Painting Tubes

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LizardSpit

LizardSpit

Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2009
Messages
97
Location
Hutto, Texas
I have a couple of questions about tubes and acrylic blanks.

* How do you keep your hands clean when painting both tubes and inside the blank? I seem to be able to get glue and paint every where even wearing gloves, think Pig Pen from the Peanuts cartoons :biggrin:.

Seriously though:

* How do you get even coverage and good adhesion of the paint? I am sanding the tube, cleaning with mineral spirits, waiting for it to dry then painting. I have used spray paint and brush on paint both of a couple of different brands. I get it clumpy and it tends to peel off easily.

* I added one drop of acrylic paint to my two part epoxy. The epoxy got very hot and it set extremely fast. Then I bought new epoxy (also a different brand from the first try) and it did the same thing. Is this normal?
 
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I'm interested in the answer re painting inside of blanks, too!

Re painting tubes: I hang them on a length of small wire and spray paint. Wait 30 minutes, rotate 90* and paint the remaing strips. I let the paint cure at least 24 hours and always use epoxy (not tinted) rather than CA with these tubes.

Re epoxy getting hot: I use West System epoxy (both slow & fast cure depending on how many tubes I'm doing) and it gets very hot when curing. I wait at least another 24 hours before turning. I also clip the corners of square blanks with a disc sander -- seems to reduce some of the stress of roughing the blank to me.
 
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I powdercoated some tubes. You know how hard that stuff is! You can't sant it off without putting forth a lot of effort. :biggrin:
 
When I paint my tubes, I put them on a dowel rod or something similar. Using Testors, paint with a small brush from one end up to the other and let the dowel stand in a cup for a day or two.

I'm using Testors spray paint on the inside of the tube. Spray from one end, then from the other and let that sit for a day or two

Then I apply CA on the tube while it's on an insertion tube and spread it evenly using the neck of the CA tube then slide it in. I don't wear gloves and usually don't end up with anything on my hands.
 
I've found that painting the inside of the blanks works best for me on acrylics. I hold the blank in an old pair of tongs and spray from both ends, let 'em dry at least overnight and then glue in tubes with polyurenthane glue.

When I paint tubes prior to casting, I string them on a coathanger, give them several light spray coats and let them dry until I'm ready to use them, usually at least a few days.

I can usually get this done without painting myself, but spraying into the tubes usually results in paint running out the other end, so be careful where you try this.
 
I use denatured alcohol to clean my tubes, mineral spirits leaves an oily residue. Can't help you out with painting the inside of the blanks, I usually forget to do it. :rolleyes:
 
I spray paint the tubes on a piece of dowel rod. Fast dry spray paint, and they are ready to go in 15 minutes. I usually paint the inside of the blanks with testors and a q-tip.
 
I use Q-tips to paint the inside of the blanks with Testors; I use the bottled stuff so that I can mix the paint to a colour that matches the blank - although contrasting colours give some interesting results too. Obviously the Q-tips only last for one or two blanks at most, and they absorb some of the paint, but they're quick and easy.

For tubes, I bought a bag of long stir sticks at a dollar store - couple hundred for a buck; just wrap some paper towel strips around the end and slide the tube on; holds it nice and secure for painting. Drilled a dozen holes in a piece of 2X4 to hold the sticks while the paint dries.


Also, if you have a couple of pen styles that you like to work with frequently, the next time you're painting tubes do a couple extra and set them aside. That way you just might have one of the correct colour ready to go on a moment's notice.
 
To paint acrylic blanks inside the hole l use a clear acrylic undercoat in a pressure pack can, this makes the paint really stick! and after the under coat dries, l use the same acrylic auto paint, once this dries it's rock solid, l use the same method when painting brass tubes,l use both steps if the tube is loose in the hole if it's not l just paint the inside of the blank. Also when mixing a 2pack glue and you want to color it l use a small amount of casting pigment color and this sets with no problems.
 
I use the handle portion of an old kitchen soup ladle. You can get these at any goodwill store for about 50 cents. The flat steel shaft is tapered so I simply cut off the ladle head and I now have a tool that works great for holding tubes for painting or for slipping glue-covered tubes into the blanks. I have a couple of different sizes on hand for the different size tubes. Typically, I can slip both tubes onto the shaft and safely paint all side in a few seconds. To paint the inside of the blanks, I slip my hand into a plastic grocery bag to hold the blank. This protects me from all the blow by paint as well as the direct spray.



Jim Smith
 
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