Thread: Painting brass tubes - help needed

hi ben i paint the tube after i skuff it up and paint the blank i just use artist paint from the cheapy shops never had a problem... but some people on the forum use finger nail polish which iam going to try at least it comes with its own brush... good luck keep on turning...

Originally Posted by Beedeejay

Hi All,
I have now got a few orders for some friends and family to do and they are mostly heading in the direction of acrylic / resin blanks, the problem I have (which I'm sure we have all had at some stage) is some of the colors show the brass tube when they are turned to thin, i have been told to paint them, but with what?
here is my main questions
-what do you paint the tube with?
There are several ways to paint the tubes but i suggest you just use any acrylic spray paint. depending on the colour of the blank to what colour I use it is totally up to you. You can also use nail polish and just paint it onto the tubes and let it dry but be carefull you may have to over drill the hole just so it will still fit in after the nail polish is on the blank
-will the glue still stick paint to blank? (currently using 24hr araldite) yes the glue will stick fine to the paint but once again make sure you use glue that dries clear and you wont have a problem
-do you scuff the tube still? if so before painting? yes make sure you scuff the blank when painting with anything because it will give the paint/nailpolish or even glue the best chance to stick
-or do you paint the inside of the blank, it is also another was to cover the tubes and all you do is use small brush and paint the inside and allow it to dry all the above ideas will work it is just what works best for YOU


cheers Ian

any ones tips, tricks, experience, problems will be welcomed

Cheers Ben

.

thanks guys,
I was thinking out loud at home last night and I had said the wife how I have a Pink acrylic blank that is very opaque and I was worried about the brass, as i walking off she actually mentioned nail polish as it comes in such a huge range of colors,
I can now go home and tell her I have a great idea to use nail polish and then act like I forget she told me last night

Cheers again
Ben

Here in the states, many of us use paint made for the plastic model industry -- Testor's. Don't know if it is available in AU. Other acrylic paints work as well. In the past, I have painted on the tube (after scuffing), but if the blank is really transparent, I have small enough brushes to paint the hole as well.

On the IAP website one of the members painted a 10 inch brass tube with a different color each inch. He would then insert the painted tube into the hole in the blank to see how it would look with the different colors and then choose the color that best suited the blank. Great idea. I'm in the midst of making one myself having just acquired a 7mm, 10 inch brass tube.

hi walship17 the only problem i have with that is that when you drill the hole you still cannot see through the tube it's not till it's turned that you can see through it then it's too late.

Cheers Ian

Actually, you can see what the colors will do even if the blank is not turned. It does not look exactly like the finished blank, but it is close.

Originally Posted by walshjp17

Actually, you can see what the colors will do even if the blank is not turned. It does not look exactly like the finished blank, but it is close.

I have to agree with Dorno. I most cases you really can't tell till it's turned close to final diameter. Yes some blanks are clear enough to tell, but many aren't. I have a dowel that has several colors painted on it just for this. I have to turn the blank pretty close to final diameter to really see the change in color, and even then it will be more pronounced when finished.

And once you've done several, you learn what works. Normally I try to highlight the most prominent color with something really close. If I have any doubt, I go with a medium silver, not a light silver. I've used white before, but in most cases white will wash out the colors. Black can give some real interesting results.

Here's a picture of some blanks (almost finished) and some pens. They are all made from the same blank. And you can see a piece of the blank on the right. I reverse painted them different colors. I used Blue, black, green & purple.

If the blank is long enough cut a thin slice off the end, polish it a little or a lot, and lay it on coloured paper or paint samples. The downside is not all the blank's colours may be in the end cut sample and you need to have some kind of zero clearance throat plate or tight sled to keep from loosing the sample down the bowels of the saw.

Pete

Hi Ben. I've been using this 'Etch Primer' on scuffed brass tubes for a while now, and it works very well, providing you just put a light coat on. It is a mid grey color so it can be used often without another color. Aerosol Etch Primer 400g, Septone Products Australia

I use an enamel spray. Black will make the resin darker, white will make it lighter, silver or chrome will make the resin brighter. You can buy sprays to match the colours of the resin. The 4 I mentioned are the only ones I use.

I use either the small sample pots of scrylic paint or if I need an odd shade or colour my sons model paints

I tend to paint both tube and inside the blank

and I use a two part epoxy glue

no failures yet, touch wood

Thanks for all the tips guys,

The wife had a few nice colours of Nail polish to choose from, I gave that a go on about 6 blanks doing it each different way - just tube, just blank and both tube & blank, seems to work ok, I will try a few other methods to see what best suits me,

Thanks again

Cheers Ben

One other thing I've done is just use a large permanent sharpie marker (I've used a smaller one too, but that takes more time). I've only used black, but they come in a wide variety of colors. I use it when the tube has a tighter fit. Sometimes painting the blank or tube will cause problems because the tube will scrape off the paint. Another thing I've heard of, but never tried is using gun blueing solution.

I've had the same problem too.

Pops Shed sell white coloured brass tubes. They are in Chirnside Park or online.

Hope this helps.