Painting Tubes

[Larry Gottlieb]

I am beginning to use pieces of acrylic for bands. Some are translucent. I know that some of you paint the tubes to avoid the brass look.
Is it necessary to use a paint color for each color of acrylic?
Can white paint for all work?
What type of paint is best? I use polyurethane glue to glue tubes.

Thank you

Larry

 

[gwilki]

Larry: I'm sure that you will get many opinions on this one. For me, it depends on the look that I want. You can paint tubes black to bring down some parts of the blank that may be too bright. You can go with white to do the opposite. Finally, you can paint the tubes in a colour close to that of the blank. I know that Jim Shaver posted two pens, both in the same blank, one with white tubes and I think one with black. The difference was quite remarkable.
As to paint, many use Testors. I've used Krylon spray with good results. For black, many use a marker.

 

[ctwxlvr]

I have a set of permanent markers of the sharpie kind, that has 16 colors that I color the tube with, I have used these with varying success, blank has to be a good fit on the tube.

I tried paint but kept having the tube/paint/glue joint fail.

uncolored brass can create interesting effect too.

 

[Mudder]

If you use Polyurethane glue there might be a problem if it foams up. About the only time that I DO NOT use Poly glue is with acrylics. As for painting the tubes, I've had good luck with Krylon but since I tried the brass ager that can be had from MLKWoodWorking I've pretty much switched over to that. It's not very expensive and it has never affected the bonding properties of the CA or Epoxy that I have used. I have had 3 or 4 failures with painted tubes.

I have no affiliation with MLK, Just satisfied with a product that they offer.


http://www.mlkwoodworking.com/home.php?cat=5

 

[Modelmaker]

I've been having real good luck powder coating my tubes. I'll post some pics tonite when I get home

 

[RONB]

I powder coat the tubes white and then use the perminent colored markers from Sharpie to make the color match the P.R. I have found that this workes the best for the look that I like.

 

[sbell111]

We've tried paint, but have had failures. I think that I'm going to bite the bullet and learn how to powder coat.

 

[RichW]

You might try chemically coloring the tubes. Find a stained glass studio in your area and talk to them about a chemical solution they call "patina." I have some at home that turns brass black. Since it's not a coating, it shouldn't cause a glue failure.

If you don't live near a store that sells stained glass supplies, you can find products and even home-made recipes on the internet. Here's an example that turns brass black using nothing more than salt and household ammonia.

http://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/finishes/instant-patina-for-brass/

Rich

 

[Rudy Vey]

For me the Testor model paint works the best. I bought a whole set once and try to match the color of the blank as best as I can. For glue I use Devcon 5 min epoxy, goes a long way and it can be even colored with the paint. BTW, I paint both tubes and the inside of the blanks!