[ABS-PA757] Powder colorant - Yellow

Continuing the reviews of my well known love for powder based colorants, and proof of their usefulness, abilities to assert a professional look and to eliminate color banding, I give my review of Yellow powder colorant.

Extruder:
Mostly stock Filastruder v1.6 #1870 extruding vertically with full barrel header wrap insulation, melt filter, and a Filawinder

Mixing:
You want a 1:5 (20%) ratio when blending your pellets with any powder based colorants. This may change depending on your polymer type and color. For this test, I used about 200g of PA 757 ABS and 40g +/- of Yellow colorant. I used my drill powered method of mixing which is discussed here, but can easily be mixed with a glass jar and shaking of said vessel.


If you mix your powder colorants, I recommend using a respirator of some type. Even a rag or shemagh would help. When "drill mixing" colors like green, red, blue, etc., You notice the colors you were working with several days later...imagine THAT in your sinuses!  Some colors stain more than others. While yellow is on the lower side, it did stain my jeans....nothing a single wash cycle couldn't fix. But keep in mind that it not only gets everywhere, but it is easily cleanable as discussed below.

Pellets in the hopper. I normally take pictures of the mix before being dropped in, but I had paternal responsibilities that caught up to me at 1am.

Extrusion:

Temp: 190c
Rate: 9-11" per minute
Average diameter: 1.78 +/- .02mm

Printer:
Solidoodle 2, Bulldog XL, RUMBA, DRV8825, Supernight PSU, Lawsy carriages, Wardjr Bulldog mount, mirror bed, hairspray, Claghorn Direct Y Drive, Y pillow block, printed at 105 mm/s

Printing:
Printing this color was normal, though the color came out more bold than I was expecting....more like a faux gold than anything. This means I used a tad too much in mixing before extrusion. As I have stated a few times in other threads, different polymers will slightly change the end result. As an example, here is my review of GP35 ABS.

Comparison to available filament:
I have bought several kilos of ABS, but never purchased Yellow. This filament prints nearly identical to other ABS materials. With the polymer I used (PA757), smell is minimal, extrusion speed is acceptable, but one should be a little more conservative with mixing the powder. For a true yellow, I would recommend 15% powder.

Takeaway and comments:
Yellow seems to be a very tricky color to dial in, especially when using other polymers. I've made yellow with powder as well as pellets several times, but you may want to extrude your base material virgin to see how the pigment behaves before experimenting before using lighter colors.

Cleaning after colorant use:
Your cleaning process of the vessel will depend on a couple factors:
1) What material your vessel is.
2) How large it is.
3) What you use as a mixing bit.

Defining (1):
With a glass jar, hot water and a little soap goes a long way. Fill the vessel 1/3 of the way with water with about a quarter sized (24mm) drop of Dawn. Pour the soap before the water so the force louches, then shake violently.
With an empty paint can, a little hot water and a rag to wipe with is all that is needed. If you shake said paint can, you will get more powder distributed and have more cleanup. But with a mixing bit, the cleanup will be more defined.
Acetone can also be used, but this method would be far more preferred for the glass jar (shaking) method since the acetone may dissolve the vinyl lining of the paint can and potentially contaminate future batches.

Defining (2):
The size of the vessel can hinder your ability and technique for cleaning. The larger it is, the less likely you are of being able to successfully shaking soap+water and would need to wipe down with a rag and hot water. If fresh, this would work. If old, acetone and said rag would be mandatory.

Defining (3): 
The mixing bits sold at places like Home Depot are generally an ABS tip with an aluminum shaft and should not be cleaned with acetone. Either wipe down the bit with hot water and a tiny dab of soap immediately after mixing the colorant,  or let it sit and cure a while to let the colorant solidify on the tool, or transition to like colors . (i.e. red>orange>yellow / yellow>orange>red)
If you buy a metal bit or print one in PETG, PLA, or Nylon, acetone can.