The color of money: More buck for the bang!

[Steve Busey]

I've turned some shredded money blanks in the past, but haven't been completely satisfied with them. The first one, when I was quite the newb, was glued straight onto a brass tube, and in the end, more brass showed than did cash... :frown:

Second try, I painted the tube green (whatever shamrock-ish green they had on the hardware store paint aisle. End result - the green was not even close to the color of the shredded bills, so it was still pretty ugly. :thunder:

Third try, black tube, again, lousy results.

Finally it struck me! :beat-up: In order to get the tube to match the color of money, why not use - (wait for it... wait for it... ) MONEY! I've already got $5 or so invested in the blank - what's another dollar?

Even doing a pen as thin as a slimline, I've now got the most "money-colored" pen I've ever done. And enough material to do two more pen kits! :bananen_smilies039:



Pic 1 - Cut bill epoxied to tubes. The added thickness required a slightly bigger drill bit to drill out the blanks.
Pic 2 - The end result.
Pic 3 - Close up - you can see the real bill underneath the shreds. The haze in some spots on the blanks is a function of the closeup lighting - it's really not visible to the naked eye.

 

[Drstrangefart]

Brilliant work. I've liked the shredded money blanks but the piece I turned didn't go too well.

 

[sgimbel]

Great idea and a whole lot cheaper than the paint you bought. Looks great.

 

[vallealbert]

Great pen and great idea...I hope no Secret Service guys here... as far as I know, destroying money bills is illegal...:biggrin:.

 

[ed4copies]

I hate to state the obvious (to those of us who make our living selling copiers), but you COULD copy a dollar bill (which is also illegal) and cut up the copy (which makes the illegal act no longer pertinent) and paste the copy to your tube (thus avoiding cutting up currency).

AND SAVE A BUCK!!!!!!

 

[Russianwolf]

I hate to state the obvious (to those of us who make our living selling copiers), but you COULD copy a dollar bill (which is also illegal) and cut up the copy (which makes the illegal act no longer pertinent) and paste the copy to your tube (thus avoiding cutting up currency).

AND SAVE A BUCK!!!!!!

my understanding is that modern copiers won't copy US currency. You are the expert though, so am I begin told a fib by my Xerox people?

 

[ed4copies]

Your Xerox probably won't, but my little HP will.

Yes, the bigger, expensiver, need 15 manuals (this is, unforutunately, NOT an exagerration) won't copy money.

AND TO MY AMAZEMENT--NEITHER will my HP!!!
(I just tried it!!)

So, you need an OLD color copier!!!

Now you've got me curious, think I'll try some older currency and see what triggers the "currency detector" in this little copier---for $90, the circuitry can't be very sophisticated!!

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Bruce119 has been copying money for his Franklin blanks for a while now.

 

[ed4copies]

Old bills work--but it's probably illegal to discuss, so I will leave it at that.

 

[Buzzzz4]

Hmmm. My HP worked a new bill just fine. Shredding now. also leaving it at that.

 

[Steve Busey]

----------------------------------
Title 18 United States Code, Section 333

Mutilation of national bank obligations

Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
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Well, my intent was just to make a pen. I'm pretty sure there's enough left (2/3rds) to reissue, but I may leave well enough alone. Would be just my luck that a frustrated fed agent would come to a show looking for a fight... :frown:

BTW, the consequences are a bit more severe for coins, but the element of fraudulent intent arises:
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Title 18 United States Code, Section 331

Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States; or

Whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into the United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered, defaced, mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled, or lightened -

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both
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[glycerine]

I hate to state the obvious (to those of us who make our living selling copiers), but you COULD copy a dollar bill (which is also illegal) and cut up the copy (which makes the illegal act no longer pertinent) and paste the copy to your tube (thus avoiding cutting up currency).

AND SAVE A BUCK!!!!!!

With the price of ink... I'd say just cut up the dollar!! :biggrin:

 

[seamus7227]

BTW, the consequences are a bit more severe for coins, but the element of fraudulent intent arises:
----------------------------------
Title 18 United States Code, Section 331

Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States; or

Whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into the United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered, defaced, mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled, or lightened -

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both
----------------------------------

The highlighted areas are the key words in regards to coins. You can deface, mutilate, yada yada yada till you're blue in the face as long as you dont put it back into circulation.

 

[sbell111]

For my money pens, I just paint the tubes a medium dark grey. It works a treat. That being said, I am picky about the type of kit that I use for these pens as they really look much better if the pen has some meat to it.

Regarding the copying of money, it is not illegal to copy a small part of a bill. Given that you would only need about an inch and a half of material to glue to your tube, I see no reason that you couldn't copy a small part of the bill. I don't know how the copy machine knows not to copy a bill, but I assume that it keys on specific areas of the bill. A little trial and error should identify a section of the bill that can be copied and is large enough for your use.

 

[Monolith]

It's also legal to print copied currency as long as its printed 50% larger or smaller than real bills. This is standard for "play" money, and is done frequently in marketing (think "SALE!" signs with a blown up $20 or something).

So, you could just print enlarged copies. By the time you trim them down for the tube (or shred them), no one is going to notice the difference. Of course, then you wouldnt be able to say theyre made with "real money" either. :wink:

 

[rizaydog]

Very nice pen and thanks for sharing your information. Great idea.