Here is where I share the goods with you!
Tools and Trays
I make most of these items by hand. However, there are plenty of things out in the wild you can use.
Trays:
-Baking sheets/pans, deep is nice here for less waste so I prefer 9" x 12" and larger baking pans.
-These plastic box frames/drawers are amazing when you can find them, they are my prefered if I'm buying them:
-Target/Brightroom drawers. Sometimes they're available as singles but currently I'm only finding the box of three. Always nice to have back ups!
-MCS Acrylic Box Frames - multiple sizes, shown here is 11" x 14".
Tools:
-I love using stick rulers and yard sticks! Either at the size they are or I cut the yard sticks to size. I use a glue gun and long quilting needles. The quilting needle balls come off with pliers. I glue the pointy end so that the end that combs your surface isn't something that'll constantly scratch you.
-Lumber. I cut these down, sand them, and use finish nails for bigger trays.
-Toothpicks. Great for wider combs, 1" and higher. Same, I glue gun them onto my sticks.
-Bamboo skewers, great for free flow designs.
All sorts of items can be used, just a bit of creativity will get you a long way!
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"Size," the slimy liquid you lay your paints on.
Before I even get into the mixture and one thing I found it most difficult to find out about when I first started marbling, your size will get muddy!
Unless you have mastered the art of mixing paints and laying them down perfectly, there will be paints that accumulate under the surface. These are done, never to appear in your marbles again. The size can become so gray that you can barely see the colors you're adding. This doesn't mean you can't still use it, it's most likely still perfectly good.
It's not good anymore when the paints don't move anymore at the right temps no matter how much you stir it.
The two thickeners I use that are widely used in marbling.
-Prefered but more expensive, LAMBDA Carrageenan. It has to be Lambda or it will not dissolve properly for marbling and the paints will not spread. Make sure when purchasing you're paying attention to the weight of the product. There can be crazy price discrepancies from 8oz-16oz.
The bummer here is that even refrigerated, which can take a while to work properly when trying to get it session ready, it doesn't last long. Not refrigerated, three days is about the norm. In and out of the fridge, maybe one to two weeks top but that's pushing it.
Mixing directions are 2 TBSP/gallon water. For mixing instructions, please visit my friend Bronnie from Raynbow Crow Studios. And wear a mask!
-Not as expensive and comes with a lot more instructions and opportunities to get it wrong, methylcellulose. The brand linked is what I've been using for a couple years and I love it. 2 TBSP/gallon water.
The difficulty with MC is the addition of ammonia if you want your size to last more than a day or two. If you don't use it, the liquid will settle and the bottom of your bucket becomes thick and the top too thin and it's hard to incorporate. Along with this trick is the lack of knowledge I have when it comes to too much ammonia and the kind of ammonia.
First, the kind, it has to be 100% ammonia. The problem I often encounter is that the label will say 100% but it might be "lemon scented." This is not 100% ammonia. Then there's a bottle next to that one on the shelf that says unscented but the same brand, these don't work well either. Find a better brand and get to the industrial strength stuff. It may come down to having a person at your hardware store understand the difference but in my experience they haven't really had any answers.
Second, I usually mix up about three gallons at a time. Once I've gotten the liquid and powder combine, I add in little splashes. I don't have the measurements but if I can smell them ammonia in the finished product I know I've gone too far. So in these cases I have another gallon mixed up and I add splashes of that until I can't smell the ammonia anymore. Sorry, this has been a trail and error in my marbling practice and that's why I recommend carrageenan.
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*A note for both kinds of size.
When initially mixing up your size, and hand blender or blender works fastest and best. I mix up two four gallons worth of powder in one gallon of water and once I've added it all in I then add the rest of the water. Once that's filled up there are plenty of clumps at the surface. I usually come back once or twice in the next hour and mix a bit more up at the surface. Both are usually clear by the next day and can be used. I can do this same day if I have a half a day in between mixing and marbling.
Mordant
A mordant is a chemical you add to paper and fabric that helps the paints stick to the surface.
Potassium Aluminum Sulfate. The link here is generic but gets you to where you need to go and what you need to know.
There are several items you don't need to mordant. I've found raw wood, vegtan leather, and other porous surfaces that don't need it in my shop. It's a trial and error thing here, as are so many parts of marbling. Find what works best for you!
Paints
There is so much to be known and so much to learn when it comes to the paints you'll use in marbling. The best advice I have for you is to start with Jacquard Marbling Paints if they are available in your area. I did it all when first starting out, I had a beginner pack from Jacquard but I also jumped right into mixing paints. What a nightmare!
Start with the easiest route possible and see if this artform is for you. Once you've decided it is, then, keep using Jacquard for months until you've gotten super comfortable with your process, pattern work, and what you like to marble.
Once you're half a year in and marbling regularly, then you might want to start playing with other paints. Golden and Utrecht are the other two I use and I still, constantly run into issues depending on what I'm trying to marble. Technically any acrylic paint can be mixed to marble with but it's all about the pigment ratio that you'll find success and happiness with.
I can't give you mixing ratios as theyre all different but the one thing I can say here is that you need to go purchase distilled water to mix your paints with if you want them to behave well and last longer than if you used tap water. There are minerals in water that can have adverse effects with paints so distilled is the way to go!
Set yourself up for success!