How do you handle this?

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MillerTurnings

Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2013
Messages
252
Location
Howell, Michigan
I take an expensive blank, reverse paint it and paint the tube. After turning the blank, I find a couple of spots of clear acrylic that show down to the reverse paint. They almost look like holes, but are acrylic that didn't get mixed well. It sure ruins the look of the blank, and are not able to be hidden by the clip. Has this happened to others, and how did you handle it? It makes me leery to keep trying fancy blanks.
 
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If it is a member/seller, I would contact them and ask them about the blank. Being a vendor myself, I would want to know so that I can make it right. Also, it may be the design of the blank with the plan for the reverse painting to be incorporated into the look of the pen.
 
Whenever a blank requires reverse painting, make sure that the paint used is complementary to the blank. They generally require reverse painting because the colors/swirls/patterns are not expected to fully hide the tube. This makes the reverse painting part of the creative process and part of what makes every pen unique. You and I could take blanks from the same run, and by using different paints create two very different pens. One of my favorite new materials is actually made with "windows" in order to show off the underpaint. (Cracked Ice [79101_CI] : Richard L. Greenwald, LLC, Pens, Pens Parts and Photographs)
 
If I understand Jeff correctly, translucent is one thing and we all expect back painting to be needed but clear, especially something like water clear, is a problem if not known up front.
 
I would contact the vendor and send pictures. If the clear sections are not intentionally part of the blank design, they should make it right for you.

Is this a camo blank? Others have posted that they sometimes show the tube between the colors.
 
Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the blank. I repurposed the brass tube already. I know that it is impossible to know what the inside holds for both the maker and user of the blank, but am hoping that I am just running into some strange occurrence lately. I am also a little bit passive- the reseller would be put into a bad spot and it isn't their fault either. Does anyone put decals over the spots, or do some other method of "redesign"? Is there an acceptable percentage of misfit blanks?
 
Just my opinion, but I dont think you are doing the reseller or the caster any favors by not telling them. Best case is it was one glop of unmixed resin that made it into the mold. You get a new blank and thats it, everybody is happy. Worst case the caster was having a bad day or got a bad batch of resin and it is a whole lot of blanks that neither the reseller nor the caster wants to get out. It is their reputations on the line. If it is a defect, I think they would like to know. I guess another outcome is that they tell you it is supposed to be that way and you should do xyz to make it look good. Then you can either do xyz or just not buy that type of blank anymore.
 
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