I hate translucent blanks

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qquake

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This is an acrylic acetate blank, for a Vertex click pen. I back painted it with dark green acrylic paint, colored the epoxy with the same paint, and coated the hole with the epoxy. Yet in spite of all that, you can clearly see the brass tube through the blank. Very frustrating.
 

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qquake

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What's even more frustrating, is this is the second blank. I didn't back paint the first one, because I thought it was opaque enough. So that's why I took the trouble to back paint the second one.
 

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jttheclockman

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Have no idea what you are telling us. What blank was the first set of photos??? What blank is the second set of photos??? All I can say just slopping paint on the inside of a blank is not going to cut it. I highly suggest you sand the inside of the blank to get rid of the drill marks and to smooth the surface. Then carefully paint the inside using either a brush or qtip or even spray painting. Do not clump or else this will get pulled off. May take 2 coats depending on the translucent effect of the paint itself. I have to do this many times when painting blanks. Make sure the tube can slide in and out easily after it is painted. When inserting tube in for glue up be gentle so you do not scratch the walls of the paint. All comes as a learning experience. All else fails stay away from those type blanks. So many blanks on the market today it makes one's head spin. Good luck and happy painting.:)
 

brownsfn2

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I understand the frustration. The translucent blanks are great to show depth though and once you master it you will like them. Try either sanding the inside or make the whole slightly larger so you can put more than one coat of paint on the inside of the hole or so that you can apply a coat of paint to the brass tube as well. I usually paint both since the paint I use (especially green) is slightly translucent or light as well. Hope that helps.
 

WriteON

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Don't give up on that....it's a beautiful blank. You'll get it right.
 
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Woodguy95

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On the first set of photos the tube doesn't show that much I've found that sometimes the turner is more exigent than the custommer. I had the same issue and kept those pens for myself but a custommer bought one even if the tube was showing a little.

I use rustoleum paint the one with the metallic effect and it works like a charm. I paint the tube and the blank.
 

chartle

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I stopped using water based craft paint and switched to Testors enamel using two coats letting it dry overnight or more. Seems the epoxy can dissolve the paint.

Some use spay paint which closer to the Testors.
 

SteveG

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Another suggestion beyond John T. (post #3), is to be sure there is enough clearance once you are at the point of inserting the tube. This is a combo of drill size and any sanding done prior to painting. I do not paint the tube, as it is unnecessary if the painting process for the hole is good and remains intact. There are 2 more things I do as part of my process. Right after painting the hole, Run the tube in and out a couple of times to clear any clumps, etc. Also, I will smooth the outer edge of the end of the tube with sandpaper. This allows a smoother entry for the tube, less likely to scrape some of the paint away.

Many others have gotten a handle on this, and are able to use very translucent tubes...you will too! There are some VERY nice blanks available to you once you master this process. With the suggestions here, you can be nicely encouraged...go get 'em!
 

BSea

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When in doubt, I paint the tube and inside the hole. How long did you let the paint dry? Dry to the touch isn't cured. I normally wait at least overnight after painting the inside of the blank. I also keep the blanks in front of the tube opening during the night. It is frustrating though when the brass shows through. I do agree with Steve above. If the inside of the blank is properly coated and cured, there is no reason to paint the tube. But it's not uncommon for the tube to scrape off some paint as it's inserted. So painting the tube gives an extra layer of color.
 
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RedBeard

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Craft paints just didn't seem sufficient for me when I tried them. Whether it was me or the paint or something else they just seemed to "streaky" and I wasn't exactly confident in their use. I had a blank that I knew would show the tube so I ended up using spray paint both on the tube and inside the blank. Worked perfectly.
 

chartle

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Craft paints just didn't seem sufficient for me when I tried them. Whether it was me or the paint or something else they just seemed to "streaky" and I wasn't exactly confident in their use. I had a blank that I knew would show the tube so I ended up using spray paint both on the tube and inside the blank. Worked perfectly.

Well craft paints are water based and designed to clean up nicely, two things that generally make for a paint that doesn't work well on plastic.

I have a small assortment of Testors paints.
 

Skeleton2014

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Hi Jim,
One of the things I do to all my non-wood kits is to use Brass Ager (phosphoric acid, copper sulfate, muriatic acid, selenium dioxide) to turn the brass tubes black. I soak the brass tubes in the solution for 12 to 15 minutes. Sometimes I'll paint the inside of the blank, most times I don't. Been doing this for couple of years now and I'm happy with results of not seeing that ugly brass tube! I know the library has some very good articles on reverse painting and some methods where you can test various color sombinations with your specific blank. If you're just looking to give your brass tubes a black color without resorting to paint, give it a try.
Good luck, Jeff
 

qquake

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Craft paints just didn't seem sufficient for me when I tried them. Whether it was me or the paint or something else they just seemed to "streaky" and I wasn't exactly confident in their use. I had a blank that I knew would show the tube so I ended up using spray paint both on the tube and inside the blank. Worked perfectly.

Well craft paints are water based and designed to clean up nicely, two things that generally make for a paint that doesn't work well on plastic.

I have a small assortment of Testors paints.

I've wondered about acrylic vs. enamel paint. Too bad the Testor's paints are so expensive now. I remember when they were 39 cents!
 

OLLIEwinz

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tubes

if you are still finding it difficult you can buy black and white tubes, the darker or lighter colour might give the pen some cool depth,anyway just a thought.
-oliver

(sorry for "misspelling" the word color I'm from england)
 

chartle

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Craft paints just didn't seem sufficient for me when I tried them. Whether it was me or the paint or something else they just seemed to "streaky" and I wasn't exactly confident in their use. I had a blank that I knew would show the tube so I ended up using spray paint both on the tube and inside the blank. Worked perfectly.

Well craft paints are water based and designed to clean up nicely, two things that generally make for a paint that doesn't work well on plastic.

I have a small assortment of Testors paints.

I've wondered about acrylic vs. enamel paint. Too bad the Testor's paints are so expensive now. I remember when they were 39 cents!

Was going to add to my post that I used to buy it at 19 cents.
 

BCBULLDOG78

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I use a drill bit slightly larger than the one called for in the kit. Usually, about .2mm-.3mm larger than called for - for example, on sierra based kits, I use an 11mm (11.0000mm) versus 27/64" (10.7156mm). This little bit of room gives me the clearance to paint both the inside of the blank and tint the epoxy. Occasionally, I will also paint the brass tube if it is a blank that is extremely translucent. I use standard acrylic paints, knock on wood, and I haven't had any issues. This is domething I was having issues with a while back and some of the guys from our local group helped me adapt my process.

This chart helps with figuring out the next drill bit size for certain kits:

http://docs.engineeringtoolbox.com/documents/751/inches_to_mm_conversion.pdf
 
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