Paint pens BEWARE

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gkas
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Paint pens BEWARE

Post by gkas »

I'm in the middle of making a stacked text sign. Since the metallic paint pens worked so well on fine detail Michael Tyler's Steampunk Sleigh, I got a couple to try painting the lettering. The high quality Gold worked just fine, as it had on the sleigh. The metallic colors were Pilot and Krylon brands. I had also bought a 2-pack of black for $3, in the only brand of color that was stocked. Discount brand.

As soon as I tried the black, my thought was "This is a cheap felt pen". Oh, well, I had only done a corner of one of the bottom letters. I took out my fine brush and proceeded to paint that over, and do the rest of the bottom lettering with black acrylic paint. Gold for the top lettering. All looks good, touch-ups done, ready for a quick lock-in coat on the lettering before painting the frame with a roller. I used Krylon Crystal Clear Spray which I use when I don't need my Fuji gun.

The corner I painted with the cheap black pen DISSOLVED, even though it was overcoated with black acrylic, that I have used many times with no problem. Bare wood. My jaw hung open.

I think I can scrape the letter when it dries, then apply some shellac as a buffer before I repaint the letter. We shall see. I may be starting over.
20201107_142513.jpg

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mtylerfl
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Re: Paint pens BEWARE

Post by mtylerfl »

Wow - that looks a lot like a “lacquer vs enamel” reaction. I hope you can save the project!

BTW, if the black pens are similar to the formulation of the ink in a Sharpie marker, the Krylon WILL cause the black to dissolve. I found that out years ago when overcoating my fine-point Sharpie signature and date on the back of a project.

I also discovered I could apply several “dust coats” over a Sharpie signature and avoid the “dissolve and bleed” of the ink, but even that can be “iffy” if not careful.
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gkas
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Re: Paint pens BEWARE

Post by gkas »

mtylerfl wrote:
Sat Nov 07, 2020 11:53 pm
Wow - that looks a lot like a “lacquer vs enamel” reaction. I hope you can save the project!

BTW, if the black pens are similar to the formulation of the ink in a Sharpie marker, the Krylon WILL cause the black to dissolve. I found that out years ago when overcoating my fine-point Sharpie signature and date on the back of a project.

I also discovered I could apply several “dust coats” over a Sharpie signature and avoid the “dissolve and bleed” of the ink, but even that can be “iffy” if not careful.
It's not a biggie to recut. I now remember why I don't use Poplar. It took more cleanup time than paint time. It has both 'stringies' AND 'fuzzies', but it was the best I had on hand. Next time I'll use Birch or Maple, even if it means a trip to the lumber yard. What about a dab of shellac over the signature? Or a HB pencil?

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mtylerfl
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Re: Paint pens BEWARE

Post by mtylerfl »

Gerry, I haven’t tested shellac over a Sharpie signature. If the alcohol doesn’t dissolve/bleed the ink, that will be good to do prior to final clearcoats.

The black pencil should be inert to any finishes, alright.

Poplar...I seldom use it, for the reasons you stated. Given a choice between clear, kiln-dried Select Pine (aka radiata pine), I’ll choose the Pine. Although there are a lot of variation in “hardness spec charts” comparing radiata pine and poplar, radiata pine is often rated as a harder wood than poplar!
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FixitMike
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Re: Paint pens BEWARE

Post by FixitMike »

Sharpies are alcohol based. I've used vodka to remove the marks when I'm out of denatured alcohol. I suspect that shellac would not be a good idea.
Good judgement comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgement.

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Re: Paint pens BEWARE

Post by mtylerfl »

Thank you for the additional info, Mike!
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