Using Acrylics

[jttheclockman]

I Was looking for some past posts about coloring pen tubes when using acrylics. Was trying to find out what is used and does it have any affect on the blank holding when glued???? Also heard people painting or coloring inside the blank instead of the tubes. Is this a good or better practice and again is the gluing affected???? What type of colorant is being widely recomended and is there things to stay away from??? Thanks in advance.

 

[Daniel]

Never had a problem with gluing, I use epoxy or gorilla glue. I color tubes with Sharpie markers and have heard of using model paints, spray paints, fingernail polish, adding pigment to epoxy, and powder coating. i recently got e powder coating system but have not had cause to use it yet.
one advantage to painting the blanks would be that the color is between your glue and acrylic (no seum glue that way).

 

[ldb2000]

Hi John
When I used to paint , I would paint both the hole in the blank and the tube . I've never had a problem with the paint messing up the glue bond , just make sure you let the paint dry very well , I let mine dry for at least 24 hours . I have switched to Plating the tubes now , I like the way the chrome plating seems to enhance the colors of the blank and for dark blanks I use black chrome plating .

 

[jthompson1995]

I paint the inside of the drilled hole before gluing in the tube. This way, all you see is the paint, not the glue and where there may be air bubbles or gaps.

I use regular acrylic craft paint matched to the blank color (usually) and paint the holes with a q-tip. Two coats is usually good. I will sometimes use fingernail polish with irridescence or fine glitter for the first coat and follow it up with the acrylic paint if the blanks are really transparent to give some added interest.

I have found that the glue will soften the paint and the tube may slip out if you trim the blanks soon after glueing in the tubes. I let mine sit for a day between glueing and trimming/turning and haven't had any additioanl problems.

 

[MobilMan]

I've sprayed the tubes with black or white primer paint & let dry all day. Not a problem yet. Someday, I'll try the q-tip thing & see if it's any different.

 

[jdmyers4]

I went to the hobby store and bought several different colors of model paint. I use a Q-tip to paint the inside of the blank - 2 coats. I use Gorilla glue. This method works really well for me, and you can get a fair number of colors for only a few bucks. Use blue paint if it's a blue acrylic, white paint if there's a lot of white, red paint for predominantly red blanks, etc, etc.

 

[MDWine]

I use the powder coloring dyes used in making the poly resins... I can get a color to match the acrylic, or use one to contrast!

 

[Rudy Vey]

I do paint the inside of the blanks and the tube with Testor's model paint and use Devcon 5 min epoxy - never had as failure.

 

[BruceA]

Good source for acrylic paints for tubes

I'm working with the same challenges with tube painting and acrylic blanks. I found a good deal on acrylic paint at ....Walmart! For $9.95, I've got just about any color I'll ever need. And, the paint cleans off with water - no paint thinner like I needed when I tried the Testor's model paints. It dries fairly quickly, too.

I also found some CHEAP paint brushes at Harbor Freight - 20 for $1.99, and on sale now for $.99! Those should last a while.

I have tried tinting epoxy with paint. Need to try painting the inside of the blanks as a secondary precaution, too. Eventhough the brass is painted, the clear epoxy can show through the acrylics when they are semi-transparent.

I've used Sumo glue, but it foams white.

Seems the three-step precaution would be paint tube, tint epoxy glue ($2 Devcon from Walmart), paint inside of blank.

 

[SamThePenMan]

I've done only one so far, but it seemed to work. I just got a cheap can of flat black spray paint to use with a black/semi transparent acrylic blank.

 

[andyk]

They also sell colored tubes. I know Woodcraft carries: white, black, and nickel for sure. A little searching and you may find others.

 

[jthompson1995]

They also sell colored tubes. I know Woodcraft carries: white, black, and nickel for sure. A little searching and you may find others.

I know some people like to use these, but my biggest issue with them is that they still can show the glue and any air bubbles when using transparent blanks. Also, some epoxies are yellow or will yellow over time. I can't justify the extra cost for little improvement.

 

[j_b_fischer]

Paint Both ...

I was stubburn and insisted on learning how to paint on my own and didn't want to listen to others, so I spent 6 months trying a bunch of ideas on how to paint. If I had listened I could have saved some time ... but I would have had nearly as much fun. Here's what I learned:

- Paint both the tube and the inside of the blank. (It was mentioned earlier in this string of notes.)
- No paint will withstand CA glue ... don't bother to try.
- Almost any paint does well with epoxy (I haven't tried the foaming glues yet).
- I like Testors model paint ... but that just me.
- Nail polish looks good, but dries too quickly and can clump ... you might want to thin it (but only a little, otherwise you loose the color).
- An airbrush work well for the tube, but I couldn't figure out how to airbrush the inside of the blank (at least, not reliably).

I noticed in the thread the advice to match the pen to the acrylic blank ... well, I find using different or contrasting colors is another way to make your pens unique.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[DurocShark]

My son and I have done a total of two acrylic blanks. The one I did was a white acrylester and I didn't do anything to the tubes. Bad idea. Brass showed through clearly.

My son did one out of a black acrylic with red lines. I painted the roughed up tubes with a candy apple red rattlecan paint. After drying overnight I lightly sanded them before gluing up.

I have no idea if they can be seen or not. The red lines seem to be stronger where the acrylic is thinner, but that may just be me.

There have been zero adhesion issues though, using 5 minute epoxy. He's 17 and uses the pen every day at school, so if there was going to be an issue, I think we'd know by now.

 

[TellicoTurning]

I do paint the inside of the blanks and the tube with Testor's model paint and use Devcon 5 min epoxy - never had as failure.

I just started painting my tubes and blanks...I use the Testor's model paint and a strip from a foam brush. For glue I use the 5 minute epoxy that Manny sells. Also add a drop or two of Testor's to the epoxy..