Help! Prob painting inside acrylics

[JRay8]

So. i have started painting the inside of my acrylic blanks for obvious reasons. but here are my issues.
1. the tube won't fit afterwards
2. the tube scrapes away the paint or just turns it black
3. the epoxy does not hold to the paint and the blank can turn on the tube
i am using acrylic paints which many here on the forum suggested but i am not really sure where i am going wrong.
i am ready to beat my head on the wall.
how are you guys doing it?
thanks
Jim

 

[1080Wayne]

The inside of the drilled blank is probably a bit rough . I always clean out the hole with a rat -tail file before painting . Also some drill bit / tube combinations leave less clearance for paint .

 

[Seer]

Try using spray paint it leaves a thin coating or tinting the epoxy when you glue it in.

 

[Chasper]

My guess is that you are leaving burrs inside the drilled hole, the paint builds up around them and then the tube doesn't fit, it scrapes off the paint. Use a sharp drill bit. File out the inside of the hole. I paint with a q-tip, it gives good coverage, but it is important not to leave cotton threads behind.

I usually glue with CA, but I doubt that is making any difference, occasionally I use epoxy and it works as well. Could your epoxy be old? Are you giving it enough time to cure? Are you spraying a lubricant on the tubes to help them slide in? That could inhibit the adhesive.

 

[refueler1]

I was having the same issues. I paint the acrylic blank and the tube. I am going to order a few Letter size drill bits like a J,O,P,W AND X for different kits. They are a tiny bit bigger and should just give enough clearance.

 

[BSea]

Here are a few things I've learned from painting inside blanks.

As others have said, clean the inside with a file. I use 2 grits of sandpaper glued to a dowel.

Use very thin coats (I normally use 3 coats). You can thin out acrylic paints, but I never have.

Be sure the paint is dry between coats. I use a fan to blow through the blanks. And then I wait at least overnight before gluing in the tubes.

I know some kits have different clearances, so the file suggestion should help if this is the problem.

As far as the glue not holding, there might be a few reasons. If you are using epoxy, be sure and put some inside the blank, and also on the outside of the tube. Since you were scraping off the paint, and if you were only putting glue on the tube, you probably scrapped off most of the glue on the leading half of the tube, so there wasn't much holding the tube to the blank. I use candle wax to plug up my tubes on one end when I inset them into the blank. This keeps glue from getting inside the tube. You can also use a raw potato.

 

[Dave Turner]

Just to add my 2 cents. I just use a brass brush to clean out my drilled holes. A set from Harbor Freight is a few bucks. I found that a small paintbrush would deposit too thick a coat in the blank. I now use a Q-tip to apply the paint. Even with 2 coats, my tubes still seem to fit ok.

I find potato or apple to be too messy for plugging tubes. I"ve tried plumbers putty with moderate success. So far, Play-Doh seems to work best for me. I still want to also try dental wax.

For the epoxy, I coat about 2/3 of the tube and slide it into one end of the blank with a twisting + in-and-out motion (sort of like an oscillating spindle sander). I insert it in this fashion until it's about 2/3 of the way in. I then pull it out and re-coat it with more epoxy. Now I push it into the opposite end of the blank with the same motion. This time I push it all the way in until it's flush with the other side. Scrape off any excess epoxy on the other side and then center the tube in the blank.

 

[Woodlvr]

My dentist told that when I need some dental wax just drop by and he will give me a few sheets from time to time, also he will order extra sheets for me at his cost. He volunteered the offer as I was not trying to acquire any from him, just answering his questions on pen making. Nice guy.

 

[okiebugg]

drill bits

For what it's worth, I mic all of my tubes outside diameters and the outside of the drill bits and Find a drill bit that 'fits'. 1 to 2 thousands can make a definite difference which is more that you would think .

When you think of a 7mm pen, you buy a 7mm bit.....wrong. If you have a 7mm bit and a 7mm tube, you are looking for disaster. Using the same size bit and tube can cause the CA to seize when the tube is halfway into the blank. The wrong bit can also scrape some of the paint off of the inside of the blank.

 

[refueler1]

7mm in Chiwaneeeeessssseee translates to 6.3450202020403854985004 millimeter.

 

[okiebugg]

Drill Bits

For what it's worth, I mic all of my tubes outside diameters and the outside of the drill bits and Find a drill bit that 'fits'. 1 to 2 thousands can make a definite difference which is more that you would think .

When you think of a 7mm pen, you buy a 7mm bit.....wrong. If you have a 7mm bit and a 7mm tube, you are looking for disaster. Using the same size bit and tube can cause the CA to seize when the tube is halfway into the blank. The wrong bit can also scrape some of the paint off of the inside of the blank.

Again, for what its worth, I purchase all of my drill bits from one company called Jantz supply. They are a wholesale company who caters to those of us who build knives when my head is spinning from all of my turning.

Their Drill bits are all set next to each other with corresponding sizes if you are trying to find that perfect bit

Biggest reason being quick service by mail, and no questions asked when you have to make a return

https://www.knifemaking.com/

 

[JRay8]

Thanks guys. i stopped by harbor freight on the way to work today and picked up a round file and round wire brushes to clean up the inside of the blanks. i will check my bit sizes as well. if i have one thats slightly larger i will save it for acrylics to make room for the paint. i will let you know how it works out.

 

[JRay8]

so for the blanks i had already turned a pushed the brass tube out and used the wire brush to clean it out. the brush also made the hole larger so i painted and glued in a new tube. i was able to save them with much better results.

for the ones i didnt glue in tubes yet i re dilled with a larger bit. since i was using a 3/8" kit i re drilled with a 10mm bit and it worked out perfectly.

much better results! thanks for the help guys.

 

[Daniel]

Don't assume that a kit that says drill with a 7mm bit, has a 7mm tube. And not all 7mm kits have the same size tube. Some are a tighter fit than others. Get a set of clippers. They will quickly be your best friend. I don't look at the insctructions much anymore for a bit size. I mike the tube and select the best bit for what I am doing. If I need to paint the inside of the blank I give it a bit more wiggle room.