# Thievery



## gerryr (May 8, 2007)

I freely admit that I stole this idea from Anthony when he wasn't looking, but I don't think he'll mind.  He knows that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  The material is Lucite from Pipe Makers Emporium.  There are three different colors here and each one has a different interior color; in this case maroon and metallic blue.  Doing this right was a challenge.  The first couple I tried, I drilled the lower barrel for a full length tube, then painted the inside of the blank, glued in the tube and turned it down.  The problem is that as the Lucite is turned, quite a bit of the opaque part is removed, exposing more of the translucent part and thus more tube.  Just like turning wood, you donâ€™t know whatâ€™s inside until you get there.  More than once I was met with some unpleasant surprises in the form of places where the paint coverage wasnâ€™t good or was scratched when the tube was inserted.  On one pen, the epoxy bond came loose and the tube turned inside the hole-that really messed up the paint.  Iâ€™ve worked those issues out and Iâ€™m now pretty satisfied with the results.  These are all fountain pens and thatâ€™s all I plan to make in this style, at least for now.  I fear the metal spring for the rollerball will scratch the paint but, I am working on a fix for that problem.  The caramel ripple one will only ever be done with black paint, but the other two can be done with any color a customer might want.  The second person besides my wife and son to see the caramel ripple one bought it without hesitation.  He agreed to let me keep it in case I donâ€™t get another made for a private show next week.  I have two more in the queue so I should have another completed in time.














All the pens are Barons and top to bottom are Gold Ti, Platinum and Black Ti.  Thanks for looking.


----------



## johncrane (May 8, 2007)

Awesome pens Gerry!! as always[]
just a thought Gerry you could use enamel paint on the tubes then bake the tubes


----------



## gketell (May 8, 2007)

COOOOOOooooooooool.

something new to try.  I love being the perpetual newbie.  Never done anything twice (yet).

GK


----------



## Dario (May 8, 2007)

All look wonderful Gerry. Very nice trio! [^]


----------



## Glenn McCullough (May 8, 2007)

stunning pens, excellent job on the closed ends.
  I need some of that stuff, too. Perhaps a bulk buy is in order?


----------



## alamocdc (May 8, 2007)

They all look great, Gerry![^]


----------



## PenWorks (May 8, 2007)

Great job Gerry, they all look good. []
Oh, your not allowed in the store no more [] [}] []


----------



## OKLAHOMAN (May 8, 2007)

One more reason...no make that 3 more to call Pipe Emporium. Gerry thay are fannnnntastic![][^]


----------



## gerryr (May 8, 2007)

> _Originally posted by PenWorks_
> <br />
> Great job Gerry, they all look good. []
> Oh, your not allowed in the store no more [] [}] []



Actually, you posted your Amber Ripple Jr. Statesman here looonnnng before I was in your store.  I just saw them close up there.[][]


----------



## mdburn_em (May 8, 2007)

Un-Believable...


----------



## BigRob777 (May 9, 2007)

Wow Gerry,
Those are some really nice pens.  I just love the way the ribbons snake off into the depths of the pen.
Rob


----------



## thewishman (May 9, 2007)

Very pretty! Nice work, especially on the middle (blue) one.

Chris


----------



## Fred (May 9, 2007)

Powder coat paint on your tubes will be somewhat better than most paints. The powder coat is baked on and quite hard. I also believe the powder coating would be easier than enamel painting, but hey, thats my opinion based on my previous life.

MOST EXCELLENT job on the FP's. I hope you sell a bunch of them. []


----------



## stevers (May 9, 2007)

Not that I'm cross commenting, but I love that blue one in the center.


----------



## Ligget (May 9, 2007)

WOW![:0] Fantastic work on them all!![]


----------



## LanceD (May 9, 2007)

Great job. Those closed end pens are fun to make.


----------



## csb333 (May 9, 2007)

That maroon one is fantastic! - CB


----------



## huntersilver (May 9, 2007)

Awesome looking pens,  you really did a good job!
The blanks look awesome!  What type of paint have you been
using on the Lucite?


----------



## gerryr (May 9, 2007)

Thanks to everyone, even Anthony.[]

To answer a couple of questions, powdercoating the tubes would be nice but it will not solve the problem of scratching the paint on the inside of the blank when the tube is inserted.  If someone knows how to powdercoat plastic, I would love to know about it.[]

I've used a variety of different paints and fingernail polishes and all work sometimes, but not all the time.


----------



## Jim in Oakville (May 9, 2007)

Beautifully done Gerry,

I have had the same issues with the lucite, painting has become a more patient process....the last one is my favorite.

I also foung the same problem with the spring, so I CA glued it into the end so it would not move around.


I also have borrowed a few ideas from Anthony too, he's a great person for sharing ideas and help


----------



## GaryMGg (May 9, 2007)

> _Originally posted by stevers_
> <br />Not that I'm cross commenting, but I love that blue one in the center.


Me either. [)] What he said!  Real nice. []
Gary


----------



## papaturner (May 9, 2007)

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! Perry


----------



## latech15 (May 9, 2007)

Where are yo ufinding the caramel ripple rods?  I looked at the pipemakers emporium andonly saw that color in a package with five or six other colors.


----------



## lwalden (May 9, 2007)

and is caramel ripple the same as amber ripple?


----------



## jscola (May 9, 2007)

Great job Gerry! Carmel They all look awesome. I like the Carmel Ripple the best!


----------



## Ozzy (May 10, 2007)

Wow!! Those are awesome!


----------



## Stevej72 (May 10, 2007)

Awesome looking pens, Gerry!


----------

