Photographing Lugers
 

I see pictures everywhere of Lugers with proof marks, serial numbers, etc. highlighted with a white substance. This makes it much easier to see the mark.

What do people use to achieve this effect, and what do they use to remove it?

Is it harmful to do this unless trained?

Your comments would be appreciated.

Although some people actually use white paint I tend toward white typewriting corrector. It is easy to apply and remove using alcohol without damaging the firearm's surface. This is ideal if you do not want semi-permanent white in your markings

this gets brough up from time to time, i think I finally added it to the FAQ?

Anyway, I find typewriter whiting to be too messy; i use laquer sticks from Brownells, bought 4 of them for $20 and they'll last for years, rub it in, wipe off the excess, take it out when you want with hoppes oil or the like.


I also like to take photos of the markings WITH and Without the whiting.


ed

PS: I tried the silver and the gold sticks; gold was, uh, pimpy and silver did not photo well.

Used it on one Luger and on my M1 Garand, i had fantastic success with the infamous 'china marker' grease pencil technique. The process :
Use rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol on a rag, (of course, tested on an inconspicuous, small area first), to clean the surface you want to mark, right inside and around the markings, you really have to get them C L E A N, as any oil or dirt inside will screw up the process. There are various rubbing alcohols, the straighter, the better, it works much easier. I believe there is 30 percent, 60, and 90-99, you want the 99 percent (or whatever it is) pure rubbing alcohol.
Next, you take a china marker, whatever the desired color may be, and rub it over the area, in little circles, completely filling the indentations, until the area is completely covered over. Then the tricky part, you very gently alcohol dampen the rag, just a tiny bit, and slowly go side to side and in little circles, cleaning off the excess, and even pushing it into the indentations further, until the area is nearly completely clean. Go very easy, too much pressure will lift the stuff out of the indentations. When its nearly all clean, use a regular rag to wipe the excess off, then just rub/buff the area off with a silicone gun rag, and presto, should look a million bucks!

The China Marker - this is exactly what it is called, a china marker penicl, (chinagraph pencil) that is used for writing on china, pottery, crockery, porcelain etc, it's just a soft grease pencil found where most stationary etc is. Sounds very similar, if not the same thing Mr Tinker has mentioned, the lacquer sticks. Any type of greased base marker should work, but i prefer to keep it the china marker

Anyhoo, that's the way i've done it, i found that on an M1 website which i can't seem to find at the moment, and it works a treat, can be removed with a blunt toothpick or such tool, and the rubbing alcohol. It's not completely permanent, but it's definately pretty durable