CaptG
Member
I have seen some great looking pens made from amber ripple lucite, but I have yet to find a source for this material. Any one know where I can buy this stuff?
Amber Ripple??
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vick
Member
http://www.pipemakers.org/
Mikey
Member
As posted, pipemakers.org sells it. they were out until a few weeks ago which is why it probably isn't on the pages. I bought 4 sticks when they came in and and can say that it is a learning experience. The stuff is almost clear, and figuring out the best combination of drilling operation, tube painting and glueing has been trying at best. I keep expecting to find the right combiation and I just can't quite get it right. Maybe I am expecting too much since my wife says it is the nicest stuff she has ever seen me put with a pen. The problem I am having is that I cannot get completely rid of drilling lines, although they are almost non existant at this point, but also even when i coat the inside of the blank, I still get some areas where the blank has that wet look, probably from the paint pulling away ever so slightly when I apply the CA. I'm trying new adhesives right now to see how well those work with my problem. In any event, good luck with trying it out.
BTW, the 4 rods I got were a bit odd if I may say so. it appears that there is about 4 or 5 sheets or white plastic rippled throughout. All my blanks have two of those 4 or 5 sheets right on the top and not rippled into the lucite. this really suks because there are large portions of clear material right in the middle where you would need the ripples for the turning to look nice. I have kind of solved that buy marking where the good stuff is and then deciding I will use the non great stuff for pen stands or other "testing and marketing".
Mike
BTW, the 4 rods I got were a bit odd if I may say so. it appears that there is about 4 or 5 sheets or white plastic rippled throughout. All my blanks have two of those 4 or 5 sheets right on the top and not rippled into the lucite. this really suks because there are large portions of clear material right in the middle where you would need the ripples for the turning to look nice. I have kind of solved that buy marking where the good stuff is and then deciding I will use the non great stuff for pen stands or other "testing and marketing".
Mike
CaptG
Member
Thanks Mike and Mike. I will go to that site. Mike #2, thanks for the input on working with the stuff.
Rmartin
Member
I've had to cut back on my Ripple intake [][]
*hic*
Rmartin
][]*hic*
Rmartin
beathard
Member
I have been looking for this material as well. I am going to order some. Mikey, have you discovered the best combination of drilling operation, tube painting and glueing yet?
Dario
Member
I am interested too [
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vick
Member
Not addressed to me but here is a suggestion. Paint the hole not the tube. That way your glue is on the other side of the paint and will not show through.
I have used lucite in a couple of different colors and it is a beautiful material but a little harder to work with than some of the other resins.
P.S. - You may need to use a slightly bigger drill bit size to drill the hole on some kits to make room for the paint. I use regular rustoleum enamel paint to paint the holes.
I have used lucite in a couple of different colors and it is a beautiful material but a little harder to work with than some of the other resins.
P.S. - You may need to use a slightly bigger drill bit size to drill the hole on some kits to make room for the paint. I use regular rustoleum enamel paint to paint the holes.
Mikey
Member
Vick, I normally paint both and with this stuff and CA it doesn't seem to matter.
It's been a week since I messed around with the stuff but I have a few more ideas. I was using Rust Oleum for the paint. Since I painted both the tube and blank and still got some pull away resulting in a wet spot looking blank, I'm going to try the Lexan paint I once used and see if that adheres any better. Normally you would rough up the surface for better adhesion. However, with the material being so clear, any roughness can be seen right through the material.
Also, I have found that when i use acrylic and find a snug fit after painting, I usually heat the blank with a hair dryer for a minute or two to get the blank hot. the material expands which allows me to insert the tube easily. I can also guestimate that as the blank shrinks, the tube will be locked into place even better. Anyway, I figured that if I heat the lucite up enough while drilling, the material may be softer, resulting in far less lines while drilling. The blank will be smoother though and may result in less than stellar adhesion.
Anyway, just a few thoughts which I am going to continue trying out.
It's been a week since I messed around with the stuff but I have a few more ideas. I was using Rust Oleum for the paint. Since I painted both the tube and blank and still got some pull away resulting in a wet spot looking blank, I'm going to try the Lexan paint I once used and see if that adheres any better. Normally you would rough up the surface for better adhesion. However, with the material being so clear, any roughness can be seen right through the material.
Also, I have found that when i use acrylic and find a snug fit after painting, I usually heat the blank with a hair dryer for a minute or two to get the blank hot. the material expands which allows me to insert the tube easily. I can also guestimate that as the blank shrinks, the tube will be locked into place even better. Anyway, I figured that if I heat the lucite up enough while drilling, the material may be softer, resulting in far less lines while drilling. The blank will be smoother though and may result in less than stellar adhesion.
Anyway, just a few thoughts which I am going to continue trying out.
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