Non see through acrylics

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Tiger

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Had a lovely reddish acrylic blank on which i painted the inside white to avoid the brass tube from showing. By the time i turned it, all the red colour was gone and it was white with a whole lot of see through resin. Some of the acrylics i've done in the past i didn't paint and the brass tube is not visible, on some you can see the tube. Question is can you tell whether an acrylic is transparent to the degree that you will have to paint the inside of the blank?
 
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I have had the same experience. I have found, at least for me, it's a matter of trial and error. I stopped buying semi-transparent and transparent blanks after my first 30 days turning (I started turning this March). I had no idea when I bought them how to prep them. Even now that I know how, I still find it a pain in the neck, and very often not happy with the look. I only have a few left and I basically paint the inside of the barrel, use epoxy, I may paint the tube (although shouldn't have to if the barrel is painted), and try not to turn it down too thinly (leave a small radius where the barrel meets the nib and cap. However, I am done with these types. I did have a few look pretty cool - but not enough to keep trying. I hope this helps. I am sure others will have some better advice.

I also use white, gray, or rust colored Rustoleum spray primer or Model Master Acryl paint to achieve a better color match.
 
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There are two quick tests you can try.
1-hold the blank up to a light and if you can detect a change in color you will likely need to paint the inside

2- if the blank passes test one then cut a sliver off the end of the blank (about 1/16") and hold that up to the light, if you detect light coming through you will need to paint the inside.

If you can figure out if the manufacturer used pigments or dyes when making the blank that would help also. Dyes tend to let light through almost always, pigments block the light BUT if the ratio of pigment to resin is not right you can still see through the pigment especially in "thin-skinned" pens.
 
Tony's and Eugene's suggestions are good ones. You can use a matching color, not just white, to make the color the shade you want. Some blanks are VERY TRANSPARENT! I usually drill the blank and hold it up to a strong light. If light comes thru the side of the blank, paint the blank. I always paint acrylic blanks.
 
Not sure about getting non transparent blanks. All the acrylic I have ever turned seemed to be somewhat transparent.

Paint the tubes with a color that matches the main color of the blank. You won't lose your color this way. Painting it white will lighten the red color, while painting it red will increase the red color.
 
Cut a short slice (about 1/8 of an inch) off the end of the blank, sand and polish it. If you can see through it, then it will be transparent. Most blanks are not opaque.

I paint the inside of all resin blanks in colors that match the primary color of the blank. Painting the inside of the blank black or white will always darken or lighten the finished turning, unless you need it to be black or white.
 
...drill your blank and insert the" DRY" tube, if you can ascertain a color change, paint the tube of the blank!
 
Take a dowel about 8" long that will fit into your blanks. Paint various color bands around the blank. ( about 3/8" strips) Then insert the dowel into your freshly drilled blank. If you can see the colors as the dowel passes thru the blank you will know you must paint the inside of the blank. With various colors on the dowel you should get a good idea which would be best for that particular blank.
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Thanks for the comments. I did try the coloured dowel but the end result was a much lighter colour than even the dowel showed. As I kept turning, it got brighter and lighter. I have found with acrylics that even if you paint the inside of the blank that an errant scratch resulting from drilling or even pushing the brass tube through results in a less than desirable outcome so I think I'll just stick with the acrylics that don't show through. I like ElMostro's first test as it's handy to be able to pick a suitable acrylic in the first place.
 
There is a trade-off.

If you want more "depth", the dye needs to be somewhat transparent. IF it is transparent, you will be more likely to see the tube.

Opaque dyes will, by definition block each other, so you will see only the surface color. Also any "sparkle" inspired by a pearl or mica will be lost or at least heavily muted.

I am also not a fan of "painting". BUT, I like the look of the transparent blanks. So, when I turned LOTS of pens, I had a set of bushings that were made to fit the drilled hole WITHOUT the brass tubes. I would turn the pen very near final size and THEN slip the tube in (without glue) and decide what I wanted to do with the color.

I most certainly did NOT do this with most of my pens, I used the same blanks most of the time and knew what to expect. However, when I was making more expensive pens, with deeper, more elegant colors, the selling price justified more effort.

How good you want YOUR pens to look is up to you.

FWIW,
Ed
 
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