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Coloring pen blanks (Read 860 times)
 
Ken Davis
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Coloring pen blanks
Mar 13th, 2018 at 10:56pm
 
Ive been doing alot of pens lately and all from wood. My wife came home with some pink acrylic blanks and wanted some "girly" pens. So I turned it and finished it, but the brass shows up in the tip area where the blank is thinner.

Ive seen videos where people paint the brass tube and or the inside of the blank. Which is the best method and what paints are you using?  How long to let it dry and what glue method do you use? So much conflicting information on it, so I thought Id ask here.

Thanks
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Bruce Schoenleber
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Re: Coloring pen blanks
Reply #1 - Mar 14th, 2018 at 5:27am
 
Try asking at IAP, or just check their FAQ, those folk are all about pen turning.

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StefanoBastianelli
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Re: Coloring pen blanks
Reply #2 - Mar 14th, 2018 at 8:50am
 
Ken, I usually use acrylic paint or primer spray cans that you can find in big stores. They are a little bit more scratch resistant than acrylic.
If I paint the brass tube I always use epoxy glue. CA glue can be too aggressive to the paint and be visible once cured.
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Ed Weber
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Re: Coloring pen blanks
Reply #3 - Mar 14th, 2018 at 8:56am
 
Ken Davis wrote on Mar 13th, 2018 at 10:56pm:
My wife came home with some pink acrylic blanks and wanted some "girly" pens.


The first thing that comes to mind is, I turn wood not acrylic.

From what I understand,
For the best results paint the tube [i]and[/i] the inside of the blank.
Many use CA but find it can fail if excess sanding heat is present
Instead use 2 part clear epoxy.
You can also tint the epoxy for an added measure of coverage or for it's own effect.

I agree with asking the IAP folks, to me it seems like an awful lot of work for a plastic pen but to each their own.
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Grant Wilkinson
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Re: Coloring pen blanks
Reply #4 - Mar 14th, 2018 at 12:11pm
 
I paint both the tube and inside the blank. If you don't paint the inside of the blank, you run the risk of seeing the glue "blotches" on the tube.

Don't forget with all that paint, you need to drill a bit bigger, or at least sand out the drilled blank.

The colour you choose to paint will affect the final look of the pen. You can paint the tube white and the final colour will be lighter than if you paint it a dark colour. (I know this seems obvious.) You can also paint it silver or gold and get some very nice final looks.
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Grant Wilkinson
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Ken Davis
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Re: Coloring pen blanks
Reply #5 - Mar 14th, 2018 at 5:27pm
 
Thanks for all the replies, I didnt see any pink primer paint so I guess I'll find some pink acrylic paint and do the tube and inside the blank.

Ed, I normally only turn wood too, but she wanted the girly looking pink for her own pen, so whats a husband gonna do lol
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Ed Weber
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Re: Coloring pen blanks
Reply #6 - Mar 14th, 2018 at 6:17pm
 
Ken Davis wrote on Mar 14th, 2018 at 5:27pm:
I didnt see any pink primer paint so I guess I'll find some pink acrylic paint and do the tube and inside the blank.


I believe many of these guys use model paint like Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to Login or Register
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Grant Wilkinson
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Re: Coloring pen blanks
Reply #7 - Mar 14th, 2018 at 7:05pm
 
I've successfully used nail polish and it's available in every colour imaginable - and some you would never imagine.
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Grant Wilkinson
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Ken Davis
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Re: Coloring pen blanks
Reply #8 - Mar 15th, 2018 at 5:18pm
 
I tried the nail polish today, worked like a charm. My wife had some pink that was close to the color of the blank. You can see the nail polish color, but it blended well with the blank, much better than the brass tube lol
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Cliff Hughes
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Re: Coloring pen blanks
Reply #9 - Mar 18th, 2018 at 4:39pm
 
Did you have to use a primer on metal insert with the nail polish?
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Steve Kniffen
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Re: Coloring pen blanks
Reply #10 - Mar 18th, 2018 at 6:04pm
 
I've also used white paint and/or white tubes for pink acrylic blanks.  Then I just switched to pink ivory wood.
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Grant Wilkinson
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Re: Coloring pen blanks
Reply #11 - Mar 18th, 2018 at 7:05pm
 
I didn't prime the tubes. I just scruffed them up with 80 grit and applied the nail polish.
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Grant Wilkinson
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Ken Davis
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Re: Coloring pen blanks
Reply #12 - Mar 19th, 2018 at 9:15am
 
I did the same as Grant, scuffed and put the polish directly on. I used 5 min epoxy to glue it in.
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