# Testors enamel paint for painting tubes



## ZanderPommo (Nov 29, 2009)

i have this paint and have had problems brass tubes showing through the acrylic.just got a big x-mas order and need to know, will this paint work????
thanks in advance


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## nytefaii (Nov 29, 2009)

Testors model paint should work fine.  I believe it's what many people prefer.

I just use a cheap acrylic paint and havent had any issues.


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## ldb2000 (Nov 29, 2009)

Zander , don't take this the wrong way , but you need to familiarize yourself with the search function . 
Testors comes up with 107 hits (including yours) http://www.penturners.org/forum/sea...og_searchinfo=1&photoplog_searchquery=testors
I'm not saying this as a dig or anything . It's just that you could save yourself allot of time by searching before waiting for an answer .


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## ZanderPommo (Nov 30, 2009)

thank you both, sorry, I shouldn't post while under the influence of sleep deprivation lol
I usually search first, honest:redface:


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## tseger (Nov 30, 2009)

ldb2000 said:


> Zander , don't take this the wrong way , but you need to familiarize yourself with the search function .
> Testors comes up with 107 hits (including yours) http://www.penturners.org/forum/sea...og_searchinfo=1&photoplog_searchquery=testors
> I'm not saying this as a dig or anything . It's just that you could save yourself allot of time by searching before waiting for an answer .


Butch, I'm sorry, I don't agree at all with your post. As long as there is good people like Chris on this forum, what is the problem with him asking? Hey man, that's what makes this site great. BTW, he posted at 10:17 and had an answer at 10:23, I for one couldn't do a search and find a definite answer in what... 6 minutes. I honestly hope that you don't take this wrong, but I have recently seen several post like yours and I just don't feel like that's what this site is all about. If that were the case we should just take everything off the site except for the search and the library and tell any new turners "there it is find it if you can." Again, I'm sorry for the rant and the search is great, but there is nothing wrong with a new turner posting a question either.


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## ldb2000 (Nov 30, 2009)

Absolutely ! there is nothing wrong with questions , that IS what this place is all about and yes you will almost always get a reply . However the answers are only part of the equation , in those 106 other answers from the search (not all of them apply anyway) there is allot of other information that might not be brought up . Questions that some of the answers will create . If you rely on just the answers that you ask for you will never learn the other stuff that you didn't ask about but will need to know as well . Ask the questions but do a search first .
As you see I posted the results of the search (that took only seconds, not 6 minutes) so there was no "find it if you can" involved . 
One of the greatest problems with the "give me it now" mentality is that you only add the knowledge that was given to you and nothing else in most cases . 
If you spend the time and search a little you will find that the Library here is one of the greatest resources for pen making in the world . This information is available for everyone to learn from , if you look for it . If all you have to do is ask , then the Library is not needed and should be removed , it would save Jeff money for storage space and bandwidth for all the searches that are done . 
Teach a man to fish ....


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## MesquiteMan (Nov 30, 2009)

Zander,

Don't paint the tubes, reverse paint the inside of the blank.  You will get better results and will be just as fast.


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## ZanderPommo (Nov 30, 2009)

thank you, I'll do that


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## BigguyZ (Nov 30, 2009)

Zander- 

To reiterate what's already been said- paint the blank inside, not the tubes.  After watching Curtis' you tube video, I picked up from testor's paint, and it covered much better than the plastic spray paint I was using.  However, I do prefer Q-tips to the acid brush he uses...

A good way to know if you've got everything covered, plug one end of the blank with a finger or something, and look into the blank through the other side.  You should be able to see any light coming through the blank.  That means you need another coat.


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## wdcav1952 (Nov 30, 2009)

Tim and Butch, 

Ask or search has always been a sensitive issue and is one that will never be answered to everyone's satisfaction.

When I had been turning a couple of months (before the IAP even started) I had a question, ran in from the workshop and posted (on the Yahoo Pen turners Group) the question and noted that I had not tried to look up the answer.  I got answers, but the only one I remember is the one that came from Rich K., the administrator of the forum.  Rich asked rather bluntly why had I not taken the time to look up the answer.  Did he hurt my feelings?  You're damn right he did, and my feelings stayed hurt for a couple of days.  Then, I took the time to really look through the information available at the site.  Not only did I easily find the answer to my question, I found answers to questions I hadn't asked yet.  For example I have seen several posters ask why their freshly CA'd pens looked frosted after being a a box for a couple of days.  By reading from the knowledge base (both at Yahoo Pen turners and at IAP) I found the answer to that particular question *before* I ruined any pens.

Another milestone for me was when I sent Ernie at Beartooth Woods a photo of a Euro pen of which I was immensely proud.  Ernie responded that it was what he called a "pretty reject"  to nice to discard, but due to the uneven tenon, not good enough to sell.  No feelings hurt this time, I was PISSED!  After I got over my anger, by God I learned how to turn a good tenon!  At that time, I owed Ernie a sheepish thank you.

In conclusion, many people love the old Chinese proverb"

_"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

Change this proverb up a bit, and you have Butch's advice._


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## MesquiteMan (Nov 30, 2009)

But then again, if folks were REQUIRED to search for thier own answers before asking a question, the traffic here on IAP would dry up considerably.  What make a forum interesting is the constant new messages that are posted.  When I join a forum and there is only a few new message per week, I quickly loose interest and no longer go back.  Let's face it, most of the discussion on this site are things that have already been asked at one time or another.


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## Daniel (Nov 30, 2009)

I agree with the idea that if you search you will find a lot more information. In fact one of my first thoughts when I read the initial was what Curtis Added about paint the blank not the tube. I also would not want to see it become an expectation for anyone to search rather than ask. One thing this group has always done well is welcome the new person, new turner and answered the same ol same old new person questions. I kow I have had times that I simply did nto have time to search, Been very busy or whatever and had a minute to post a question and then come back later to see what answers I had waiting. There is a side benefit to asking rather than searching for me. Now this may just be because I am a long term memebr or whatever. But when I post questions or other stuff about what I am doing,. It seems to spark a series of private messages with other suggestions comments ideas or what not. It has even resulted in people sending me stuff to help get a project complete. Recently I was given a really really nice pendant blank. and the only reason the person that gave it to me knew to even send it was all the posts I have made about my kids making them and what not. 
Asking rather than searching is what makes this a community of people that know what is going on with me rather than just a source of information.


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## NewLondon88 (Nov 30, 2009)

Daniel said:


> Recently I was given a really really nice pendant blank. and the only reason the person that gave it to me knew to even send it was all the posts I have made about my kids making them and what not.



errr..  yes..  my kids want to learn how to cast $100 bills.. :biggrin:


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## fiferb (Nov 30, 2009)

> "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."


 
I always thought it was "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in the boat and drink beer all day.":biggrin:


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## NewLondon88 (Nov 30, 2009)

fiferb said:


> I always thought it was "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in the boat and drink beer all day.":biggrin:



I think that one was made up by the same guy who said
"Laugh and the world laughs with you.
Cry .. I'll give you something to cry about.."


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## el_d (Nov 30, 2009)

NewLondon88 said:


> I think that one was made up by the same guy who said
> "Laugh and the world laughs with you.
> Cry .. *I'll give you something to cry about*.."



Hey, That was my Dad.


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## ldb2000 (Dec 1, 2009)

When I first joined the IAP I knew less then nothing about turning a pen . I asked a typical noob question and received several answers and a email from a member suggesting that I should have searched the question before asking because the answers would just bring up more questions , in the end I would learn allot more then if I just took the answer and did what I started out to do . Well it turned out he was right . From that point on I always search first then digest the answers and ask the real questions I should have asked to begin with .
There is nothing wrong with asking questions but are you asking the right questions ? If you take just the answers and finish the project you have a finished project , right ? Did you learn anything ? Did you improve your abilities ? . The answer to these questions is ....well maybe .

Hypothetically speaking ;
Joe asks , "Can I use Testors to paint the tubes" . Someone chimes in with "Yes" , so Joe takes this really nice blank and paints the tubes and glues them in . He then turns a perfect pen , the perfect match of kit and blank and the fit and finish are spot on . Then he takes a closer look at his masterpiece and discovers that the tubes are visible and look hideous . Joe comes back to the forum and reads an answer , that was posted two hours after he asked the question and got the "yes" answer and ruined the pen , that says you should paint the inside of the blank not the tube . Well allot of good that does him now , the pen is ruined .
So all I was saying was to search first then ask your questions .

For those of you that don't see the logic of my answer to Zander , I'm sorry for offending you . For those who do , Lesson learned .


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## jasontg99 (Dec 1, 2009)

1.  Zander, thanks for starting this thread, I have learned A LOT.
2.  Butch, hopefully this is the question I should be asking - I thought the purpose of gluing the tube to the blank was to ensure the two never seperate.  When I first started turning, I used CA to bond the tube to the blank.  This works great for a short period of time.  After a few people came back to me about a free spinning tube, I switched to epoxy.  No more issues.  Here is the million dollar question - if you paint the inside of the tube, you are bonding the tube to the paint and not the blank.  Will you eventally end up with the same free spinning tube?  And yes, I did search for this first, but did not find the answer.

Thanks,
Jason


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## DennisM (Dec 1, 2009)

jasontg99 said:


> 1. Zander, thanks for starting this thread, I have learned A LOT.
> 2. Butch, hopefully this is the question I should be asking - I thought the purpose of gluing the tube to the blank was to ensure the two never seperate. When I first started turning, I used CA to bond the tube to the blank. This works great for a short period of time. After a few people came back to me about a free spinning tube, I switched to epoxy. No more issues. Here is the million dollar question - if you paint the inside of the tube, you are bonding the tube to the paint and not the blank. Will you eventally end up with the same free spinning tube? And yes, I did search for this first, but did not find the answer.
> 
> Thanks,
> Jason


 
Usually the cause of a spinning tube, is not complete coverage of ca or epoxy. If you do not get 100% coverage on the tube, what you are left with its little high spots of the glue, they stick to the blank. causing the tube to be uneven inside. In time the ca bond will let go at these little joints.

To prevent this, take the ca and run a couple lines down the length of the tube moving around it. Then as you slide the tube in the blank twist it. This will evening coat all the tube and blank as you put it in.


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## Mac (Dec 1, 2009)

MesquiteMan said:


> Zander,
> 
> Don't paint the tubes, reverse paint the inside of the blank.  You will get better results and will be just as fast.



ditto --I use a Q tip to do this.


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## wdcav1952 (Dec 1, 2009)

I agree with Butch in that questions should not be discouraged.  Ask and get answers; search and often find more complete answers.

Certainly we all ask questions and that is what a family forum is about.  It still needs to be noted that the library is a fantastic source that is all too often overlooked.

Final thought, I'd rather fish with Bruce!


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## dustmaker (Dec 1, 2009)

Most of us who have been around a while know very well the appropriate forum protocol to search then ask.  I try to do that, but I think you all will agree with me that the typical forum search tools are not very good.  For example, after I joined and started learning about CA finishing I quickly learned that I needed a solution for the blank sticking to the bushings...a very common problem and one I was sure was solved many times over.  After 15 minutes of searching I could not find a single answer, so I asked and got a wealth of solutions to choose from.  Now having said that, I will also admit that I have gotten many answers to many questions from the forum search feature...its just kind of hit and miss and when you are new it is not always obvious what you should be searching on.  So, IMHO, the answer lies in the middle.  One should do due diligence and research to find the answer, but even if you find the answer it may still make sense to ask for clarification or for a more specific answer.  Personally if I don't find the answer within 15 or 20 minutes I am going to ask.  And let's also keep in mind that this is a very forward thinking innovative group.  The answer to the question today may be a little different than it was a few months ago.


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## DennisM (Dec 1, 2009)

The problem with the search function here or anywhere is its process for searching.

They underlying methods are not geared for the avg joe, but more tech savvy users. Hench the billion dollar search engine wars..  

It isn't so much as using the search but knowing how to phrase the question or search terms to get the best results. 

Using something general like ca and bushings will get you to the answer but you will have to read through a wealth of other posts as well. True there might be some great info them but more often then not, one does not have the time to read that much hoping for a answer.

We are woodworkers and pen makers not tech gurus, (well most anyway  ) 

I like seeing new questions on the same topic, more often then not someone might have had a newer solution to the problem then a old post will give. Keeps the board fresh and fluid. 

I do search myself and have a complete set of bookmarks for posts that may come in handy at a later time.

Dennis
JMO


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## cbb007 (Dec 1, 2009)

*About those spinning tubes*

A while back I bought a bunch of little bottles of different colors of acrylic paint for painting tubes.  I used a Q-tip and painted the inside of an acrylic blank, trying to get good coverage, but trying not to over-do it.

When completely dry I glued the tube in using thick ca.  When that was dry I turned it and it started spinning.

It seems to me that the ca stuck to the paint, and the paint doesn't stick to the blank nearly as well as the ca does; therefore, it spun.

I haven't used my little bottles of paint since then.

Comments?


Clay


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## ed4copies (Dec 1, 2009)

cbb007 said:


> A while back I bought a bunch of little bottles of different colors of acrylic paint for painting tubes.  I used a Q-tip and painted the inside of an acrylic blank, trying to get good coverage, but trying not to over-do it.
> 
> When completely dry I glued the tube in using thick ca.  When that was dry I turned it and it started spinning.
> 
> ...



HUNDREDS of pens have not come free from their tubes, using CA.  A couple have.  So, what's the problem??  Probably ME!!

In the past several years, I have tried NOT to make a pen the same night I glue the tubes. (I glue with thick --gap filling---CA exclusively) Also, when painting the inside of the tubes, I like to give them TWO days to dry.  When I am in the shop, they are under an incandescent light bulb to aid in paint drying.  When I leave the shop, the lights go off (I'm cheap).

Following this regimen, zero blanks have spun on the lathe.  Probably the great CA I get from Manny is the REAL answer, but I like to attribute it to my "refined skills".

FWIW!!


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## Daniel (Dec 1, 2009)

Jason, Your thinking is correct. This is one reason to take care in selecting what paint you use. In fact Curtis recently posted a thread on what happens when you do not pay attention to this detail. $400 in lost cactus blanks. In practice at least with Testor paints the paint bonds to the blank adequately as well as the glue bonding to the tube and paint. Basically it is making sure all your components work together. This is the main reason I am more comfortable with Epoxy to glue Acrylics and Gorilla glue for wood. I do not like CA for gluing tubes at all. This is also the reason you prime wood before painting it. the paint coats the primer better than it can raw wood while the primer bonds to the wood better than paint will.


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