Painting sights

[Raoul]

This stuff works.

I like marking the front sight white.

 

http://www.mrochemicalsupply.com/dykembritemark-p/britemark-medium.htm?gclid=CN2U3dbigb0CFUtp7AodcXUAzw

[Dolomite_supafly]

DO NOT BUY THEIR PAINT.

I did and it is useless. I had to add another 1/2 ounce of glow powder to make it even remotely useable and even then it was pretty useless.

 

The best way to use it is to mix it in with the epoxy. If you just sprinkle it on top it will wear off pretty quickly (ask me how I know). As long as you use clear epoxy the light will charge all the particles, even the ones way deep.

 

I normally use a small drill bit that is the same size as the current white dot. I drill out the white and go about another 1/16" deeper. Then I mix a little bit of epoxy up really well. Then I move a small amount about the size of my pinky fingernail away from the big glob of epoxy. Then I slowly mix in the glow powder until the epoxy starts to thicken from the amount of glow in the dark powder being added. If you add too much powder you can mix in some more epoxy. Then I use a tooth pick to pick up a small glob about the size of the hole. Then I force as much as I can inside the hole. Then I grab another glob about the same size and drop it on top of the hole. Next I use a clean tooth pick to clean up any excess. What you should end up with is a glob that is about a 1/32" proud of the sight and the same diameter as the hole. Next you need to set the gun in a position so the rear of the sight, where the glob is, is lever with the ground. After a few minutes the glob will round itself and then become shiny as the powder settles below the surface of the epoxy. Then you just wait a few hours until it is dry.

 

If you mess up just wait 15-20 minutes and pick the glob back out or use the drill bit to pull it back out. The most important is to not add the powder to the main glob of epoxy. Only separate enough epoxy to do the sight a few times over. This keeps you from wasting powder if you have to do it over.

 

I have literally done at least a dozen pistols using this method.

 

I was going to do a write up at some point but got side tracked. I might get around to how I do it.

[RandyC]

There are tubes of paint specifically for sights you can find at larger gun shops (can't remember the name).  As someone mentioned before, use white as a base coat and add color as a second coat.  It makes it pop.

 

I never messed with the rear sights, just painted the front and was pleased with the results.  This was a few years ago and the guns have been through dozens of aggressive cleanings.  The sights still look good. 

[JR2ATN]

I repainted this CZ-75b after the factory light-gathering glow sights had long since faded.....used some Testors model paint.  I agree with others that a white coat under the color makes a big difference.  Pics aren't the greatest but here ya go...

 

 

 

The fixed sights on this S&W model 64 were just a dull gray on gray...awful IMHO.  I painted the rear notch a flat black and the front neon orange.

 

[hipower]

If all else is unavailable, check the wife or gf's nail polish. Many colors available there.

 

I've used a bright ruby red on the front blade of my GI RIA. Its held up thru about 500 rounds so far.

[TNMTBik3r]

If all else is unavailable, check the wife or gf's nail polish. Many colors available there.

 

I've used a bright ruby red on the front blade of my GI RIA. Its held up thru about 500 rounds so far.

 

Yep, nail polish works great. My Smith 9mm , the white front dot somehow chipped and only half was left. I had been considering painting it anyways, but when it chipped gave me the reason to take care of it sooner.

I cleaned the sight very well with rubbing alcohol and let it dry. Then I dabbed bright orange nail polish into the dot - several coats, let it swell up and start to bubble out of the dot, sit for a minute and add another coat. Once I was finished and had a very bright orange dot, I let it dry and then put 2 coats of clear polish as a sealer. It has held up great and is very visible.

[tnhawk]

I used the Bright Sights paint on several pistols with good results.

[Sidewinder]

I have a revolver that I'd like to get the paint off of. The front sight has serrations and is white, and the rear sight is red. What do you folks use to remove the paint, that won't harm the bluing? Paint thinner? Acetone? Mineral Spirits? Turpentine? Grandpa's coffee? Just kidding Gramps! I just want the sights back original. I'm afraid I may have to retouch with some cold bluing afterwards. Anybody been through this? If so, please share the information. Thanks.

[K191145]

I painted the sights on 3 of mine. I put some White-Out on first (seems to help) then got the God-awefullest ugly bright orange-red nail polish I could find at Walmart. Worked like a charm. I redo the job about every 6 months or so. I'm confident I'll never use up this bottle of nail polish.

 

I have a bottle of bright red nail polish that I painted a couple of front sights with, I painted the front sight of my SP101 3 years ago with it, I carry it most all of the time and it's been holstered and un-holstered countless times and has never faded or chiped. Looks like the day I painted it. On my 91/30 Mosin that shot high I raised the front sight by putting and heating a peice of small diameter heat shrink a mil taller than the sight, I filled in the cavity of the heat shrink tubing with the red nail polish. It's very visable and strong to my surprise. Nowadays I guess you can get just about any color of nail polish.

 

BTW, why do they call it "polish" when it's actually nail paint?

Edited April 4, 2014 by K191145

[BigK]

I have a bottle of bright red nail polish that I painted a couple of front sights with, I painted the front sight of my SP101 3 years ago with it, I carry it most all of the time and it's been holstered and un-holstered countless times and has never faded or chiped. Looks like the day I painted it. On my 91/30 Mosin that shot high I raised the front sight by putting and heating a peice of small diameter heat shrink a mil taller than the sight, I filled in the cavity of the heat shrink tubing with the red nail polish. It's very visable and strong to my surprise. Nowadays I guess you can get just about any color of nail polish.

 

BTW, why do they call it "polish" when it's actually nail paint?

 

I read about the heatshrink tubes, but completely forgot about it. Great idea, putting a bead of nail PAINT on top.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I have a revolver that I'd like to get the paint off of. The front sight has serrations and is white, and the rear sight is red. What do you folks use to remove the paint, that won't harm the bluing? Paint thinner? Acetone? Mineral Spirits? Turpentine? Grandpa's coffee? Just kidding Gramps! I just want the sights back original. I'm afraid I may have to retouch with some cold bluing afterwards. Anybody been through this? If so, please share the information. Thanks.

 

I'd try acetone first. It seems to work pretty good on model plane dope or fingernail polish type paints. Fingernail polish remover is acetone. Some fingernail polish remover has additives such as lanolin which would be undesirable, but you can also find pure acetone polish removers. I'm quite ignorant but doubt that acetone would much affect blue, anodize or parkerize, but wouldn't trust it on plastic or any kind of paint. Sometimes what looks like anodize or blue can actually be paint on a few more recent firearms.

 

Maybe some of the modern epoxy or bake on paints would be safe with acetone, dunno.

[K191145]

I read about the heatshrink tubes, but completely forgot about it. Great idea, putting a bead of nail PAINT on top.

 

Thanks, it's very visable and I can raise the rear sight a little to shoot the bullseye at 50 yards. Most all Mosins i've shot, shot high.

[Sidewinder]

I'd try acetone first. It seems to work pretty good on model plane dope or fingernail polish type paints. Fingernail polish remover is acetone. Some fingernail polish remover has additives such as lanolin which would be undesirable, but you can also find pure acetone polish removers. I'm quite ignorant but doubt that acetone would much affect blue, anodize or parkerize, but wouldn't trust it on plastic or any kind of paint. Sometimes what looks like anodize or blue can actually be paint on a few more recent firearms.

 

Maybe some of the modern epoxy or bake on paints would be safe with acetone, dunno.

Thanks Lester Weevils, I'll give the acetone a try.

[drflame]

I have not used this paint but you may like to try it. Don

Gun Sights Paint

I've used this paint before works very well at least it did for two handguns I did about a year or so ago, still works. I applied it with a toothpick, dabbed it on and it self leveled.