Painting Tubes

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
W

winterwood

Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
351
Location
Plattsburgh, New York, USA.
I have not yet painted any of my tubes but the projects I will be working on will need it.
So the question is: do you use one color or do you have a number of different colors on hand to match the blanks.
Do you use spray paint or brush it on.
Thanks
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
I have done both, spraying and brushing. You can create many color combinations using different colors with the same blank.

You will find that painting the inside of the blank gives you better results. In transparent blanks, the glue will show up if you paint the tube - sometimes that can look interesting, mostly it doesn't.
 
I have many colors of model paint which I use, I often mix colors to achieve the color I need. I use a Q-tip to place the paint inside the blank, works for me.
 
I use different colors depending on the look I want. The black, dark blue, and dark red bottles are the most empty, so I guess those are my favorites. I use a wooden-handled cotton swabs. At $16 a thousand, these work for me. I run a chainsaw file lightly inside the hole to remove any burrs before I paint, otherwise the applicator tends to get shredded.
 
I paint my tubes but for casting mostly. I have different colors for different things. Stamps and labels are white and snake skins vary with the type of snake or the type of material I put with the skins. Like was mentioned earlier a slight color change can make a big difference on the final pen.
 
For virtually all acrylic blanks I paint both the tube and reverse paint the blank. I use spray paint in a wide variety of colors, depending on what I want the finished blank to look like. You would be amazed how different color paints dramatically change the color/look of a finished blank. To paint the tubes, I slip the tubes onto a cheap four prong grill fork and spray them the color I want. Then I slip the painted tubes onto finish nails I have nailed into a strip of wood to let them dry at least 24 hours. To reverse paint the blank, I clamp the drilled blank into a hand-help spring clamp, the kind you can buy at any big box store or hardware store for a couple of bucks. Then, I hold the clamped blank over an open trash can and give it a few spritzes from each end. The clamp holds the blank secure and keeps my hand away from the spray paint so there's no mess to clean up. The total time required to paint both the tube and the blank is about a minute. I use good quality spray paint (i.e. Rustoleum) as it gives better coverage and a smooth thin coat. Just one man's way to get the job done...

Jim Smith
 
I paint the insides of the blanks with Testor's acrylic model paints as most do. I also put one or two drops (toothpick pointy-end sized drops) of the same color in my epoxy, mix it up and then "paint" the tubes with the colored epoxy. If any paint in the blank hole comes free while sliding in the tube, then *theoretically* the colored epoxy will fill in the paint void(s).
 
I'm fond of Rust-o-leum silver primer as a reverse. It really seems pops the colors without most of the washout white can have. Every color has it's place.
 
I also read on IAP and tried fingernail polish. It dries fast and many colors to choose from. The brush is also included. The only problem is it goes on thick, or maybe I don't know what I'm doing, so I mainly use it for a base coat for carbon fiber. It does work well for covering the brass quick and easy with no clean up.
 
If you happen to want your tube to be black, here's a product I use!
attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • Brass Black.jpg
    Brass Black.jpg
    166.6 KB · Views: 226
Thanks to a tip from Mesquite Man, I found Delta Ceramcoat acrylic paint. It works better for painting blank holes than anything else I've ever used. Since the switch to Ceramcoat, I've had no glue failures and the paint usually covers with one coat.

It applies easily with a QTip, can be found at most hobby stores and here it sells for 97 cents for 2 ounces. Additionally, it mixes well with Loctite 5 minute epoxy to tint the glue. I never could get Testors to bond with Loctite Epoxy glue.
 
One alternative to painting the tube or using brass ager, that I sometimes use, is nickel plated tubes. Wish they were available in more sizes though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom