Markings in acrylic

[WriteON]

Are all acrylics created equal. A few times that I worked with white acrylic some unwanted markings showed up. Looks like magic marker markings. The supplier will exchange them but it costs time and some fingerprint loss. Are some vendors better than other for the acrylics they sell.....Are their acrylics less subject to unwanted flaws? Thanks, Frank

 

[juteck]

To me, it looks like you just hit the point where the black ribbon folds over within the blank, so instead of seeing the ribbon edge, you're actually seeing a very small area of the ribbon's flat side. What did it look like just before you got to the finished diameter? Say, 1/16" or an inch larger? When you turn white with different color ribbons, is it still a black spot or does it match the ribbon color?

 

[plantman]

Simple answer. NO!! The only time you are going to have exactly matching blanks is if the are of a single color and come from the same dye lot. Every blank that contain more than one color mix will be one of a kind. Exceptions would be blanks that are made in a pattern such as stripes or sguares. Every blank maker has his or her method of mixing colors. It would be like making matching pens from the same piece of wood. color may be the same, but grain will be a little different. I am sure that some manufactures may cut some corners to produce a less expensive product or just may use different raw materials. As for quality, one of our distributers would have to answer that question for you. Jim s

 

[toddlajoie]

Yea, sometimes it is just the unlucky convergence of where the hole was drilled and the diameter of the pen that you are making that come together to put the pattern in JUST the wrong spot... I've had a few similar, sometimes showing small rings, right angle lines, etc. (tho not quite as obvious and plain looking as yours) happening on acrylics from several sources, some commercial like yours, some from the great vendors here on IAP, and even truestones... It is certainly NOT by fault of the maker (either material maker or pen maker!!), tho they should be commended for offering a replacement!!! It all comes down to the randomness of materials and uses...

 

[WriteON]

The marks show up late in the game. I did not see them when I started. I have new untouched blanks that are showing the marks in the white sections. I might simply avoid using white combos. I would not sell any of these...and I felt guilty giving them away.

 

[thewishman]

Frank, if you don't like how they look, don't assemble them - that way you do not lose a kit - just a blank and tubes. Knock those pens apart and save the parts.

We all get some blanks that do not end up looking perfect. I always buy extra tubes so I can discard the tubes that I don't end up liking.

I turned a set of blue tubes for a Jr. Statesman. I thought they looked ugly, but got an order for a different pen with the same material. Later I knocked the pen apart and turned a different blank for it. Move forward three years and my inventory was low. I out those rejected tubes an a new kit and sold it for $125.00 to the first person that saw it. You never really know what someone will like.

 

[toddlajoie]

Well, that last post is a horse of a different color. I could see the spots on the first one being, as was said, unfortunate hapenstances of the ribbons, but on that checkerboard blank, there is NO reason for that black mark in the white area other than a manufacturing defect. Were these all purchased directly from the manufacturer or through a reseller? Could they all have been from the same batch?

 

[WriteON]

Frank, if you don't like how they look, don't assemble them - that way you do not lose a kit - just a blank and tubes. Knock those pens apart and save the parts.

We all get some blanks that do not end up looking perfect. I always buy extra tubes so I can discard the tubes that I don't end up liking.

I turned a set of blue tubes for a Jr. Statesman. I thought they looked ugly, but got an order for a different pen with the same material. Later I knocked the pen apart and turned a different blank for it. Move forward three years and my inventory was low. I out those rejected tubes an a new kit and sold it for $125.00 to the first person that saw it. You never really know what someone will like.

Good plan. I like the way you think.

 

[WriteON]

Well, that last post is a horse of a different color. I could see the spots on the first one being, as was said, unfortunate hapenstances of the ribbons, but on that checkerboard blank, there is NO reason for that black mark in the white area other than a manufacturing defect. Were these all purchased directly from the manufacturer or through a reseller? Could they all have been from the same batch?

From a Reseller.

 

[Chatham PenWorks]

Well, that last post is a horse of a different color. I could see the spots on the first one being, as was said, unfortunate hapenstances of the ribbons, but on that checkerboard blank, there is NO reason for that black mark in the white area other than a manufacturing defect. Were these all purchased directly from the manufacturer or through a reseller? Could they all have been from the same batch?

What he said. The first is just the way the ribbon twists. Sometimes you see the edge, and sometimes you end up seeing the flat. It's just the nature of the blank. That checkerboard blank is a defect, plain and simple. It happens, and the vender should be willing to replace it. Nothing more they can do, really.

 

[WriteON]

Well, that last post is a horse of a different color. I could see the spots on the first one being, as was said, unfortunate hapenstances of the ribbons, but on that checkerboard blank, there is NO reason for that black mark in the white area other than a manufacturing defect. Were these all purchased directly from the manufacturer or through a reseller? Could they all have been from the same batch?

What he said. The first is just the way the ribbon twists. Sometimes you see the edge, and sometimes you end up seeing the flat. It's just the nature of the blank. That checkerboard blank is a defect, plain and simple. It happens, and the vender should be willing to replace it. Nothing more they can do, really.

Everything is guaranteed and replaced with no hassle what so ever. I was just wondering if there were acrylic blanks of better quality available.

 

[toddlajoie]

I was just wondering if there were acrylic blanks of better quality available.

Well, IMO, the hand made custom "acrylic" (that is really a generic term for several different materials used) blanks by many here on IAP and sold by our well known IAP vendors are some of the best I've worked with. The commercial ones, similar to the ribbon blank in your first post, I have never had any "quality" issues with, other than vast differences in patterning, which is really the nature of the beast. Their particular flavor of "acrylic" is a bit more brittle and chippy than the Alumilite and Simlar that many here use, but that is just a slight adjustment to turning technique. I don't have any experience with anything like the checkerboard blank, so I can't offer any opinions on it's quality or anyone who makes something similar that may have lower chance of defects. I'm not sure how many of these total you have that have these types of defects, but I would think that either you got a few bad blanks, or they made a bad batch or two. Very few people I know around here would tolerate that checkerboard blank, so if that was normal for the maker, they would soon find that they couldn't give them away let alone sell them...

 

[ed4copies]

Yes, there is a difference in quality between manufacturers.

As far as I know, there is only one manufacturer offering the checkerboard blanks, and they are, generally good (not GREAT----good).

Even the absolute best manufacturers will have an occasional blank that is not perfect, but as resellers, we expect to have to replace one, once in a while. In the past two years, I have seen more "bad" blanks than I did in the preceding 2 decades. But, to be fair, I have had a lot more blanks pass through my hands at Exotics than I did when I was making pens. So, it could be the "law of larger numbers" or the quality control could be slipping, or we could be seeing more blanks from previously unknown makers (maybe they made them before, maybe they are just starting).

Pattern flaws, you should expect. Bubbles are a defect and the distributor should replace the blank.

But, that is a "business decision", not a law.

We replace them, Roy replaces them---both of us are active on IAP, those who just watch IAP, I can't speak for.

FWIW,
Ed