Reverse Painting Dilemma

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Sappheiros

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Sep 26, 2015
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I was busy this weekend turning out two pens! I have yet to take pictures and upload them, but don't worry... It's coming!

After asking around a bit, I got Testors Promotional Enamel Paint Set from amazon with a pack of cheap brushes to use.

Saturday night, I had one pen in mind that I wanted to work on and I knew it would require reverse painting. I got the blanks drilled and painted inside. I knew it could stay wet a while, so I drilled a couple other blanks, glued the tubing, squared them, set them on the lathe, and turned them AND the painted blanks hadn't finished drying. I glued them and squared them off, but paint seeped out a little. It seemed like the CA glue and accelerator may have even wet the paint anew.

Is there a better paint to be using? Or am I just being silly, too in a hurry to get to work? How long do you let you paint sit?
 
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Skie_M

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Spray can of paint ... shoot it right down the hole, just a short blast. It should be dry in about 5 - 10 minutes.

Another method for the type of paint that you are actually using ..... toss the brushes, and grab a cheap pack of q-tips... Use the cotton swabs to swirl the paint in a thin layer inside the drilled blanks. Very cheap, disposable, easy to use, ect ... If you only put a thin layer, it should dry pretty fast.



Last issue I have with your problems .... You use accelerator with CA while gluing your tubes in???? Accelerator can help cure the CA fast so that you can quickly apply another layer for finishing, but it can leave a FRAGILE CA bond that is easier to break with lower force... You should never be using an accelerator for gluing your tubes into your blanks.


When I glue up my blanks with CA ... I always wait about 20 minutes before I start turning it, and I NEVER apply any kind of accelerator.

In fact, I don't even apply any while finishing either ... 20 seconds isn't all THAT long for me. :)
 

Sappheiros

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I may have to try some spray paints out!

Oh, gosh! I didn't know about the accelerator... Now you have me all worried about my pens! Live and learn.. I'll take care of my pens until the end, though! :)
 

Dalecamino

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Get Krylon Paint For Plastics! White and black. Then you'll have two choices for different colors of blanks. You could even get the intire selection of colors.
 

Chasper

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I used Testors for a few years and most colors work fine, but I had the same experience you had with some colors. Also Testors got a little expensive over time (in the smallest bottles it costs about $125.00 per gallon). I've switched to acrylic craft paint, under a dollar for a two ounce bottle, available at Wal-Mart, Michaels and a ton of other places. Any brand works.

I have about 125 colors of acrylic craft paint on hand right now, I match paint color to blank color. I know that Krylon or most any other spray paint works fine, but the problem is with the colors. I can't keep 125 colors of spray paint on hand. Using just black or white only serves to lighten or darken the blank color. Why would I use black or white on a green blank? If I wanted pale green or dark forest green I would use a blank that is either pale green or forest green.

I dry the craft paint in front of a fan for a couple hours. Never had a problem with CA re-wetting the paint. I also use CA accelerator on every tube I glue in. I glue in about 100 tubes per week, I've never had a problem with the CA not holding.
 

qquake

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+1 on the acrylic craft paint and Q-Tips. It's easy and cheap to match the paint color to the blank. WalMart has the paint for as cheap as 50 cents a bottle. I also color the epoxy when I mix it with the same paint. Just a drop will do. I use epoxy to glue in my tubes, never use CA. In warm weather, the paint can dry in a couple hours. Now that it's cold, it can take a day or more.
 

Brian G

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Regardless of the type or brand of paint you use, I think it's critical to make sure it's mixed thoroughly. That might mean more than a vigorous shaking of the bottle. I stir with a toothpick or craft-stick.
 

RedBeard

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The craft paint and q-tip thing didn't really work too well for me....kinda blotchy. The spray paint method was the ticket for me.
 

Sappheiros

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The craft paint and q-tip thing didn't really work too well for me....kinda blotchy. The spray paint method was the ticket for me.

Over the long weekend, I stopped at Blick's and the saleswoman suggested those colorful pipe cleaners. I thought that was a great suggested. I have yet to try it out with class finals this week, but I think it could just work.
 

RedBeard

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Over the long weekend, I stopped at Blick's and the saleswoman suggested those colorful pipe cleaners. I thought that was a great suggested. I have yet to try it out with class finals this week, but I think it could just work.

I have pipe cleaners but I save them for use with my pipe. The rattle can method, in primer, is my preferred method.
 

campzeke

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I am with Chasper and the acrylic craft paint. Q-tip works great on the inside of the blank and no clean up required. I also paint the outside of the brass tube matching the paint color to the blank as best as I can.

In the past I used 5 minute epoxy but have switched to Loctite GO2 for glue. The GO2 requires 24 hours to fully cure but I have very little if any waste and all the working time I need. The GO2 is also thick enough to fill any gaps and has a little elasticity when cured.

In the end, don't be afraid to experiment and try something different or new. Find what works for you and run with it.
 

vakmere

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Philly
I was busy this weekend turning out two pens! I have yet to take pictures and upload them, but don't worry... It's coming!

After asking around a bit, I got Testors Promotional Enamel Paint Set from amazon with a pack of cheap brushes to use.

Saturday night, I had one pen in mind that I wanted to work on and I knew it would require reverse painting. I got the blanks drilled and painted inside. I knew it could stay wet a while, so I drilled a couple other blanks, glued the tubing, squared them, set them on the lathe, and turned them AND the painted blanks hadn't finished drying. I glued them and squared them off, but paint seeped out a little. It seemed like the CA glue and accelerator may have even wet the paint anew.

Is there a better paint to be using? Or am I just being silly, too in a hurry to get to work? How long do you let you paint sit?

Use acrylic paint, not enamel. Enamel paint and CA don't agree well when bonding. I use Q-tips all the time, no issues.
 
Last edited:

BSea

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I used Testors for a few years and most colors work fine, but I had the same experience you had with some colors. Also Testors got a little expensive over time (in the smallest bottles it costs about $125.00 per gallon). I've switched to acrylic craft paint, under a dollar for a two ounce bottle, available at Wal-Mart, Michaels and a ton of other places. Any brand works.

I have about 125 colors of acrylic craft paint on hand right now, I match paint color to blank color. I know that Krylon or most any other spray paint works fine, but the problem is with the colors. I can't keep 125 colors of spray paint on hand. Using just black or white only serves to lighten or darken the blank color. Why would I use black or white on a green blank? If I wanted pale green or dark forest green I would use a blank that is either pale green or forest green.

I dry the craft paint in front of a fan for a couple hours. Never had a problem with CA re-wetting the paint. I also use CA accelerator on every tube I glue in. I glue in about 100 tubes per week, I've never had a problem with the CA not holding.

There is no need for 125 colors. Silver or primer gray works for almost everything, and won't change the color except on really clear blanks. Even then, silver will work if the colors have enough pigment. For most blanks, all you really want to do is hide the brass.

I also dry my painted blanks in front of a small fan.

And to the op of this thread. Dry to the touch isn't really cured. I wait al least 3 or 4 hours (In front of the fan), but usually overnight before gluing. If I'm in a hurry, I'll put the tube in a toaster oven for 20 minutes or so at 150 degrees, and then let set for a couple of hours in front of the fan.
 
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Chasper

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I used Testors for a few years and most colors work fine, but I had the same experience you had with some colors. Also Testors got a little expensive over time (in the smallest bottles it costs about $125.00 per gallon). I've switched to acrylic craft paint, under a dollar for a two ounce bottle, available at Wal-Mart, Michaels and a ton of other places. Any brand works.

I have about 125 colors of acrylic craft paint on hand right now, I match paint color to blank color. I know that Krylon or most any other spray paint works fine, but the problem is with the colors. I can't keep 125 colors of spray paint on hand. Using just black or white only serves to lighten or darken the blank color. Why would I use black or white on a green blank? If I wanted pale green or dark forest green I would use a blank that is either pale green or forest green.

I dry the craft paint in front of a fan for a couple hours. Never had a problem with CA re-wetting the paint. I also use CA accelerator on every tube I glue in. I glue in about 100 tubes per week, I've never had a problem with the CA not holding.

There is no need for 125 colors. Silver or primer gray works for almost everything, and won't change the color except on really clear blanks. Even then, silver will work if the colors have enough pigment. For most blanks, all you really want to do is hide the brass.

I also dry my painted blanks in front of a small fan.

And to the op of this thread. Dry to the touch isn't really cured. I wait al least 3 or 4 hours (In front of the fan), but usually overnight before gluing. If I'm in a hurry, I'll put the tube in a toaster oven for 20 minutes or so at 150 degrees, and then let set for a couple of hours in front of the fan.

I disagree that silver and primer gray will not change the color on most blanks. But I do agree that there are some resin blanks with such a high color saturation that it does not matter what color they are reverse painted.
 

BSea

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I used Testors for a few years and most colors work fine, but I had the same experience you had with some colors. Also Testors got a little expensive over time (in the smallest bottles it costs about $125.00 per gallon). I've switched to acrylic craft paint, under a dollar for a two ounce bottle, available at Wal-Mart, Michaels and a ton of other places. Any brand works.

I have about 125 colors of acrylic craft paint on hand right now, I match paint color to blank color. I know that Krylon or most any other spray paint works fine, but the problem is with the colors. I can't keep 125 colors of spray paint on hand. Using just black or white only serves to lighten or darken the blank color. Why would I use black or white on a green blank? If I wanted pale green or dark forest green I would use a blank that is either pale green or forest green.

I dry the craft paint in front of a fan for a couple hours. Never had a problem with CA re-wetting the paint. I also use CA accelerator on every tube I glue in. I glue in about 100 tubes per week, I've never had a problem with the CA not holding.

There is no need for 125 colors. Silver or primer gray works for almost everything, and won't change the color except on really clear blanks. Even then, silver will work if the colors have enough pigment. For most blanks, all you really want to do is hide the brass.

I also dry my painted blanks in front of a small fan.

And to the op of this thread. Dry to the touch isn't really cured. I wait al least 3 or 4 hours (In front of the fan), but usually overnight before gluing. If I'm in a hurry, I'll put the tube in a toaster oven for 20 minutes or so at 150 degrees, and then let set for a couple of hours in front of the fan.

I disagree that silver and primer gray will not change the color on most blanks. But I do agree that there are some resin blanks with such a high color saturation that it does not matter what color they are reverse painted.

I probably shouldn't have said "won't change the color". It would be better to say "won't wash out as badly as white, and won't darken as much as black." I also have several colors acrylic paint from Michaels (Not 125 though :)). If a blank is basically one color (like many shades of blue), I'll back paint the blank the clearest color of the blank. If a blank is multi-colored, I generally use a medium silver. And as I said before, this works (for me) best on blanks that are not very clear.

I will say, I use spray paint, testors, acrylic paint, and just about anything I think will work. The results I've liked the least have all been with white. But this is really subjective. What I like or don't like is nothing more than my opinion, and based on my experience. And when I'm in doubt, I use silver, and I haven't been disappointed.
 
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Dalecamino

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Alright...Avi, I apologize if my suggestions are misleading. I have used black & white paint on some blanks just, to hide the brass tubes with blanks that, really aren't spectacular to begin with. My main point was, to use paint for plastics. Inside the blanks.

Gerry and, Bob are correct. Different colors have different effects. I assumed you would figure that out on your own. :wink: So I didn't go into that much detail. Hoping to hear how your pipe cleaners work for you.
 

sschering

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Eugene, OR
For what it's worth you can tint epoxy with dry tempera paint powder.
That or you can get cast n craft resin dye from Hobby Lobby.. (They stopped selling Alumilite at my local store)

I got tired of the paint flaking off my tubes or getting scratched when I put the tube in so I just tint the epoxy when I glue in the tubes.
 
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