Touch up on polycoat

[badwrench]

Need to do some minor touch up on my slide..There was a thread on this, but I can't seem to find it. Anyway, how do you do it?

[Earl Keese]

Flat black Testors model paint pen.

[badwrench]

Birchwood Casey Super Black Touch-Up Pen Flat

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JSAE0ZY/?coliid=I1C2E7ZCFAEEZA&colid=2PWAGN2WKEAMR&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

Thanks, touch up pen ordered!

[charlestheforth]

matte black engine enamel spray paint.  ignore the advice for birchwood casey. 

the matte black drys the exact same color as the polycoat, then you take some 600 grit sandpaper and sand it down flush with the finish.  you literally wont be able to tell the gun was ever dinged. 

[charlestheforth]

https://www.amazon.com/VHT-ESP130007-Engine-Enamel-Black/dp/B000CPAV7K
thats what I used but any matte black engine enamel will work.  alot of people used dupli-color with good results.

[badwrench]

matte black engine enamel spray paint.  ignore the advice for birchwood casey. 

the matte black drys the exact same color as the polycoat, then you take some 600 grit sandpaper and sand it down flush with the finish.  you literally wont be able to tell the gun was ever dinged.

Ok, just so I understand, you paint first, let dry, then sand until flush with orginial finsh?

[mountainrider]

we urban gray guys could use some touch-up advice too.

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

The only way to get a PROPER polycoat finish is with polycoat. The Birchwood Casey pen and spray can paints are very weak repairs that will wear off in very short order. The pen is just black marker and engine enamel or Dupli color paints have no hardener in them so they remain very soft with no real wear protection. If one doesn't want to send the gun out to be refinished the Dura-Cote spray finishes are at least a much more durable option.

[M1A4ME]

I imagine the pen is similar to the cold bluing stuff in appearance.

I bought the "heavy duty" cold bluing stuff (don't remember the name) people recommend for touching up the worn spots on surplus military rifles.  I put it on the holster worn spots on my CZ Compact and it looked great.  For a few days.  Then the holster wore it off again.

You need something thick and hard enough to resist the wear that did the original damage to the finish.

[schmeky]

If you want to do it where it looks factory:

Gun Kote 2401f flat black
Dilute 50/50 with automotive paint thinner
Iwata air brush or similar
Regulate brush to 25-30 psi

Sand/blend the area and feather the edges, use light multiple coats, bake as recommended by Gun Kote.  Done correctly, it's like it never even happened.

[charlestheforth]

matte black engine enamel spray paint.  ignore the advice for birchwood casey. 

the matte black drys the exact same color as the polycoat, then you take some 600 grit sandpaper and sand it down flush with the finish.  you literally wont be able to tell the gun was ever dinged.

Ok, just so I understand, you paint first, let dry, then sand until flush with orginial finsh?

Sorry, should have been more specific.  Take the enamel spray  and spray it on a sheet of aluminum foil.  make sure you shake it good and spray enough because for some reason the engine enamel comes out sort of clear for the first half second or so.  It takes a tiny bit of spraying to get the fully mixed stuff to come out.

After you have it sprayed on a tin foil, take a cue tip, dip it in the paint and just touch the cut tip into the area that has the ding.  maybe even wait 30 seconds after applying the first drops because you want to get the enamel to congeal in a way that will dry higher than where the polycoat is (so that youll be able to sand the paint down flush).  Once you have a good deal of it on the area let it dry for a sufficient amount of time.

then take a very fine sandpaper and sand it flush.  if the sandpaper is fine enough you should be able to slightly run over the polycoat and have it not change the appearance at all.  obviously you dont want to sand the polycoat at all, but when youre sanding down the paint spot you will unintentionally touch some of the polycoat.  try to use the least amount of pressure as possible when sanding it down. enough to take the paint off but not enough to really dig into the polycoat once youre close to flush.


as one member has already said, there are definitely other methods that may be stronger than engine enamel.  But this method is the cheapest, fastest way to get a scratched gun to look factory new.    And the engine enamel isnt too shabby in its own right.  it IS engine enamel after all

[Walt Sherrill]

I've had great results with Dupli-Color matte black auto body touch-up paint.   If you can find it in the aerosol can, that paint is thiner.  Spray a small amount into a paper cup or onto a piece of aluminum foil, and use a model paint brush to apply it.  (I found it works with polycoat -- a perfect match -- and with the black on the Sphinx 2000 series slides. ) 

That said, almost any matte black auto-body touch-up paint will work, but if you use the little bottles, it tends to be a bit thicker than you'd like -- but if you've got a chip, that may be the best way to fill and color the chip.

[Roswell47]

I need something for my SP-01. It has holster wear at the front on the slide and frame. Thinking about the Birchwood casey super black pen. Can anyone show pictures of the result?? 

[Walt Sherrill]

Dupli-Color matte black auto body touch-up paint is a perfect match for the Polycoat black.  But almost any autobody matte black touch-up paint is, too.  Sometimes, with small chips, you simply can't tell.  For big chips, the stuff in the small bottle, because it's thicker, will fill up a gap a bit better.  You might even be able to mask the gun up and spray paint some of the frame wear pretty well using the spray can.  Very light coats applied with a light hand.  You may have to repeat in a few months -- but it's not expensive or hard to do.

I've found that for minor scratches, you do better with the larger spray cans of the same paint.  Spray a little on a piece of aluminum foil or into a plastic cup, and use a model paint brush to apply it.  The Spray paint is a bit thinner than the little touch-up paint bottles of paint and will look better if you're careful in your use of it.

Birchwood Casey has never been that good, in my experience.   The auto body paint does better, but nothing short of refinishing (which will eventually leave you where you are) won't be a perfect repair -- but will look much better.

[Roswell47]

This one?

https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/dw/image/v2/BBRV_PRD/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-srg-internal-master-catalog/default/dw1986b705/images/357006/SCA_357006_hi-res.jpg?sw=558&sh=558&sm=fit