Bob in SF
Member
Alcohol-based inks are dear to my heart. They also take nicely to metals and other non-porous surfaces.
I call these pens Holiday Inkies; and they come together well with Jimmy Durante's immortal Inka Dinka Doo in the background:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YCOIMkvFt8
I was "upgrading" some holiday tree ornaments when a little light bulb went off in my head (not as momentous as Edison's tungsten filament + bulb + vacuum + current, but a lot of fun and variety); steps:
Clean brass or nickel or white-enameled pen tubes with acetone.
I set up a pair of pen tubes on the reversibly-rotatable Penn State slow dry blank drying system, but any of these techniques can work without it.
Assemble some alcohol-based inks - I use bottles of Jacquard Pinata ink and Ranger Adirondack ink in combination with Blick alcohol-based markers.
The inks go through some amazing color shifts as they blend; and they dry quickly.
A butane torch causes some nice color shifts, particularly in the red end of the color spectrum.
I've wrapped the tubes of one of the below-pictured pens in 26 ga. black jewelry wire for a faux-stained glass look.
Clear 3" wide packing tape makes a great "canvas" for the inks - and you can wrap it around the tube until you are happy with the overlapping design.
Seal the artwork with brushed-on Judikins Diamond Glaze (all of these things are available from amazon.com or Dick Blick or Jerry's Artarama)
Let the sealant cure x 24 hours
Cast tube-in with PR (I use Douglas and Sturgess Clear Casting Resin)
Turn and finish as usual:
Happy Monday, and best regards to all - Bob
I call these pens Holiday Inkies; and they come together well with Jimmy Durante's immortal Inka Dinka Doo in the background:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YCOIMkvFt8
I was "upgrading" some holiday tree ornaments when a little light bulb went off in my head (not as momentous as Edison's tungsten filament + bulb + vacuum + current, but a lot of fun and variety); steps:
Clean brass or nickel or white-enameled pen tubes with acetone.
I set up a pair of pen tubes on the reversibly-rotatable Penn State slow dry blank drying system, but any of these techniques can work without it.
Assemble some alcohol-based inks - I use bottles of Jacquard Pinata ink and Ranger Adirondack ink in combination with Blick alcohol-based markers.
The inks go through some amazing color shifts as they blend; and they dry quickly.
A butane torch causes some nice color shifts, particularly in the red end of the color spectrum.
I've wrapped the tubes of one of the below-pictured pens in 26 ga. black jewelry wire for a faux-stained glass look.
Clear 3" wide packing tape makes a great "canvas" for the inks - and you can wrap it around the tube until you are happy with the overlapping design.
Seal the artwork with brushed-on Judikins Diamond Glaze (all of these things are available from amazon.com or Dick Blick or Jerry's Artarama)
Let the sealant cure x 24 hours
Cast tube-in with PR (I use Douglas and Sturgess Clear Casting Resin)
Turn and finish as usual:
Happy Monday, and best regards to all - Bob