Repainting Sights

[nedmoore]

Has anyone here repainted the dots in their sights. I have one handgun where the white dots are halfway gone. Paint, brush type, etc. would be appreciated.

[Mike1951]

Sorry, I don't mess with the white.

Liquid Paper has been known to work.

But I repaint all of my front sights with Testor's fluorescent orange model paint bought at Hobby Lobby.

Lasts for months or years, depending on if I hit it with brake cleaner.

I don't apply a thin coat. Rather, I apply drops from a toothpick or a small brush and let it flow.

Place the sight in a level position and let it dry to its own thickness.

[carlson1]

White Crayola.

[nedmoore]

They do not have to be white, In fact, I would prefer a neon color. Thanks for the input. Any ideas on how to remove what little paint remains.

[ELB]

I have had most success with a tooth pick. Even then it is easy for me to get too much paint on the tip, and it "blobs" outside the area I want painted, so some times I draw off a bit of a paint from the toothpick tip onto a paper towel. Painting the front sight on the Kel-Tec P-3AT is the toughest.

Have always stuck to white, so don;t know about removing white paint. Good luck.

[MoJo]

For best coverage, especially with "neon" colors, a base of white paint is needed. The white hides the black of your sight and brightens the paint.

[Lumberjack98]

+1 for the Testors model paint applied with a toothpick. I removed the old paint with the tip of a pocket knife.

Before I had TFOs, I painted the front a fluorescent orange and the rear a fluorescent yellow. I really liked the contrasting colors.

[mr.72]

are you guys finding this Testors model paint to be durable? I have no experience painting gun sights (yet) but much experience finishing guitars... even for touch-ups Testors paint is the worst I have ever tried for adhesion and durability. Krylon is far and away better in both respects, although you may not need an entire can of Krylon. You can spray Krylon into some small container and brush it on. I would recommend a primer base coat on metal sights.

I plan to paint the plastic sights on my pistol soon.

[jimlongley]

Any ideas on how to remove what little paint remains.

I have a small collection of dental tools that I use for such things, I get them at gun shows and hobby shops and they are for sale online. I "encourage" the paint a little with mineral spirits, brake fluid, or other stuff that seems to soften it some, then pick it out with a scaler or probe, then clean up thoroughly with acetone.

[flechero]

The last gun show I was at had a vendor selling "SIGHT PAINT" in white, flo. orange, chart., and another bright color. I don't know if it was special, beyond the packaging. As far as removal of the old, I think a pin with a bent tip might be a good "pick" to work with.

[Mike1951]

are you guys finding this Testors model paint to be durable? I have no experience painting gun sights (yet) but much experience finishing guitars... even for touch-ups Testors paint is the worst I have ever tried for adhesion and durability. Krylon is far and away better in both respects, although you may not need an entire can of Krylon. You can spray Krylon into some small container and brush it on. I would recommend a primer base coat on metal sights.

I plan to paint the plastic sights on my pistol soon.

In a word, YES! I have quite a few that were done years ago. Where it works best are grooved sight ramps. I clean with Gun Scrubber or brake cleaner, apply drops with a toothpick until it spreads to the edges, let it dry in a level position and you're good to go. It will also work on smooth surfaces like the rear side of a 1911 sight but I have also tipped the top of post sights on AK's and AR's and it stays just fine.

As I think about it, I'm not sure whether the bottle says fluorescent orange or red. But the color is ideal for me.

[nedmoore]

When I make time I will post some pics of my sight painting! Thanks for the input.

[shipwreck]

Why not try this:

http://www.nitesiters.com/

Everyone on all the sites hwo review the product seems to like it.