Painting Pen Blank Holes using RUSTOLEUM "Paint" from Glass Marker Pens
OK, I have decided to share my secret "paint" ....
I stumbled across some Rustoleum brand glass marker pens at a disposals store.
Each marker was "disposal priced" at $2.99, which eventually dropped to $1.20.
The colors are limited to black, white, red, blue, yellow and green .... but you can mix colors to get anything you want.
These marker pens are an inch in diameter and 6.25 inches long. . They contain only 20 mL (2/3 ounce) of paint plus a shaking ball to mix.
The pens have a colored cap, matching the paint color. . When you remove the colored cap you encounter a piece of foam sitting in a cavity on top of another, white, cap.
I throw away the foam (it's useless for my purposes) and I remove the white cap very carefully by gripping it with pliers. Later the white cap is refitted using the pressure of a large bar clamp or a Bessey clamp. . Very large C clamp would work if it spans the length.
Oh, before removing the two caps, I shake the "pen" as per instructions to mix the paint.
Now with the two caps removed, I dip a Cue-Tip shallowly into the paint. . This is a bit tricky because you can't really see into the "pen" to determine the level of the paint. . But after a few attempts you learn how to tip the pen to get some paint without spilling paint on the front of your blouse/shirt/pants/skirt.
The paint on the Cue-Tip goes inside the hole in your pen blank, of course. . You quickly learn how much to use and you can hold the pen blank up to the ceiling light to determine the coverage of the paint.
The nice thing about this paint is that it dries very quickly .... like about 30 minutes sitting on the kitchen floor register spewing hot air from the furnace.
And then you can apply a second coat.
Caution: the paint is not terribly robust but it is OK, and with epoxy glue applied to the brass tube it slips into the blank hole fairly readily.
The reason I like this method is that I don't have to wait 24-48 hours for paint to dry.
Have you ever had fun watching paint dry ????
Another caution: if the drill size is such that the brass tube slides into the blank hole with difficulty (even a little), then you should enlarge the hole before painting. . You can enlarge the hole to the next drill size, or enlarge it with sandpaper wrapped on a wooden pencil or small dowel or anything suitable.
Here is a drill size chart that I find very useful when I am drilling/enlarging holes:
Drill Size Conversion Table
I have looked on the internet for pricing of Rustoleum Glass Marker pens and they seem to sell in the $5 - $7 range .... which is a bit expensive unless you can get them at a disposal store like I did .... I bought a whole lot of them after I had proven that they work to my satisfaction.
But you can also use these marker pens for decorating your windows at Christmas, Easter, and Hallowe'en !!! . Pity no orange.
I am totally satisfied with the results I get using this paint from the Rustoleum Glass Marker pens and I happily paint ALL acrylic holes.