Need help wiht tube painting

[Emery]

I've taken a new job in Atlanta and will be moving to Johns Creek area at the end of the August. My wife and daughters left yesterday so we'll be apart 5 weeks. My daughters are 4 and 6 and love art so I am making them a pen each from fun colors. These blanks are yelow and orange crush. Do you think I need to paint the tubes or will the copper tubes make the blanks look better?

 

[DSurette]

If it were me I would paint the tubes. The tubes will tend to show more toward the ends of the blanks than in the the center giving them an uneven look. I guess it would be okay if the blanks are not tapered toward the ends.

 

[reiddog1]

I use the orange crush blank from time to time and I use orange testers to reverse paint the blank. I rarely paint the actual tube anymore. Hope this helps.

Dave

 

[Timbo]

It's more important to paint the drill hole. If you don't, its likely that the glue you used to secure the tube will show through in an uneven pattern. I actually paint the tubes and the blank hole. I use to use Testors paint, but that goes on too thick, the coverage isn't always that good, and it take too long to dry. I now use fast drying enamel spray paint which solves all those problems.

 

[Flaturner]

Paint the blank! I painted the tubes once and when I went to trim the barrels the glue held the paint but the paint did NOT hold the tube. It slid right out the other end of the blank. I haven't painted a tube since. I normally use acrylic hobby paints since I'm painting acrylic blanks. Seemed to make sense to me.

 

[RosezPenZ]

since we are on the subject of painting the blank, how do you paint the inside with out getting lots of streaks?

 

[KenV]

since we are on the subject of painting the blank, how do you paint the inside with out getting lots of streaks?

Streaks (variation in density) are OK -- you are blocking the brass, and streaks will cause some variation in coloration that I think improves the appearance.

Use spray or a q-tip works OK -- get coverage over the whole interior of the blank, but some vairation is normal - and you may scrape a bit when gluing in the tube.

 

[RosezPenZ]

Streaks (variation in density) are OK -- you are blocking the brass, and streaks will cause some variation in coloration that I think improves the appearance.

Use spray or a q-tip works OK -- get coverage over the whole interior of the blank, but some vairation is normal - and you may scrape a bit when gluing in the tube.

Thanks Ken, yes I get scaping also, thought I was just getting lucky and it would catch up with me at some point,

 

[beck3906]

Use a round file to file out the tube hole in the blank. This removes any burrs left after the drilling process. Also helps prevent scratches when you insert the tube.

 

[edstreet]

Don't paint! Use a spray etching primer on the tubes. Game over.