Making a brass tube white

[Dale Allen]

I hate trying to paint the tube and/or the inside of a plastic blank that shows through. I usually end up scraping off the paint getting the tube glued in.
So, I tried something different.
I have some leftover plastic brickmold from a project a few years ago.
I cut and rounded a short piece for this brass tube and drilled it the size of the tube. epoxied it in and I then turned it down so it is .021" thick on the outside of the brass.
The tube was .483" and is now .525" OD. The pen parts are .583" so I'll have about a .03" plus a bit more if I make the blank just a bit larger than the hardware. That's not much and I'm not sure if I'll loose all of the pattern in the blank.
Do you folks think it would be a good idea to also try to paint the inside of the blank? I'm thinking I should because there may be voids in the glue that will show. I'll post the results, good or bad.

 

[jttheclockman]

It is always not so much about the tube but the reverse painting of the blank. People do both but to me that is like using a belt with suspenders
Sand the inside of the blank to get rid of the drill marks. Paint whatever color you chose using whatever paint you choose. I like to add a bit of paint to the epoxy when I glue the tube in. The only time i use painted tubes is when I cast braided blanks because of the open weave in some.

Good luck. If it works for you keep doing it.

 

[thewishman]

I really like that particular blank. I almost always paint the inside of blanks, but on that material, I let the brass show through. It is even more beautiful to me when I leave the blank with a matte finish - it makes a soft, brushed look that catches a lot of attention.

 

[Dale Allen]

Chris, I looked it over with the brass tube in there but did not like the look.
This is what it looks like. I did like John said and sanded the inside of the blank but I did not paint the inside. I mixed some white latex paint with the 5-min epoxy and let it cure all day. I got it down to the .583 OD without loosing the detail in the blank. It has a lot of phosphorescence in the plastic and really looks better than this photo. It is thin but seems like it will hold up well. I also do not see any voids in the glue. I think I'll carry this one with me, just in case I need a small flashlight!:biggrin:

 

[its_virgil]

YES! Not painting the inside of the blank allows glue to show through on some plastic blanks. Even coloring the glue is not good enough and the glue still shows on many colors and types of plastic/acrylic. Change the color and change to look of the finished blank. Don't like painting the inside? Bite the bullet, grit your teeth and paint anyway. Just saying.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Do you folks think it would be a good idea to also try to paint the inside of the blank?

 

[mark james]

Nice thread ! I'd like to see the results. The ideas are interesting.

 

[Dale Lynch]

Dale, Gorilla glue white will hide the brass tube.The glue foams to fit the blank and will dry uniformally to a white color.Not bright white,but white and even.

 

[Quality Pen]

Dale, Gorilla glue white will hide the brass tube.The glue foams to fit the blank and will dry uniformally to a white color.Not bright white,but white and even.

What Gorilla Glue are you using?

I use some expanding stuff that has worked well but it's yellow...

 

[Dale Lynch]

Gorilla Glue White | Dries White Polyurethane Formula | Waterproof Glue You can see how well it hides the brass color on my 3-d mini sketch.

 

[Quality Pen]

Thanks for sharing, I had never considered it!

 

[TonyL]

I reverse paint only most of the time. I do make sure that my bits are sharp so I get a clean hole. I have let my bits go unsharpened and the reverse painting worked but it also showed some very course "rifling". I have found this to be more of an issue with thin wall kits.