Acrylic questions

[woodmarc]

What are some of the methods that have been used to "color" the tubes when turning the acrylics?

I have been using good old fashioned testors oaints, but with mixed results.

I am looking for a cost effective way to colorize the pen tubes prior to insertion with out harmful chemicals ( have 3 & 4 year old in the house). I also want to be able to color match the tube to the acrylic.

Thanks in advance

 

[fiferb]

Spray paint, permanent marker.

 

[knottyharry]

Hi Marc,
I think you're going to get a mixed bag of answers on this.
I have tried a number of things, from spray paint, to nail polish.
I have painted the tubes, and the inside of the acrylic, and both.
But have mainly been using CA glue. When I paint the tube, I can see glue between the acrylic and the tube. Or the CA removes part of the paint.
The CA seems to react with the paint, etc.....so now i'm trying epoxy to see how it does. I have one that i'm working on now but it's not finished....i'll let you know how it comes out.
The way I see it, is that some of the acrylics are more transparent than the others. So you need to leave as much material on it as you can to avoid the transparent look.
Some us CA and say they have no problems. Others do. Some use a different glue and say they have better luck.
Good luck....
Harry

 

[MesquiteMan]

I have had great luck using tinted epoxy. I mix up some epoxy and add some colorant, in my case, Transtint dye. I then use a plumber's acid brush to coat the inside of the blank with the mix and then roll the tubes thoroughly in the epoxy and glue them in.

Works great on my clear cactus pens so I know it will work fine for translucent acrylics!

 

[YoYoSpin]

Try adding dye (black indian ink or PR powder dyes) to your thick CA, then let the CA both glue and color the inside of your plastic blanks.

 

[GregMuller]

Ed,
Are you mixing the dye in a small ca bottle or puoring out the ca and then mixing in the dye.

 

[gerryr]

I've not had much success painting the tubes, but have had good results painting the holes. I use Testor's enamel, except for one time I used fingernail polish because it was the color I wanted. I use either epoxy or Sumo glue to glue the tubes in. Painting the inside of the hole has the advantage of hiding the glue and any bubbles that might be in it. This can be really important if you're using something like Caramel Creme or Phantom Gray from Pipe Makers Emporium. And Testor's enamel is made to use on plastic.

 

[Draken]

I use the little bottles of crafters paint from Michaels for less than a dollar a bottle. Use a cotton swab to paint the inside of the blanks, let it dry, then use expoxy to secure the tubes. I've had pretty good luck so far, and there are a ton of colors to choose from. I've found one or two colors that seem thicker than the others, so for those, I thin them down a bit with water.

Cheers,
Draken

 

[woodmarc]

Thanks for they great ideas. I like the idea of painting the inside of the blank. Don't know why I didn't think of that. DOH! [B)][:0][:0]

I have been using a lot of the acrylics from WoodPenPro. The only problem is the transparentness (sp?) of some of them. I also use the testors enamel model paint.

As for tinting the CA and or epoxy, where can I find some of the transtint dyes?

 

[mrplace]

One more thing, with two part epoxy, you can add a few drops of tint to color the glue.

 

[YoYoSpin]

Marc,

Re, dyes to use in CA and epoxy...these super fine power dyes used with Poly Resin tend to stay suspended and will not settle to the bottom if mixed well to begin with. So I just mix them in with a small bottle of CA...one bottle per color. Here's where to buy the powder dyes: http://tinyurl.com/9me5y. Maybe try "Oxide Black" to start.

 

[woodmarc]

I'm not sure that tinting the CA or epoxy will be enough for some of the more translucent blanks. However, I am sure that these would be good as dyes and tints for other turnings or some of my flatwork. I have a boatload of maple, I think I will definately give this a try on coloring some birdseye. My whole thought behind painting the tubes was to provide a similar tube color to the translucent color, providing extra depth, not just to hide the brass tube.

Yoyo - thanks for the link to the source. The have a serious selection. Looking through the list, I feel like the guy on the Prestone commercial, I can't make up my mind!! []