comb: Used for making
very fine-combed patterns.
(about 10 teeth per inch)
22" long, four teeth per centimeter....$28.00
Custom-made lengths....................$ 2.00 per inch
Rake:
28" long...............................$ 8.00
Double
Rake:
22" long...............................$10.00
Scraper Stick:
22" long...............................$ 2.00
Plastic Broomstraw:
This is a bundle of black broomstraw, containing enough
straw for you to make 8 to 10 whisks (by wrapping a rubber band around the end
of about 60 strands). Used for sprinkling paints onto the size. Even though many marblers
still use natural broomstraw, plastic whisks are better since strands don't
break off and fall in your tray, they don't get waterlogged and limp, you can wash them out and use them over and over
with different colors. Will last for years. You should make one whisk for each
color of paint you will be using.
.......................................$
4.00
per bundle
More information on how to use Plastic Broomstraw.
Texoprint Paper:
A very durable
55-lb. white paper, with a slight
latex content, which makes it great for marbling since it is not harmed or weakened when it gets wet,
it won't rip or tear easily, and it dries out flat. Great for bookbinding.
I have
been using this paper exclusively for all my marbling, for over 20 years
now. Grain goes long way.
9½" x 12½" sheets......................$ .20 each
19" x 25" sheets......................$ .80 each
More information on how to use Texoprint
Paper.
NEW!!
Recently expanded to 40
pages! Lots of new pictures and instructions.
"THE ART OF MARBLING"
booklet:
This is a very detailed full-color booklet
with complete
and easy-to-follow instructions
on how to marble both paper and fabric.
Great for beginners.
Contains directions for making 28 different
marbled patterns, such as the Peacock,
Spanish Wave, French Curl, Thistle, Birdwing,
Moiré, Ripple, Stone Marble, Nonpareil,
Feather, Italian Vein, and Antique Spot.
Overmarbling
and Masking are also discussed.
Full details are given on how to prepare the
alum and carrageenan, and how to
mix colors,
use the gall, and prepare the paper.
Suggestions for projects using marbled papers
are included. A section on solving marbling
problems is at
the end.
Trying to teach yourself marbling
without a
good instruction book will cause lots
of
wasted paint, paper, time and
supplies.
Having a good book will actually save you money!
Written and illustrated by Galen
Berry.
40 pages............$15.00
Mouth Atomizer: Used for making the Italian Vein pattern, or for doing
Overmarbling. This small tool is what was used before spray cans were
invented! Put the long end into the liquid, and blow (hard) through the
short tube, which has a little plastic mouthpiece. A fine spray will
result. You can blow diluted paint through it too, but it takes more
effort.
.......................................$ 6.00
More information on how to use the Mouth
Atomizer. 
Marbling Paints:
These are acrylic paints in 4 oz. jars,
mixed to the right consistency for marbling -- no need to dilute. To be used only with carrageenan
size (not methyl cellulose); suitable for marbling on both paper and fabric.
Any of these colors can be mixed together to get new shades.
Acrylic paints have only existed since the 1950's, so of course marblers in the past didn't use them -- they used paints such as gouaches, or opaque watercolors. But those colors were not waterproof... if a sheet of their marbled paper ever got a drop of water on it, or a wet finger, it could smear. So every paper in those days had to be coated with beeswax, a laborious process. But acrylic, which is a liquid plastic, dries permanently; you can't even smear it if you try, after it has dried. So for that reason most marblers have switched to using acrylic paints nowadays.
Acrylics have also made fabric marbling practical for the first time in history -- the watercolors used in the old days would never have survived washing. After marbling your cloth, iron it on the back side to fuse the acrylic into the fiber. Hand wash in cold water when necessary.
But not all acrylic paints work well
for marbling. Most artist acrylics available in stores, even some of the
finest brands, do not work well -- they may be great for painting, but when used
for marbling they spread too much and become very pale. And cheap craft
acrylics don't contain enough pigment. Our paints are specially made just
for marbling.
Black should be applied as the first color on almost every sheet you make
(unless you want a more pastel-colored sheet), since it will then outline all
the other colors and make the whole sheet look richer, with more depth. Gold and copper have
metallic mineral flakes instead of pigments, and do not stick well on cloth.
Most marbled papers have at least 6 colors in them, though more or less can work
well too. The more colors you have, the better, otherwise all your papers
will start to look alike!
Colors below are just approximations and may not look accurate on some screens.
Black.......$5.00
Gold........$5.00
Red.........$5.00 
Copper......$5.00
Blue........$5.00 
Teal........$5.00
Green.......$5.00 
Indigo......$5.00
Yellow......$5.00 
Brown.......$5.00
Purple......$5.00 
Viridian....$5.00
Orange......$5.00 
Cerulean....$5.00
Pink........$5.00
Lavender....$5.00
White.......$5.00 
Beige.......$5.00
Grey........$5.00 
Ochre.......$5.00
Turquoise...$5.00 
Russet......$5.00
Empty Plastic Jars:
Ideal for mixing and storing
paints. 2" wide, 2½" high.
4 oz. jars, with lids...........$.75 each
Basic MARBLING KIT: Contains everything you need to learn
marbling, except the paints. (Paints are sold separately
so that you can order whichever
colors you want
-- see the list above.)
Included: carrageenan, alum, marbling gall, sponge, marbling tray, standard comb, rake, plastic broomstraw, stirring stick, skimming strips, samples of real marbled papers, 24 sheets Texoprint paper, and full-color 14-page detailed instruction booklet.
With this kit you can produce professional-quality marbled papers. The paper included is 9½" x 12½" size, though the tray will hold paper or fabric up to 11" x 16". For larger sheets, you will eventually need to buy or construct a larger tray, but this kit is great for those who are just starting to marble -- it is much easier and quicker to learn on smaller sheets. Instructions are included for fabric marbling also.
This kit teaches you all the basic marbling techniques and patterns, in a simple and easy-to-understand format.
Basic Marbling
Kit............$55.00
Deluxe MARBLING KIT: With this kit, you can produce all the basic marbling techniques and patterns, plus many more advanced patterns and designs.
Contains everything in the kit above, plus these additional items: double rake, wide-space comb, mouth atomizer, extra bundle of broomstraw, 24 additional sheets Texoprint paper, 4 sheets white muslin cloth, 22-page full-color instruction booklet.
This kit also does not contain any paints. (Paints are sold separately so that you can order whichever colors you want -- see the list above.)
Deluxe Marbling Kit...........$79.00
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