Reverse painting blanks or painting tubes

[woodwzrd]

I am getting a bunch of cast blanks together and after reading the thread on blackening tubes I got to thinking. So my question or questions are...

Which do you prefer; reverse painting your blanks or painting your tubes? Why do you prefer that method? and
Any tips for doing it.

 

[Gilrock]

I've done several different methods with the tubes but after listening to everyone talk about reverse painting I finally tried it one day and now that's my goto method. Doing anything to the tube is just for backup in case the paint inside scratches a little but I don't bother. Some people color their glue but that's just overkill in my opinion. Just buy a cheap can of Krylon, put a disposable glove on and hold the blank over a trash can and give it a few shots of paint. And give it 24 hours to dry...a good blank is worth the wait.

 

[Andrew_K99]

If you paint the tubes you can still see the glue after you put the tube in, any air bubbles will be noticable. By painting the blank you prevent this but risk rubbing off the paint while inserting the tube.

I haven't done much of this (I honestly try to avoid it) but prefer the painting the blank.

AK

 

[BSea]

I paint the blanks for the above reason. I also paint the tubes, and if the blank is really clear, I'll tint the epoxy. Yes it's probably a little overkill, but it's about 5 minutes of time. Pretty cheap insurance if you really like the blank. Not all blanks a so clear that they need the tubes painted. And whenever possible I like to use silver tubes. Many blanks I paint silver. It seems to enhance most colors without changing the color. This is especially important on multi colored blanks.

 

[LarryDNJR]

Paint all the Blanks, Glue and Tubes!

Meh wants a few minutes extra getting solid coloring throughout and letting it dry/cure for a bit.

 

[Chasper]

I use q-tips to paint the inside of the blank with acrylic paint, usually in a color that matches the blank color. I can't remember the last time I painted the tube, but on rare occasions if the drilled hole is a little oversized I use tinted epoxy instead of CA. I've made about 2,500 acrylic blank pens this year and as I remember there were two that I either missed a spot in painting or scratched off a spot when sliding in the tube.