Lesson Learned

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SteveAxelrod

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Nov 11, 2015
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I've been turning pens now for about 6 months and though I've been lucky so far I still forget to consider painting my tubes. The Stardust Trails Acrylic blank is described as "black swirled through a pearly gold and platinum colored resin". Though it turned out close to this description, the brass tube is more noticeable than I'd prefer. I'm just not sure what color would have been best to paint the tube - perhaps silver?

Comments and suggestions would be appreciated.

BTW - Vesper Click Pen Kit in Gun Metal
 

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stonepecker

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Oct 29, 2012
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central Minnesota
I believe that coloring the epoxy or painting the inside of the blank would have been a netter idea. That is one of the problems looking through a blank when you turn it as thin as that appears.

Another idea is to make a paint stick with the main colors you would like to paint with. Then at least you could insert the stick and "see" if a certain color looks better then another. (I got that little trick off of Exotic Blanks and the "how to" videos)


Other then the 'tube' problem......That is one fine looking pen.
 

RKB

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Mar 17, 2014
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Apollo, PA
Very nice. I really like this kit. I use a spray gray primer a lot for blanks that I don't know what color to use. Thanks for sharing.

Rod
 

SteveAxelrod

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Nov 11, 2015
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Oldsmar, Florida
Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

I like the idea of coloring the epoxy as it's as quick and simple as adding a drop of acrylic paint to the resin, mixing, then adding the hardner. It seems white or gray would be the most neutral color and have the least effect on the colors of the blank. Silver may have worked well for this blank.

Can the color of a painted tube be seen through a blank before it's turned?
 

CREID

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Jul 23, 2008
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Vancouver, wa
Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

I like the idea of coloring the epoxy as it's as quick and simple as adding a drop of acrylic paint to the resin, mixing, then adding the hardner. It seems white or gray would be the most neutral color and have the least effect on the colors of the blank. Silver may have worked well for this blank.

Can the color of a painted tube be seen through a blank before it's turned?
That really depends on the blank and the color of the tube. A lot of people including myself paint the tube and the inside of the blank, I do it mainly because I might scratch the paint off one or the other and the other one compensates. No matter what you do, paint the tube, the inside of the blank or color the glue, you have drilled a round hole in the blank and if you paint it a contrasting color you are going to see it. So just try to pick a color that won't give a drastic contrast. Now some people have painted tubes different colors to achieve different colors in the blanks, so there is no set rule. Just have fun and experiment.
 

CREID

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Vancouver, wa
Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

I like the idea of coloring the epoxy as it's as quick and simple as adding a drop of acrylic paint to the resin, mixing, then adding the hardner. It seems white or gray would be the most neutral color and have the least effect on the colors of the blank. Silver may have worked well for this blank.

Can the color of a painted tube be seen through a blank before it's turned?

Here is a video from Ed at Exotic Blanks that does a good job of answering some of your questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbOb1UJnqdY
 

SteveAxelrod

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That's a great video Curt. My new SOP will be to polish the end of my acrylic blanks and then cut off a thin piece to get an idea of how translucent it's going to be once turned. I'm going to hold them against a paint chart of possible tube colors to choose the best color. Thanks for sharing the link!
 

KenV

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Oct 28, 2005
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Juneau, Alaska.
Colored epoxy can work well and can fail.

Uneven positioning of the tube, bubbles, or gaps in the epoxy coverage can result in shadows or visible tube.

None of the " hide the tube " techniques are foolproof, but they seem to have less failures with,experience.
 

qquake

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Feb 8, 2004
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Northern California
I've found for me, the best method of all, for very translucent blanks, are a combination of painting the blanks and tubes, and coloring the epoxy.
 

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