Painting tube or blank

[DJBPenmaker]

Does anyone have a preference or reason for painting the inside of a blank as opposed to the tube and if you paint the blank, how do it? Any help appreciated

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[skiprat]

For see through blanks I use acrylic paint with an ear bud ( q tip )
I paint the blank hole. You can get seriously different affects with different colours but I mostly use black.:wink:

Reasons:
The paint in the hole hides the patchy glued areas
The paint fills in the scoring from the drilling
The paint gives a nice contrast to items cast in clear resin.

I've just made a ton of cast shredded bank note blanks ( old fivers ) and the black paint works well with it.

Edit in; Managed to catch the time limit with a quick couple of pics
I made several blocks and rods with the shredded notes and the rods weren't as densely packed as the blocks so you can see that painting the blank black solved the problem of seeing the tube or the drill marks.
I have dozens of these damned crappy pens to make for my wife. She gives them to her students. She chose the bank note cast and the kits. ( Rubbish kits from Axminster ):frown:

 

[JohnU]

I do both. If you paint the tube and not the blank, your glue may show if the blank is transparent. If you only paint the hole of the blank and not the tube, and scratch the paint while inserting the tubes, you can have brass shine through. I like to do both for that added protection. I use spray paint. I hand the tubes by a small wire and lightly coat it. I spray in to each end of the drilled blank with short burst, working around the top and bottom. I let them dry for 24 hours before using epoxy to glue the tubes in. This is just what works for me. Hopefully others will chime in with what they do to give you other options.

 

[cpmech425]

I paint the tubes and the blanks. It's quick and easy with acrylic craft paints and small brush. This time of year I have the heat on in my shop so I put the tubes and blanks by a heat run to dry. I have also used a heat gun to quickly dry them. Brian

 

[Terredax]

Paint both, for the reasons given above.
But for added insurance, use epoxy to adhere the parts together and tint the epoxy as well. It almost guarantees full coverage and even if scratches happen during tube insertion, the tinted epoxy will cover it.
Be sure to give the tube a twist in both the clockwise and counter-clockwise directions while inserting the tube. This gives a more even coating and fills any voids that may be present.
JMO.

 

[DJBPenmaker]

For see through blanks I use acrylic paint with an ear bud ( q tip )
I paint the blank hole. You can get seriously different affects with different colours but I mostly use black.:wink:

Reasons:
The paint in the hole hides the patchy glued areas
The paint fills in the scoring from the drilling
The paint gives a nice contrast to items cast in clear resin.

I've just made a ton of cast shredded bank note blanks ( old fivers ) and the black paint works well with it.

Edit in; Managed to catch the time limit with a quick couple of pics [emoji2]
I made several blocks and rods with the shredded notes and the rods weren't as densely packed as the blocks so you can see that painting the blank black solved the problem of seeing the tube or the drill marks.
I have dozens of these damned crappy pens to make for my wife. She gives them to her students. She chose the bank note cast and the kits. ( Rubbish kits from Axminster ):frown:

Thanks for that, I'm going to do both from now on. Took a look at your website too. Wow is all I can say!

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[magpens]

If you only paint one, paint the inside of the blank. . I use a Q-tip. . But it is better to paint both the blank and the tube. . And, of course, better still to tint the epoxy also.

 

[DJBPenmaker]

Paint both, for the reasons given above.
But for added insurance, use epoxy to adhere the parts together and tint the epoxy as well. It almost guarantees full coverage and even if scratches happen during tube insertion, the tinted epoxy will cover it.
Be sure to give the tube a twist in both the clockwise and counter-clockwise directions while inserting the tube. This gives a more even coating and fills any voids that may be present.
JMO.

What would you use as a tint that wouldn't interfere with the effectiveness of the epoxy?

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[JohnU]

What would you use as a tint that wouldn't interfere with the effectiveness of the epoxy?

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I use casting resin dyes like pearl ex, alumilite dyes or poly resin dyes. All work just fine.

 

[DJBPenmaker]

What would you use as a tint that wouldn't interfere with the effectiveness of the epoxy?

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I use casting resin dyes like pearl ex, alumilite dyes or poly resin dyes. All work just fine.

Thank you for your help

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[Pierre---]

There is something I don't understand with painting blanks and/or tubes : it means you glue them to the paint, which seems not strong at all ??!?

 

[Rounder]

Many people paint a dowel rod with assorted colors so that you can slide the rod in the tube and see the effect that different colors have on the way a blank looks. It can look totally different painted black or white or any other color. You could also use colored pencils to see the different effects.

 

[wouldentu2?]

Interesting that some threads go on and on about gluing in the tube with CA versus Epoxy versus Gorilla glue and how to sand the tube or use solvent to solve tube to blank adhesion problems and on threads like this people are painting blanks or tubes and then gluing in the tube.

Doesn't the paint actually actually reduce the adhesion?

 

[Terredax]

Interesting that some threads go on and on about gluing in the tube with CA versus Epoxy versus Gorilla glue and how to sand the tube or use solvent to solve tube to blank adhesion problems and on threads like this people are painting blanks or tubes and then gluing in the tube.

Doesn't the paint actually actually reduce the adhesion?

When the correct paint is used, applied correctly, and allowed to cure fully, it is just as strong as the epoxy.
The paint is to disguise the tube and imperfections. Once the blank is turned, the parts of the pen hold it together.

 

[DJBPenmaker]

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. I'm going to paint both the tube and the blank from now on!

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[george mavridis]

Many people paint a dowel rod with assorted colors so that you can slide the rod in the tube and see the effect that different colors have on the way a blank looks. It can look totally different painted black or white or any other color. You could also use colored pencils to see the different effects.

Is using the painted dowel done after you drill the hole or when the blank is turned to size? I find that in original form/size the blank won't be as transparent as it will be once turned to the size for the pen. However at that time the tube is glued in so hard to use a dowel to see the difference.

Can you explain exactly how you do it.

 

[jttheclockman]

Many people paint a dowel rod with assorted colors so that you can slide the rod in the tube and see the effect that different colors have on the way a blank looks. It can look totally different painted black or white or any other color. You could also use colored pencils to see the different effects.

Is using the painted dowel done after you drill the hole or when the blank is turned to size? I find that in original form/size the blank won't be as transparent as it will be once turned to the size for the pen. However at that time the tube is glued in so hard to use a dowel to see the difference.

Can you explain exactly how you do it.

George

The best way to do this is when the blank is cut for the tubes there is usually scraps of the blank left over. Turn those down close to size an use them for your color match.

Here is a thread I started a few years ago. Talk about driving yourself crazy with color matches. Since I started this thread I have tried to avoid those real transluscent blanks. But it can get frustrating.


www.penturners.org/forum/f14/how-do-you-all-handle-75540/