Pot Configuration
Full Pot = BPI# 46300 - Black (
grey)
Full Pot = BPI# 34300 - Swiss Chocolate (
brown)
Full Pot = BPI# 20300 - AO Calo-Lite (
green)
Full Pot = BPI# 31400 - Pink (
pink)
1/2 Pot = BPI# 31500 - Yellow (
yellow)
1/2 Pot = BPI# 46400 - BPI Fashion Lite Blue (
blue)
1/2 Pot = BPI# 70101 - BPI H2O Neutralizer II (neutralizer)
1/2 Pot = BPI# 37112 - BPI Diamond Dye 400nm Ultra-Hard (SRC and UV)
BPI# 71502 - BPI Color Developer (a few drops in each tint pot)
Those were my go to colors, then of course a Neutralizer and a SRC/UV combo. The color developer kept my tints fresher longer. The directions say one to two drops per tank each day but I did it twice a week with great results. The 1/2 pots are a great way to get more color selections from your tint tank and they allow you to change out your tint more often with less waste, I kept my least used colors in those pots and neutralizer as well as UV since I like to keep those fresh.
Color Correction Chart
If
Grey lens is:
Blue - dip in
brown or
pink
Green - dip in
blue, then
pink
Red - dip in
yellow
Purple - dip in
yellow
Brown - dip in blue
If
Brown lens is:
Blue - dip in
pink
Purple - dip in
yellow
Red - dip in
blue
Grey - dip in
pink, then
yellow
If
Green lens is:
Yellow - dip in
brown
Blue - dip in
yellow
Grey - dip in
blue, then
yellow
Brown - dip in
blue
If
Pinks,
Blues, or
Yellows are:
* - change tint
Avoid too much color corrections as you will contaminate your other colors. When a tint is old and depleted, replace it.
Water
I used filtered water with a brita tap on the faucet, the recommendation is deionized water, but I found the brita did the trick well enough.
Settings
I set my temp of the tint machine to 150 and would crank it up to 200 when I needed to tint a job this prolonged the life of the tint and prevented boil overs, although it also meant no quick tint jobs. Make sure to check your thermostat reading by taking a temp with a thermometer for accuracy, many tint machines are notorious for the guages being way off.
Tinting Times
I tint with a kitchen timer;
#1 tint = 1 to 2 minutes
#2 tint = 3 to 5 minutes
#3 tint = 8 to 10 minutes
The times vary based on temperature, age of tint, lens manufacture, and material. I usually start with a 1 minute tint and see how much the tint absorbs before settign the timer for the full duration. Lighter tints like blues, pinks, and yellows don't get real dark so I will usually set them in the tank for an even extended period of time (like while I got out to lunch) if someone wants a dark tint in those colors (rarely happens). You may want to consider a photometer to measure the transmission as an alternative to just eyeballing it.
I also kept one of OMS Chemicals turbo tints the grey around for those real quick tint jobs that needed to be done a few minutes in the microwave and whalla. Remember that Poly and other mard coated materials will not tint as well so make sure to check with the manufacturer to get tintable coatings when they are needed.
Random Tips
- Keep pots covered (prevents evaporation, dust, splash overs, and keeps tint fresher longer)
- Clean lenses thoroughly (avoid any contaminations in your pots that means clean all markings before tinting)
- Clean lens holders thoroughly (again this avoids contamination)
- Clean tint pots when changing tints
- Use one tint pot for one specific color, avoid using it for another color.
- Rinse lenses thoroughly between pots
- Don't mix hot and cold tints
Therapeutic tints
I had requests every now and again for therapeutic tints and the cost of these tints are not as easy to price as the regular fashion tints, they range too widely to have a set price. My recommendation is to either:
- Call the tint manufacturer and get a quote for the bottle and price the job as it were to use the whole bottle.
- Call your lab and see if they could do this job for you (if they charge you for the whole bottle have them send you any unused portion). Then bill the patient accordingly.
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