How do you all handle this???

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jttheclockman

jttheclockman

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Feb 22, 2005
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I am getting a little frustrated with the use of some acrylics in that if I use them on a kit that requires different thickness of material left, the color is way off and does not look right. I have been reverse painting the blanks using white paint hoping to keep the pearlescents alive. But as you see in a couple examples the color difference is such because of the thickness of the material left.

My question is what color do you paint with and should I start doing 2 different colors, one for the top and one for the bottom. It is hard to tell from some of these acrylics just by looking at them how opaque they are. How is everyone handling this situation.

Here is an avacado blank from Exotics which I put on a Majestic.


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Here is a red acrylic that I forget the name of on a ultra cigar.

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My best guess is paint the tube black on the thinner part to darken it down and see if that generates a match. Neither of those look bad, and it's probably gonna bug you way more than anyone else, which is totally understandable. I haven't made it far enough into turning to have needed to make a solution for that problem myself.
 
I often paint the hole the color of the blanks, JT.

Downside: It does not make them "pop" like a white or the silver nickle tubes do.
Upside: It reinforces the color rather uniformly.
 
I paint the tube and the inside of the blank whatever color I want to show through. I've used, white, black, and the blank color. Black will darken the color, white will lighten it...which is sometimes what I want. A matching color will keep it close to its original color.
 
What happens if you use a color that is close to the color of the blank? If you use white or black that will radical change the color as the material gets thin.

My 2 cents
 
I'm gonna drive you crazy. I do not paint the tubes unless absolutely necessary, and I find most of the time it is not necessary. I've used the acrylic you're showing there, didn't paint the tubes and it was perfect. I don't get too hung up on painting the tubes or reverse painting.

Some you have to paint, but unless you absolutely have to, don't do it as a matter of course. This color variation is what happens when you paint unnecessarily.
 
Just as Ed said, seems the more translucent the blank is the more I tend to reverse paint the blank white and when the blank is semi translucent I revers paint as close to it's primary color as possible .
 
Try cutting two or three very thin pieces of the blank off the end and then painting one side of each with either white or black or the color of the blank and holding it up to the light to get an idea of what it will look like.

However, I think the pens look just fine. It's funny how much more noticable things are to the maker, especially in the close up photos we take. I have had pens I thought were perfect and in viewing the photo's found flaws that you really couldn't see with the naked eye.
 
Thanks for bringing this up JT...I have had the same problem many times...sounds like we are enroute to Michaels for 25 different colors!
 
Im there with Ed and Roy. I paint the holes to match the blanks, after I had the same problem on some Classic Twist pens.
 
yorkie said:
I'm gonna drive you crazy. I do not paint the tubes unless absolutely necessary, and I find most of the time it is not necessary. I've used the acrylic you're showing there, didn't paint the tubes and it was perfect. I don't get too hung up on painting the tubes or reverse painting.

Some you have to paint, but unless you absolutely have to, don't do it as a matter of course. This color variation is what happens when you paint unnecessarily.
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I have on certain occassions not needed to paint the blanks either. But what I do after I drill my holes I hold it up to the light and right away I can tell if it is transluscent or not. The problem is with some kits the difference in material will shade the blank differently. I like to keep that irredescent look going and when blacking it out takes away from the look. I guess it will be some trial and error or just stick with some of the more opaque blanks.
 
I reverse paint and I match the color as close as possible. On tat avacodo blank I use Testors zinc chromium paint, it is just a little more yellow that the blank. On the red I use Testors insignia red, it is a very close match.
 
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