Brite tone (BT) is a non toxic, WATERBASED, high solid polyurethane from the Crystalac company. It self levels, is scratch resistant, non-yellowing, durable and clear and it's made right here in the USA.
This is what I use as my epoxy replacement.
Crystalac is the company, Brite tone is one of the many products ( I think over 160) that the Crystalac company makes. They are the manufactures and are completely transparent about what is in their products. You can find the full SDS sheets right on their website.
To get started making tumblers, Brite Tone Gloss, is all you really need BUT their tumbler kit has a lot of items that people eventually end up purchasing because they make making tumblers easier and faster (i.e. glitter glue, Universal White, Black Gloss, Liquid Micas, Flipnawesome paints), I will post about these products and their use in the future.
You can find the link to these products in the Tools & Supplies tab at the top of the page.
When I first heard about BT I was skeptical, and I wondered how on earth it would work but it works amazingly and gives a beautiful glass like finish with exceptional clarity.
You need more layers of the product than you would with an epoxy tumbler to build up that beautiful shine BUT you only need four hours dry time in between coats AND it's dry to the touch in ONE HOUR so you can switch out your turners more frequently. That was a game changer for me that allowed me to create in a larger volume!
On average I need about 10-15 coats of BT per tumbler (depending on design). That may sound like a lot BUT I can switch out my turners every hour and each tumbler gets 3-4 coats a day so I finish them up in approx 5 days (depending on design). I've been doing this for awhile so I rarely count coats anymore and I know a tumbler if finished based on feel. It's a learned skill.
Brite Tone adheres to metal, wood and glass so it can be used to apply your glitter just like the epoxy method. This is my preferred method for glitter application.
BT can be applied with a taklon brush or a gloved/ungloved finger and stored in condiment bottles for easy use.
Clean up is super easy, you just rinse with water! That's one of my favorite things about using BT for glitter application; if you mess up your glitter, can can simply rinse it off before the product dries. I did this a few times when I first started.
The BEST thing about Brite Tone is that is can be used indoors without full PPE. You only need a mask when sanding (always protect yourself, you don't want any dust particles in your lungs).
I will be making new blog posts in the future about making glitter tumblers and basically everything tumbler related and MORE! Make sure to subscribe!
