# Cast it, print it or decal it?



## Wood Butcher (Oct 13, 2010)

I have been sent a drawing of a flower design that is rather detailed and very pretty.  The lady wants to know if it can be incorporated into a pen.  Picture a drawing approximately 5" x 4" with a fine line black ink drawing of daisy style flowers in white all over it and a yellow background.  What say you pen makers, should it be copied and glued to a tube then cast in clear PR or applied as a decal then CA finished till smooth or something outside the box?  I'm not even to the part where we select a pen kit just trying to figure out if this can be done.  If it can, how would one hide the point where the design meets when wrapped around the tube or blank?  This could open up all kinds of possibilities if "perfected" in some way.  Looking forward to the thoughts and imaginational thinking so prevelant on the IAP site.  Thanks for any input.
WB


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## jttheclockman (Oct 14, 2010)

Wood Butcher said:


> I have been sent a drawing of a flower design that is rather detailed and very pretty. The lady wants to know if it can be incorporated into a pen. Picture a drawing approximately 5" x 4" with a fine line black ink drawing of daisy style flowers in white all over it and a yellow background. What say you pen makers, should it be copied and glued to a tube then cast in clear PR or applied as a decal then CA finished till smooth or something outside the box? I'm not even to the part where we select a pen kit just trying to figure out if this can be done. If it can, how would one hide the point where the design meets when wrapped around the tube or blank? This could open up all kinds of possibilities if "perfected" in some way. Looking forward to the thoughts and imaginational thinking so prevelant on the IAP site. Thanks for any input.
> WB


 
What alot of times it comes down to is how you want to view the picture. When wraping around a tube the picture needs to be smaller due to the fact the tube is smaller(duh) When doing a decal you use the exact kit size blank and now you are wraping around a larger surface and thus you see more at one glance without turning the pen. Which is easier??  They should both be feasible except that casting takes abit of learning curve because of gluing and haveing the seams stay together. Another thing to consider is when doing a decal the shape of the pen can not be radical because it will leave wrinkles when trying to lay it out. So if it is a large photo to fill the entire barrel the barrel needs to be more or less straight because adding bulges will not allow the decal to sit flat. When casting this is not a problem because the tube is a constant dimension.

Good luck and look forward to seeing what you come up with. By the way the above info is just an opinion. Have to put that disclaimer in. Been there done that.


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## hewunch (Oct 14, 2010)

I would use a decal on a yellow blank. But that is me.


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## snyiper (Oct 14, 2010)

Im with Hans...yellow blank and a decal would look nice.


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## gawdelpus (Oct 14, 2010)

Here's a few decals I did some time back. Simply printed in publisher to size of tube ,this allows for no seam as the decal is translucent ,simply applied to a suitably painted tube ,then cast in clear PR,the blank has depth and will not fade or be easily damaged with normal wear and tear, Just another way of achieving your desired result . Cheers ~ John


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## KBs Pensnmore (Oct 17, 2010)

I did a pen out of Orange Tree and my partner painted a Koala with its young on its back in a tree, it took her about 20 minutes to paint, then coated the whole thing in CA. Try and find an Artist who can do miniatures it certainly adds to the value, I tripled its value


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