Paint for Safety

[lugerholsterrepair]

Rich, I would guess a squeegee approach would be best. I had an extensive conversation with a Luger restorer who does this and that's how he did it. I wouldn't get too agressive with residual paint left behind but let it stiffen up and peel or scrape it (gently with wood or plastic)when it's dry. Just be sure to squeegee off the letters leaving them full of enamel. A rubber spatula perhaps?
If I were doing it I would remove the safety lever for a clear flat area to work. The fellow I know did a spectacular job, matched the color exactly too. He did this after bluing..

One other approach I might consider if I were doing it is a hypodermic needle. Use a very fine needle and gently ease the paint into each letter. Might work better than the squeegee method..

[Norme]

I've noticed that the paint on older guns is noticeably yellower than that on newer guns. It's my belief that they were all originally white. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Regards, Norm

[G.T.]

Hello to all, as with everything that concerns Lugers.. replacing the enamal in the safety area, is not an operation that can be done correctly without a little learning curve and patiences / practice ...... The enamal (testors plastic model paints) can be mixed correctly to obtain the exact shade of off white needed.. you just have to test a few combinations, and let them both dry & age a'bit.. To apply, you can just fill in the recess, and then wait a'bit, (hours, days???) then mop up the residue, using thinner or acetone dampened cloth... ... not too much wiping, as it'll all disappear... now... you really have to wait a'bit, (might accelerate with heat) for the enamal to cure... I'm talking months!!!!.. Then try to wipe it out of the recess with anything... almost bulletproof!! .........I believe the originals were filled with white and red lead, art based filler for these types of applications... But I certainly could be wrong, as I can't really back it up with any printed resources.. best to all, til...lat'r....GT

[Olle]

Originally Posted by G.T.

you really have to wait a'bit, (might accelerate with heat) for the enamal to cure... I'm talking months!!!!..

Here's another late reply: I build plastic model cars now and then, and one trick that's mentioned quite frequently on the discussion forums is to put your painted parts in a food dehydrator. From what I have heard, the enamel will dry hard enough to polish in a day or so, and this should be hard enough for most purposes. Granted, I have never tried this myself, but many model builders swear by it so I'm sure that you can do the same thing with a Luger frame. Then again, the paint is is a recessed area where you can't really touch it, so it's difficult to damage it even if it's not completely dry.

I might also add that the Testors enamel is a bit too glossy for my taste, but a quick and careful application of acetone (just a few drops that you dab off immediately) will knock the sheen off of it and make it look more "aged".