Artificial Skunk Odor

[egnald]

Hello all,

This afternoon I discovered how to make an artificial skunk smell. I live on the edge of a rural subdivision of Columbus, Nebraska. My back yard is a cornfield, so my nose is somewhat calibrated to what skunks smell like. Anyhow, I started making another Magnetic pen kit but using an Alumilite blank instead of wood. I painted the inside of the blank and was gluing it in when that skunk smell hit. At first I thought, maybe there is a skunk in the backyard, but then I realized the odor was coming from my 5-minute JB-Weld epoxy with a couple of drops of Acrylic paint I had just mixed up. I've never detected that smell before, but then again I rarely color my epoxy and just rely on the painted blank. This time however, the blank has some very obvious translucent (nearly transparent) areas. Thankfully it must have just been some outgassing while I was mixing it because the cured stuff doesn't seem to stink.

Dave

 

[BULLWINKLE]

I paint the tube, or inside of the blank. Let the paint dry and have time to cure before I epoxy the tube in. If I'm in a hurry, I color the tube (after sanding it down) with a felt tip marker, usually in black which completely stops the tube from showing through.

 

[jttheclockman]

I paint the tube, or inside of the blank. Let the paint dry and have time to cure before I epoxy the tube in. If I'm in a hurry, I color the tube (after sanding it down) with a felt tip marker, usually in black which completely stops the tube from showing through.

Now I am not a scientist or have done any testing but will relay an experience I ran across using a black felt marker. I was making a watch part pen and the hands on the watch dial were black. But one hand was badly scraped up so I just colored with marker. Let it sit over night and went to cast in Liquid Diamonds epoxy resin. The next day when I pulled out of tank I noticed the black colored hand I used marker on had run and ruined the blank because a big smudge covered the dial. It was permanent marker (sharpie) Now is there a warning in this post I am not sure but maybe something to watch for.

 

[CHARLES STOPCZYNSKI]

Avoid turning African Wild Pear. Wow, what a nasty odor.

 

[BULLWINKLE]

Now I am not a scientist or have done any testing but will relay an experience I ran across using a black felt marker. I was making a watch part pen and the hands on the watch dial were black. But one hand was badly scraped up so I just colored with marker. Let it sit over night and went to cast in Liquid Diamonds epoxy resin. The next day when I pulled out of tank I noticed the black colored hand I used marker on had run and ruined the blank because a big smudge covered the dial. It was permanent marker (sharpie) Now is there a warning in this post I am not sure but maybe something to watch for.

Clockman,
I've used this technique on brass tubes an ONLY with acrylic blank's that I drilled out. Never had any issues. I'm thinking that the casting created the problem with the chemical reaction that you experienced.
I've never casted my own blanks. I just use JB 2 part 5 minute epoxy on store bought acrylic or Kirinite blanks and it works well. Thanks for letting blank casters know about your experience.