Gesichert (safety)
 

I might have spelled Gesichert wrong but my question is should that inscrption have some sort of "white filler". LIke what people use to fill in the chamber dates and serial #'s. The white out stuff. Should all lugers not have a filler or should some have it, certain makes etc.. I noticed one I had a yellowish color ? is that correct. I can't tell if someone rubbed it in to highlight the word Gesichert.

thx

Actaully NONE of the guns had this "filler" except in the safety area (Gesichert). In other areas, such as on the serial number, this was added later by gun people so you could see the writing.

I was fooled by this when I first got into guns, afterall so many of the gun books portray this, and I thought it was from the factory.

Well, I was going to ask the same question. Glad to find the answer. So, what do you recommend in removing it?? My 1937 Luger also has the white in the wording.

Thanks in advance.

Well, never mind. I got the white stuff out. I used a sharply cut tooth pick and went down the grooves with it. Came out pretty easily. I want only originality.

I was of the belief that the safety marking WAS originally painted in at the factory and the other markings were the ones high lighted by collectors.

I don't know, but it flaked off pretty easily. On my HK weapons, granted they are not 60 plus years old, the lettering that is painted on by the factory is real hard to even try to get off (most rifles by HK are painted-baked on). I would think that if the factory did this, it would have been harder to get off. Just my thinking and I am no expert.

Most factory Luger paint is pretty hard, but can be removed with solvents and a sharp implement to dig with

Best to use those toothpicks for their intended purpose. The safety markings were originally whited in. Over the course of 60 to 90 years the paint they used has proven very durable, but cannot withstand the onslaught of a sharpened toothpick in the hands of a determined purist seeking originality.

Johnny is correct and I have amended my remarks to state that the safety area is the only place that should naturally have been whited in!

Thanks Johnny,

[img]frown.gif[/img] Ed

Johnny,

You get an "Amen" from me. There is something special about the yellowed ivory color of the original markings...

Tom A.

Hello Tom A,
When I see that aged old yellow, I get a smile on my face. Even though I don't know how long it takes to get that old yellow? But at least I don't think it was put in by a lacquer stick!

Well, how bad did I de-value it??

Hello minigun,
The value would not in my opinion be decreased very little. If the pistol was in extremely nice condition, the filled in lettering would be looked at very little. Over the years some of these pistols have been cleaned over and over and over. As a matter of fact what is the first thing people do when they get a new (old) luger? They clean it and most pay little attention to the whited in letters! After several good cleanings the paint usually comes out anyway. I keep three things whited in on my pistols, the safety marking, the date and the manufacturer. I would suggest you get you a lacquer stick and white the safety marking back in.

Thanks for the comforting words. Collectors like myself probably do more harm to these than a World War could ever do.

I'll probably leave it like it is since adding the whiting now would be "aftermarketish" or adding someting to it that the factory didn't.

It is a good looking Luger and if I ever get a digital camera and a more modern computer, I'll get pics on the boards of it. I have a couple of friends with cameras and better computers, but we'll see.

Thanks again.