Mirage Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 I have a Beretta 92 FS that has the front sight that is part of the slide. The rear sight is in a dovetail in the slide. The sights are stainless steel, with dimples drilled in them. I paint the dimples white and the sights black, this gives me a great sight picture. Unfortunately the paint rubs off very quickly. If I could keep the top edges of the front sight black that would be great. The last and best so far has been high temperature automotive paint. I was thinking of using ceracoat next, but it didn't look like they have it in flat black, plus I don't know if it is any more durable. The more expensive route would be to have the slide and rear sight Ion-bond coated. I am fine with the slide being natural stainless steel finish, but since the front sight is part of the slide I don't know if they could do the Ion-bond on just the sight. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccurdy53 Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 I use my daughter's black nail polish on my rear sights. Lasts longer than paint and helps keep the from rusting longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted February 23, 2018 Author Share Posted February 23, 2018 On 2/21/2018 at 7:57 AM, mccurdy53 said: I use my daughter's black nail polish on my rear sights. Lasts longer than paint and helps keep the from rusting longer. Ok Thanks Guess I will go nail polish shopping and see if that is any more durable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Try to find as little gloss as possible. You might find some flat black from testors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted February 23, 2018 Author Share Posted February 23, 2018 (edited) http:// I have to repaint before every match. Heaven forbid I need it for self defense. Edited February 23, 2018 by Mirage tried to insert photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkrispies Posted February 23, 2018 Share Posted February 23, 2018 Be careful when applying the nail polish. I’ve had my zero change from experimenting with various sight blacks and having it get overly thick on one side vs the other. I’ve learned to carefully scrape the edges and sides of the sights whenever reapplying sight black. And like Sarge said, matte as possible is essential— you’ll find that glare is the real deal breaker. I’m suspicious that you’ll find any nail polish that will be totally matte... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted February 24, 2018 Author Share Posted February 24, 2018 I have to agree that I will not find flat black in nail polish. I had thought about trying to heat anodize the sight to a blue color. I would have to heat the sight to 550 F. The Anodize would have a shine to it though. It might show up better than the silver as the paint rubs off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garmil Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B075SSXB33/ref=mp_s_a_1_6_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1519500450&sr=8-6&keywords=matte+black+nail+polish&dpPl=1&dpID=41oyXwC2SsL&ref=plSrch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkrispies Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 22 minutes ago, Garmil said: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B075SSXB33/ref=mp_s_a_1_6_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1519500450&sr=8-6&keywords=matte+black+nail+polish&dpPl=1&dpID=41oyXwC2SsL&ref=plSrch Garmil, have you personally used this one before? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted February 24, 2018 Author Share Posted February 24, 2018 Wrong on the nail polish assumption. I will give that a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garmil Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 16 minutes ago, jkrispies said: Garmil, have you personally used this one before? I haven't. Was curious so I looked, can't go wrong at that price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkrispies Posted February 24, 2018 Share Posted February 24, 2018 57 minutes ago, Garmil said: I haven't. Was curious so I looked, can't go wrong at that price True Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Postal Bob Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 (edited) Have you tried high temperature stove/bbq paint? It's flat black, and the heat from firing the gun should help bake on the paint. It's the heat on the front of the gun that causes regular paint, and nail polish to come off. Edited February 25, 2018 by Postal Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted February 26, 2018 Author Share Posted February 26, 2018 No, I haven't. That would be worth a try. The heat could be the reason the paint doesn't last. Or, it may be that I need a rougher surface on the sight and primer to get the grip for the paint to stay on better. I did clean with Acetone and prime once, but it didn't seem to last any longer than when I just reapply enamel paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dapribek Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 What about the flat black spray paint for grills? It might be worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimberacp Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 Testers "flat black" paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolguy Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 I had a very hard time seeing the black sights on a black PPC target. After years of trying everything, I ended up with bead blasting the front and rear sights, then a coat of oil, wiped down with a clean cloth. This made them a dark gray, which was very anti reflective with enough contrast to the target for good definition. The sights stay the same for a long time with no maintenance. To renew, just re oil and wipe down again. For those who can see black on black, that is probably the best option. The dark gray worked better for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike cyrwus Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 Make a sight out of a charcoal briquet. Otherwise put some sight black in your gun bag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted March 1, 2018 Author Share Posted March 1, 2018 Sight Black rubs right off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted March 1, 2018 Author Share Posted March 1, 2018 (edited) [/URL] I heat colored the Front sight in case the high temperature bbq. paint rubs off I hope the gray color will keep the front sight from washing out in the bright sun. Image of heat colored stainless steel front sight Image is a little blurry Edited March 1, 2018 by Mirage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limitless13 Posted March 27, 2018 Share Posted March 27, 2018 The flat back Cerakote is called Armor black if this doesn't work for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted March 29, 2018 Author Share Posted March 29, 2018 Thanks, I think the bake on Cerakote, or IonBonding are the only things that are goin to work. The heat coloring is a great improvement, but it is a gray color. It kept my sight from washing out like it usually does as the paint wears away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfish Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 It probably wouldn’t cost very much to just have the front sight removed and have a dovetail cut into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewColonial Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 Interesting to see this thread. I blacken the front SIG Night Sight on all three SIG pistols I use in competition. (P226, Compact and Full Size P320s.) I find I lose the edge of the sight when I see the white dot. Currently I just refresh with the black marker I keep in my range bag, but it's a bit glossy. As an aside I tried a black front site from Dawson on the P226 once, but found it too thin. My preference is wide front sight, and black. An outcast in a world of thin fiber optic from sights. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted April 1, 2018 Author Share Posted April 1, 2018 (edited) On 3/30/2018 at 5:51 PM, bigfish said: It probably wouldn’t cost very much to just have the front sight removed and have a dovetail cut into it. I had thought about this, but the ring the front sight is on is only .065 thick, so I didn't think it would be possible or the cost would be astronomical. Edited April 1, 2018 by Mirage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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