Painting blanks?

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jbswearingen

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Folks, it's been years since I've turned translucent resin blanks, and I'm a bit rusty on the prep.

I remember in years past experiencing less than stellar results painting the tube because sometimes I'd get bubbles in the epoxy between the blank and tube.

I've also tried dying the epoxy, but having the same problems with bubbles allowing the tube to show through.

I've had troubles with scraping the paint from the interior of the painted blank when sliding the tube in.

So, with all those failures listed, what's the best way that you do it? I only have a few days to complete a bunch of pens in time for Christmas delivery.

My intention is to use black paint. Brand recommendations?

Please help!
 
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randyrls

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Brad; Spray rattle can paint. Lacquer. WEAR NITRILE GLOVES! Drill and give each end of the blank a PSSST. Let dry overnight. Use your favorite glue.
PS White will make the color more vibrant, Black will make it duller. The same color as the blank will make it brighter.
 

DrD

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I've been getting really good results using model railroading paint for plastics, applying with a "Q-tip." Let the blank dry over night and you should be good to go. Sandpapered tubes are glued into blanks with BSI 5 min 2 part epoxy. Again let dry overnight.
 

jttheclockman

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It is always a fine line between the drill bit being too big or too tight. Experience tells the story after some time. As far as painting goes, I have told this here before. Think about a blank and the tube. The first thing you see is the underside of the blank and then the glue and then the tube. So those that paint the tubes i could never understand it. Do a good job on reverse painting the blank and no need to paint tube. That only cause 2 surfaces that can slip if paint fails. I use testors enamel paints or spray paints. Been using testor spray paints more and more these days because they leave a nice even coat. I always epoxy my tubes and at times I will add just a dab of paint to epoxy as my belt and suspenders failsafe. Never paint tubes unless doing a cast on casting. My method and has served me well.
 

1080Wayne

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Scraping of the paint from the blank interior is the biggest risk . Make sure the tube will easily fall through the hole before spray painting . If it has to be pushed , it will definitely scrape paint . I use a 1/4 inch rat tail file to expand the hole .
 

Warren White

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What has always worked for me is getting a rattle can of White Rust-Oleum Ultracover paint + primer from Walmart. The can says it bonds to plastic. I follow the directions on the can for application(s).

I spray from each end of the hole, shake the excess out, and let it set for a while before spraying a second, then third coat. It is important to shake excess out, because it evens the paint out and keeps the amount on the inside of the hole to a minimum.

I use Gorilla Glue to stick the tube in, after scuffing the brass tube with sandpaper. I just went from White GG to Clear GG, and really like how much easier the Clear is to clean up.

I agree with the poster above that said that white makes the color pop. It is the only color I use.
 

jttheclockman

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Not sure about the statement that white makes the color always pop. This comes down to choice. Changing colors can affect the look of a blank and some blanks need color. Here is an example I have shown before. The pen and letter opener were done with Mexican Agate truestone and the blanks were reverse painted with a metallic blue. I have shown the look of the same material with white on the left and a reddish brown on the lower right. The upper right is the blue and to me that is what made the color pop. The white washed out the blank too much.
 

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penicillin

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I made two Breast Cancer Awareness pens in translucent acrylic "Pink Swirl".
https://www.rockler.com/breast-cancer-awareness-pen-hardware-kit-chrome-with-pink-crystals
https://www.rockler.com/pink-acrylic-acetate-pen-blank

My spouse has a collection of spray paints for her crafts, so I used Rustoleum pink enamel spray paint. I used clear five-minute epoxy from the double syringe.

The first pen, I sprayed the tube. The pen was one of the best I have ever made.

I learned about potential bubbles and other glue issues after the fact, so I looked at that pen later. You can see a bit of glue "swirls" in the epoxy if you really look hard, but the pen is still very nice.

The second pen, I sprayed both the tube and the inside of the blank. The paint caused a lot of problems with that pen. It was too thick, and I could not get the tubes in the blanks in a dry test. The testing also caused the paint to scrape away from both the blank inner walls and the tubes. I had to sand and scrape off the paint from both the tubes and the inner walls just to get the tubes to fit. I painted the tubes again, just enough to get coverage. I let it cure for several days before gluing the tubes. With epoxy as a lubricant, the tubes went in, but some paint still scraped off. The resulting pen was nice enough to give to the recipient, but not as nice as the first pen.

The next time, I will buy some hobby paint and try a Q-tip to apply it to the inner walls only.
 

ed4copies

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No one has mentioned it, so I will:
CA glue is more likely to smear the paint than epoxy. Avoid CA glue, when painting or let the paint cure for several days, first.
 

wolfman115

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If you're reverse painting the blank how thoroughly does it need to be painted? Using the Q-tip method of painting with testors paint, how many coats is usually enough?
 

jttheclockman

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If you're reverse painting the blank how thoroughly does it need to be painted? Using the Q-tip method of painting with testors paint, how many coats is usually enough?
It needs to be pretty covered as I said I do not paint the tubes. I spray a couple coats and good to go. I make sure the tube slides in nicely after they are dry. If not I will have to ream the hole and start over. Over time you get the knack 0f this.
 

qquake

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Here are a couple threads of mine from a couple of years ago, about different paint colors for back painting blanks.


 

Chasboy1

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Morristown, NJ
No one has mentioned it, so I will:
CA glue is more likely to smear the paint than epoxy. Avoid CA glue, when painting or let the paint cure for several days, first.
This is my question. I use CA glue for the tubes, won't it break down any paint, making it useless?
 
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