Fun with ink pens

[DutchMF]

Wow..... !


Paul

(runs to toolbox, takes out paintpens and dumps them in the bin......)

[sirbergersworth]

Holy crap, that is awesome!

[Stomptown]

Dude! You are putting out some killer designs. I wish I could draw like that.  Have you done any SMT builds yet? I'm sure you would be great at it with your steady hands...

[soldersqueeze]

Wow, that's more of a response than I'd bargained for! Thanks for all the kind words guys, it means a lot coming from the great builders on here.

What type of finish is already on the enclosure, and what kind/brand of ink pen are you using?

The enclosure is one of the black powder coat series from hammond (just add BK to the end of any 1550 or 1590 code, this is a 1550GBK for example). I have a couple of the colour painted enclosures (red and green 1590XXs) and the high gloss finish is no where near as nice to draw on and doesn't buff to a matte finish very well- I'm messing around with some stencil/ spray paint ideas for those at the moment.

The pens are POSCA branded, made by Mitsubishi in Japan. They're available online and in high end art shops. They really add up price wise if you're buying a set, but they last well if you look after them. These are the best pens I've used (and I've tried a lot of pens in my time). They still have their weird idiosyncrasies that you have to get used to, but pretty much all other brands suck IMHO.

I'm awful at painting with a brush but can draw relatively well, so I'm always looking for a way to incorporate that in my builds.

Pretty much my exact line of thought too    These pens are a bit of a cross between the feel of fine-line painting with a hard brush, and penmanship. You should totally give it a go!

Have you done any SMT builds yet? I'm sure you would be great at it with your steady hands...

I'm gearing up for it, I'm just a little concerned because although my hands are pretty steady, my eyesight is atrocious. I think I'll have to build some badass steampunk magnifying goggles.

That is impressive on many levels.  I really really dig it.  Fantastic.

But the $64,000 question is;

How many painted enclosures would I need to trade for a 1590A screwdriver deluxe?

[raulduke]

That is beautifull work dude!

Been a while since I handpainted an enclosure.

I don't know about you but I find it very therapeutic!

[stevie1556]

That looks absolutely amazing! The sides really help set it off as well

Sent from my thumbs using Tapatalk!

[jvg13]

Wow - really nice indeed.  I especially like the silver paisley kind of pattern round the sides 

[billstein]

I know it's easy for me to say since I didn't do the work... But those sides make the box. They look amazing.

[MattOcaster]

Dude great stuff!
Really dig the innovation!

[Micpoc]

The enclosure is one of the black powder coat series from hammond (just add BK to the end of any 1550 or 1590 code, this is a 1550GBK for example). I have a couple of the colour painted enclosures (red and green 1590XXs) and the high gloss finish is no where near as nice to draw on and doesn't buff to a matte finish very well- I'm messing around with some stencil/ spray paint ideas for those at the moment.

The pens are POSCA branded, made by Mitsubishi in Japan. They're available online and in high end art shops. They really add up price wise if you're buying a set, but they last well if you look after them. These are the best pens I've used (and I've tried a lot of pens in my time). They still have their weird idiosyncrasies that you have to get used to, but pretty much all other brands suck IMHO.

Thanks for the info; I'll DEFINITELY be looking at the Poscas, as I'm really interested in white lettering and artwork on black.

One final question, if I may: what have or what will you do to "fix" the design on the enclosure? Will you do a clear coat, or is it sturdy enough as it is?

[soldersqueeze]

The pens are water based, and will come off with little to no effort if not clear coated. I use acrylic based stuff, using a very fine spray for a first coat for fix the ink, then a few heavier coats to protect it. I'm not much of an expert on lacquers however.
I know a lot of people use these pens for skateboard/ surfboard designs, so they must be using some pretty hard wearing clear coat! I'd always recommend testing it first; it's heartbreaking to watch so much work run into a goopy mess when something reacts...