Hiding the Tube in acrylics??

[GregHaugen]

I was curious what methods are people using to hide the tube in acrylic pens that could show through? Also what adhesive are you using, something different than you normally would or the same??

Thanks.

 

[Druid]

It all depends for me, I have used a range of things from replacing the brass with chrome/white/chameleon tubes, I sometimes paint the tubes and/or use fingernail polish to paint inside the blank. Heck, I've even experimented with using MIXOL color pigment and/or dry powder pigment and have mixed that into the epoxy or CA I'm using. All have varying effect, some spectacular, some cool, and some not so cool .

 

[leehljp]

Paint the inside of the blank and let the paint _cure_ in most cases. Also paint the tube. Epoxy and CA can melt/dissolve it in spots, allowing the tube or spots to be seen.

 

[GouletPens]

There are also several different colors of prepainted tubes available now. Granted, there is not an infinite color selection and it's only in the most popular styles, but I keep some on hand for when I am in a pinch and need to get a pen turned out quickly. The prepainted tubes work well and the paint doesn't rub off like when you paint it yourself. I know Woodcraft has them and I'm sure others do too.

 

[mick]

Here's what I do and before I start I know I'll get,"That doesn't work, CA dissolves"...etc...
Here's what works for me. I use acrylic craft paints like you'd buy at Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc... Between my pen making and my wife's craft stuff we've probably got 75-100 colors.
I ALWAYS assume that the tube will show through, better safe than sorry later on.
I paint the inside of the blank using a Q-tip. This prevents the glue bubblesfrom showing through even the most translucent blanks.
I also paint the tubes if in doubt of the translucence of the blank.
I let anything I've painted dry, or cure overnight. I usually work in batches so waiting isn't a problem, I've probably got 40-50 different acrylics and other plastics waiting to be turned :biggrin:
I glue my tubes in with thick CA and hit them with a spritz of accelerator
I allow these to sit over night and then trim the wax out of the ends and square the blanks
The ready to turn blanks then go on my "ready to turn" shelf over the lathe
I also experiment using different colors to "change" the look of the finished product. You'd be surprised what painting something a diffrent color inside will do for the look of a pen.
Someone else mentioned in another post about painting the white blanks from WoodCraft. I too do this with several either pastel of bright neon colors. I have a whole line of perfume pens which I call my Glacier Series. They've turned out to be very popular at all our shows.

 

[wdcav1952]

Here's what I do and before I start I know I'll get,"That doesn't work, CA dissolves"...etc...
Here's what works for me. I use acrylic craft paints like you'd buy at Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc... Between my pen making and my wife's craft stuff we've probably got 75-100 colors.
I ALWAYS assume that the tube will show through, better safe than sorry later on.
I paint the inside of the blank using a Q-tip. This prevents the glue bubblesfrom showing through even the most translucent blanks.
I also paint the tubes if in doubt of the translucence of the blank.
I let anything I've painted dry, or cure overnight. I usually work in batches so waiting isn't a problem, I've probably got 40-50 different acrylics and other plastics waiting to be turned :biggrin:
I glue my tubes in with thick CA and hit them with a spritz of accelerator
I allow these to sit over night and then trim the wax out of the ends and square the blanks
The ready to turn blanks then go on my "ready to turn" shelf over the lathe
I also experiment using different colors to "change" the look of the finished product. You'd be surprised what painting something a diffrent color inside will do for the look of a pen.
Someone else mentioned in another post about painting the white blanks from WoodCraft. I too do this with several either pastel of bright neon colors. I have a whole line of perfume pens which I call my Glacier Series. They've turned out to be very popular at all our shows.

"That doesn't work, CA dissolves"...etc... :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

 

[GouletPens]

I picked up some 'appliance epoxy' that comes in a spray can, I'm going to try that on some tubes as soon as the weather warms up. They only have white, black, and I think almond, but that'll work for most acrylics. I know that paint is incredibly hard, I imagine that's what the 'prepainted' tubes are sprayed with.

 

[rherrell]

I only use black or white spray paint. I shoot the inside of the blank and the outside of the tube. Let it dry overnight and glue with epoxy. SOMETIMES you need to drill a slightly larger hole but most of the time the spray paint is thin enough that it doesn't matter. If you brush paint on you will almost always need to drill a bigger hole.:wink:

 

[Rudy Vey]

I used Testor model paint and I try to get the color as close as the blanks. Both the tube and the inside are painted, I use 5 min Devcon epoxy for gluing. I tried black and silver colored tubes available from CSUSA, but the color appearance of the blank can change; maybe sometimes this makes it better looking, but I did not like it. I had tow identical blanks and just wanted to see the effect of the darker tube, made the whole pen much darker looking.

 

[mick]

It all depends for me, I have used a range of things from replacing the brass with chrome/white/chameleon tubes, I sometimes paint the tubes and/or use fingernail polish to paint inside the blank. Heck, I've even experimented with using MIXOL color pigment and/or dry powder pigment and have mixed that into the epoxy or CA I'm using. All have varying effect, some spectacular, some cool, and some not so cool .

I was looking and finally found this picture. It shows what painting tubes different colors can do to the finished pen. On the left is CSUSA Amber Marble with the inside painted yellow and the same blank on the right painted red on the inside. The Cigar pen is a blank from Woodcraft Sugar or Opal or something that's painted a rosey pink inside. I do a lot of these as perfume pen and paint them different colors inside. I call them my Glacier Series.

 

[jttheclockman]

Mick, what kind of paints are you using??

 

[JohnU]

I agree with Mick. I also use acrylic paints in the hole and on the tubes. Ive also mixed oil based paints with my epoxy (with painted holes and tubes) for extra coverage. Sometimes I thin them down a bit so I dont build up a thick paint layer which the tubes will scratch off when inserting.

 

[mick]

Mick, what kind of paints are you using??

John, I use just plain old acrylic craft paint like you see at Michaels or Hobby Lobby or even Walmart. I have found that there's a difference in opacity from brand to brand so I try to buy the ones that cover better.
Apple barrel and Folk Art are two brands that come to mind.

 

[bitshird]

I use PR resin dye, mixed with my epoxy for hiding the tubes in acrylics, Hobby Lobby or U.S Composites, about 3.00 a jar and 1 jar lasts along time, U.S has most basic colors in opaque , it only takes a few drops to make your epoxy what ever color you want.