# Painting tubes and inside blanks?



## handplane (Aug 4, 2009)

I have done a few acrylic pens and have painted the tubes only before gluing in the tube.  On couple of the pens the paint seemed to come loose from the tube.  I only noticed this during the finishing process when I felt a bump that should not have been there.  It looked like the blank was coming loose in small sections.  I was able to fix it by soaking the ends in CA and letting it sit.  I know the paint was dry before I assembled things but am not sure what made it come apart.  What did I do wrong?  Should I paint the inside of the blank and not the tube?  I'm still learning.


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## Wheaties (Aug 4, 2009)

That's what I do: Paint the inside of the blank with Testors and use CA to glue it up. Haven't had any problems yet!


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## Rstyleusa (Aug 4, 2009)

I have just ventured into the Acrylic pens, only turned 3 so far.  I have not noticed the paint coming off the brass tube yet.  I do rough up the brass tube before I paint it, then when I glue it into the blank I do it quickly without turning the brass tub to seat it, just push it in gently.  Another thing is look to see if you can get already colored tubes for your pens.  I have some sets that already come in white or titanium colors.  After I square up the blank I seal it with some more CA on the ends (then square it again if necessary to clear out any remaining CA).  I think the biggest thing is to rough up the brass tube before paints so the paint has a rough surface to stick to.

Funny thing is that I never though of painting the inside of the blank, that would definately work too!


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## omb76 (Aug 4, 2009)

The best advise I ever received was to always paint the inside of the blank when turning acrylic!  I take it a step further and also paint the brass tubes.  I also sand the tubes before painting to make sure the surface is clean.  I typically just use the $.99 can of spray paint from Dollar General.  It's fun to experiment with different colors of paint as it will yield different results in your finished product.   i.e. black will typically make the finished blank look deeper in color and white brighter in color.

I have found that using CA to glue the tubes is not the best way to go as any excess heat from sanding can cause the CA to fail.  I always use a 2 part epoxy to glue everything.  When you paint the inside of the blank it won't matter if there is a yellow tint to the glue as you won't see it anyway.  I will also usually wait 24 hrs after painting until I glue the tubes in.  

Good luck!


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## Monty (Aug 4, 2009)

Works best if you paint both the inside of the blank and the tube. That way, if you get a bubble in your glue or small scratch in the paint, it's not as likely to show.
BTW, I use the $1 spray enamel from Wally World and so far (knock on wood) have had no problems. And I rough the tube with sandpaper.

edit in: Dave and I typing at the same time I see. However, I always use thick CA for gluing. I drizzle a small amount inside the blank and let it set on the bench so the glue runs down inside while I put a bead on the tube. I then insert the tube and gently twist it in and out a time or two to evenly distribute the glue over the surfaces. Since I've started this method, I've had very few failures. I believe the trick is to get a coating of glue over the complete surfaces of the blank and tube.


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## handplane (Aug 4, 2009)

Thanks for the advice.  I used 2 part epoxy to glue in the tubes but it did get hot during the finishing stages.  I'm getting ready to start turning again since my move so maybe this time I'll take some pictures.  Getting BLO and CA is the hard part here.  I will probably do a lot more plastic here than wood.  I get plastic polish and MM from work.


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## gt64155 (Aug 19, 2009)

*Painting Pen Blanks*

I'm still fairly new to the world of non-wood pen blanks. I have turned some AA and some PR blanks with different results.  I have noticed that on some of the blanks, the brass does show through. My question is what color of paint do you use? Do you try and find something similar in color to the blank, or even mix colors to try and get something closer to the blank color. Or, do you just use plain old black or white?


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## Jim Smith (Aug 19, 2009)

gt64155,

The answer to your questions is yes.  That is to say, it depends on the effect I am going for.  I use basic black or white for most blanks, but if I'm using say a light blue/pearl blank I might use dark blue on both the tube and the inside of the blank.  On a very light pink blank, I might use dark red to darken up the pink a bit.  I even use Brasso to polish the blank up nice and shiny on some blanks that I want the tube to show.   Unlike most of the others, I use fairly good $6 spray paint.  Since this is such a miniscule part of the cost of building the pen (~3 cents), I would rather have good paint that sprays evenly than mess around with the cheapest I can find.  I also use 2 part epoxy to glue the tubes into the blanks.

Jim Smith


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## GouletPens (Aug 19, 2009)

The problem you're describing sounds a lot like CA failure. If you're using thin or med CA, there is quite a bit of solvent in the glue, which eats away at the acrylic paint. Not only that, but since the CA can't soak into the acrylic like it does the wood, the bond is not as strong. I used to do CA for everything, but since switching over to 2-part epoxy I have not had a single acrylic failure yet. Epoxy is also a better gap-filler, so it will bond better if your tube is a little loose inside the blank. You can also tint the epoxy while you're mixing it up with Testors. Heck, if you want to be darned sure, paint the inside of the blank, paint the tube, _and_ tint the glue. You can be pretty certain that'll cover it all!!:bulgy-eyes:


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## aggromere (Aug 19, 2009)

i color the tubes with different colored magic markers and have not had a problem.  They come in all colors.  Sand the tubes first then cover with magic marker.


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## jkeithrussell (Aug 19, 2009)

I paint the tubes, not the blank.  After the paint is dry, plug both ends of the tube and use as much 2-part epoxy as I can possibly get between the tube and blank.  Allow to set up for a bare minimum of 4 hours, preferably over night.  I've never had a glue-related failure.


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