# #### Need Advice on Painting Brass Tube ####



## Penl8the (Oct 10, 2009)

Hi All,

Help!!!

The brass tubes are showing through this beautiful blank.  I do have a same second blank to complete the pen.

But what kind of paint should I use?  

I would guess a "white paint" should work to hide the brass colour.  It should be:



thin enough so the tube will still fit the drilled hole
the correct type of paint that CA glue will still works, and
where?  hobby shop?


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## Rollerbob (Oct 10, 2009)

Krylon spray paint is what I use. Testors will work. if you use epoxy, you can mix the paint with it.


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## Chief Hill (Oct 10, 2009)

I always just use simple spray paint.  MAKE SURE its 100% dry before using CA.  It seems to remove the paint when its not dry and screws up the inside of the tube because you have a partially painted brass tube in a blank glued in and you can't get it out becasue your were STUPID and did not wait and now you have a useless piece of garbage etc.. HAHA....
 Live and learn from my mistakes LOL...


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## skiprat (Oct 10, 2009)

Here's what I do...
Paint the inside of the blank with white acrylic paint using a Q-tip ( ear bud )
While it's still wet, push and twist the tube through several times. This will get the paint in all the scrathes from the drilling. Wipe off the excess paint from the tube each pass.  Allow to dry ( about an hour ) then glue the tube as normal. Works for me:biggrin:


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## Penl8the (Oct 10, 2009)

Thanks everyone!!!

Off to Home Depot.



Chief Hill said:


> I always just use simple spray paint.  MAKE SURE its 100% dry before using CA.  It seems to remove the paint when its not dry and screws up the inside of the tube because you have a partially painted brass tube in a blank glued in and you can't get it out becasue your were STUPID and did not wait and now you have a useless piece of garbage etc.. HAHA....
> Live and learn from my mistakes LOL...





skiprat said:


> Here's what I do...
> Paint the inside of the blank with white acrylic paint using a Q-tip ( ear bud )
> While it's still wet, push and twist the tube through several times. This will get the paint in all the scrathes from the drilling. Wipe off the excess paint from the tube each pass.  Allow to dry ( about an hour ) then glue the tube as normal. Works for me:biggrin:





Rollerbob said:


> Krylon spray paint is what I use. Testors will work. if you use epoxy, you can mix the paint with it.


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## Manny (Oct 10, 2009)

Testers enamel spray paint works great. Spray inside the blank and let dry. Then spray tube and let dry. Use 5 min epoxy not CA. CA eats the paint DAMHIKT!!!
White would be great IMHO
Manny


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## bracky1 (Oct 10, 2009)

I use childrens acrylic, usually black. I paint the inside of the blank rather than the tube with a small brush to get good even coverage and then get a hair dryer onto it. Dry in 2 or 3 minutes rather than the hour it takes Skiprat ;o)


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## randyrls (Oct 10, 2009)

Penl8the said:


> The brass tubes are showing through this beautiful blank.  I do have a same second blank to complete the pen.




I will repeat what Skiprat said.  Paint the Inside of the drilled hole, not the tube.  This will cover any glue "see-thru".

In addition, you can use different or contrasting colors to completely change the appearance of the pen.  These two pens are the same white pearlescent blank, but painted different colors


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## wolftat (Oct 10, 2009)

I've gotten lazy lately and started buying white and black tubes.


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## GregHaugen (Oct 10, 2009)

I've tried spray paint and hated the fumes/smell.  Someone on this site recommended Testors "acrylic" and I absolutely love it.  I'm currently using white and black, both in "flat" sheen.  No smell, it dries fast, and it's working out really great.  It does cost a little more but I'm not wasting any excess in "over spray" etc.  If the spray paint doesn't work out for you, give Testors Acrylic a try.


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## MesquiteMan (Oct 10, 2009)

LIke eveyone else says, don't bother painting the tubes, paint the inside of the blank.  I prefer to use fingernail polish when painting inside the blank.  It is designed to dry quick and alredy comes with a little brush in the bottle!  That is how I do most of my cactus pens even wtih clear resin.


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## Mac (Oct 11, 2009)

I think everyboby covered the painting part pretty good, so heres some ideals on color,on the blank that you showed I would use color close to blank either white or blue.
I have also experimented with other colors .I have an orange and black blank ,that is not orange enough for me , so I mixed some red testors and yellow and made a deep orange and painted the inside of my blank ,turned out very good. On two more one red sparkle and the other blue sparkle,I painted the inside of my blank black ,yes I said black ,made the colors more rich.So try different things ,to me I like trying different things to break the monotony, and you might find a winner, in your experimenting.


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## RAdams (Oct 11, 2009)

I had problems when just painting the inside of the blank, so now i paint the inside of the blank, and the tube itself.

 I use WC (Whatever's Cheapest) spray paint. I spray the tube, and spray a parts bag, then use a Q tip for the inside of the blank. Then i use gorilla glue to glue the tubes the next day after painting. It takes a couple of days to get blanks ready for the lathe, but the outcome, for me, is worth it. With some planning ahead, you can pretty much stay ready to turn.


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## jttheclockman (Oct 11, 2009)

Here is another example of using different colored tubes. The grey or darker one has a black tube and using the same blank material and a white tube there is a dramtaic difference.


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## Freethinker (Oct 11, 2009)

*Question for the MesquiteMan.....*



MesquiteMan said:


> LIke eveyone else says, don't bother painting the tubes, paint the inside of the blank.  I prefer to use fingernail polish when painting inside the blank.  It is designed to dry quick and alredy comes with a little brush in the bottle!  That is how I do most of my cactus pens even wtih clear resin.



Ahhh...now THAT is the answer I was looking for.

A while back I ordered a (dark) red Turn Tex cactus blank, and am finally getting around to making a pen with it and was wondering which color would be the best for the hole in the blank....?

White?....or maybe pink??....i'd like to possibly slightly lighten the dark red color and make the cactus veins "pop" a bit more.

Which color would you suggest, Curtis? 

(At least with fingernail polish, pink would be an easy color to obtain.)


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## LouCee (Oct 11, 2009)

I started using nail polish a while back too, it drys fast and hard and as Curtis mentioned it conveniently comes with a brush. I like it simple. If you're looking for an unusual color try a store that specializes in women's hair care products and makeup. I tag along with my wife to Beauty Brands and they carry a wider range of colors than Walmart or Target.


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## PTownSubbie (Oct 26, 2009)

wolftat said:


> I've gotten lazy lately and started buying white and black tubes.


 
Where can you find these?


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## ed4copies (Oct 26, 2009)

PTownSubbie said:


> Where can you find these?



Some pen styles: CSUSA, WoodCraft.


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## PTownSubbie (Oct 26, 2009)

ed4copies said:


> Some pen styles: CSUSA, WoodCraft.


 
Only found Brass and Nickle at CSUSA and Woodcraft only has the precuts. 

I am looking for the 10" tube in 7mm for now. If I have to go with precuts, I can do that but they are more expensive and I have the ability to cut the tubes so why pay more.


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## MesquiteMan (Oct 26, 2009)

Freethinker said:


> Ahhh...now THAT is the answer I was looking for.
> 
> A while back I ordered a (dark) red Turn Tex cactus blank, and am finally getting around to making a pen with it and was wondering which color would be the best for the hole in the blank....?
> 
> ...


 
Sorry, Dan.  I missed your post.  If you want the Magma Red to look like the Magma Red pen on my website, then paint the tube black.  White or pink would be ok, I gues but would not give the same effect.  Also, white will make the thinner parts of the blank when turned look different than the thicker parts.  In other words, if you turn with a slight bulge, the thicker areas will be a different color than the ends where you meet the hardware since there is less red material for the white to "shine" through.


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## Crayman (Oct 27, 2009)

I have had the Craftsman powder coater for a few years and now powder coat a couple tubes @ a time white, black, pink and blue. Now that I am getting better at powder coating, it may only take 15 minutes to coat some tubes if I run out.


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