Can a new front sight be "blued" or darkened prior to install?

[WanderLust]

I have a new Meprolight front sight coming for my Sp101. The finish is dull black and I have read of people who felt it was a weaker finish.
Is there a way to make it more durable, blacker, whatever prior to putting it on? Its a stainless gun so doesn't need to match, just wanting a finish that looks better and won't get damaged easily.

 

[arfmel]

I can't think of anything you can do that doesn't have a possibility of damaging the tritium tube and destroying the night sight. But it's early in the morning and I'm tired.

 

[contender]

I'm with arfmel,, not sure you can do much w/o potentially damaging the tube, or worse.

 

[WanderLust]

Arfmel, appreciate the thoughts. Hoping when your brain is seeing the afternoon sun that some 'brilliant thoughts' pop up!
I'm with you guys so far, can't think of any action that doesn't threaten the tube. I am (dimly) remembering a blueing pen
from years back applied like a magic marker. Never tried it, just seem to remember seeing it sold. Am I crazy? Anything like that out there now?
I don't think spray paint would work long; what other paint or covering holds up to solvents and cleaning?

 

[Mobuck]

SHARPIE marker ???????????

 

[NikA]

Cold blue pens exist. Regular cold blue works better, applied with a makeup sponge.

There's also a paint finish that is a low-temperature cure, think it might be called GunKote? Will edit when I get home, have some around the house for this sort of task.

ETA: Air-cure GunKote. Requires around 1.5 hours above 70°F. I cured mine in the oven on the "keep warm" setting.

 

[WanderLust]

Many thanks, NikA

 

[rugerguy]

...careful, as coatings may "come off " upon install in the slot, pressing it in,,I would simply degrease it and wipe it down with any cold blue that you have handy I use '44-40' for little jobs like that.........

forgot to add, you gotta make sure just what material your particular sight body may be made of???? cold bluing ONLY works on steel ( gun alloys like 4140 Chrome moly and such)

 

[tbobcar]

I have a new Meprolight front sight coming for my Sp101. The finish is dull black and I have read of people who felt it was a weaker finish.
Is there a way to make it more durable, blacker, whatever prior to putting it on? Its a stainless gun so doesn't need to match, just wanting a finish that looks better and won't get damaged easily.

Some metal fiinishing shops offer black nickel plating on SS.
The plate is very tough, and some electroless-Ni plates are deeply black and very tough.
There were a few propritory stainless steel activators that removed surface alloying metals like chromium leaving an iron surface capable of being black oxided.
I've done a few in years past with modest results. Some stainless activators are not equal.
Today I would look for a plating shop that can show an intrest in partnering with you and providing samples of part runs and results. It will take some effort, but it should be fun. Learn something new.

 

[contender]

Some of the suggestions here use a process where potential heat, and extreme heat may be used to apply a finish. The OP has a type of sight that may NOT be capable of withstanding the potential heat necessary to achieve the finishes mentioned.

If it were my sight, and if I had concerns about the color of the base, AND potential damage to it,, I'd contact the manufacturer & see if THEY had a good option for this. Otherwise,, if you do something that damages the sight,, it's money out of your pocket.

 

[arfmel]

i'm not sure that sight is even made of steel. See if it's attracted to a magnet before you try cold blue.

 

[Hvymax]

Have you considered ordering a sight in the finish you actually want???

 

[WanderLust]

Friends, I appreciate every word of advice. I've heard a few things I have admit that I wouldn't have considered! As far as the appearance, it arrived darker than the ads had indicated. Perhaps the Mfg company had some complaints and altered things??
As always, many people said what I should have thought about. Contender, I think that's good advice; I should have thought of it too.
HvyMax, I liked the feedback on the sight so I wanted to be sure I liked it, and gave it a fair chance. Arfmel, I haven't checked it yet but it feels awfully heavy to NOT be steel. And I'm stuck away from it for several days. I'll have several things to mull over, but half the fun is trying things for myself. In the middle of a tear down and ordering shims & springs to lighten this one up. 3" barrel with rubber Crimson Trace grips, hammer which I may alter to more of a Colt style, adding the Mepro front sight, notched rear sight already,
then slick it up while adding everything inside. New toy, so I'll have to play with it. And of course, I'll take pictures as it gets closer to done. Thanks for the help!

 

[contender]

"In the middle of a tear down"

Ok, I have to ask.

Have you shot the gun before you started altering it?

Nowadays,, I see a lot of people altering a new gun before even trying it out. And heck,, I see folks buy well used guns with the idea of using it as a donor for a custom.
But if you actually shoot it,, and discover it's a heck of a shooter before doing anything,, why alter it?

Now,, I'll be the first one to admit,, I like to make a gun better for me & my purposes when shooting. But I've always tried them out prior to any alterations.
And quite often,, I will only add something that can easily be undone. Grips, shims, adjustable sights, grip frames, etc. The one thing I almost never do is swap out springs. I prefer to do an action job to smooth things up instead of just swapping springs. Long ago I discovered that a GOOD and CORRECT smoothing up of an action by a good gunsmith can make a gun feel much lighter than it actually is.
I have some guns that were worked over by knowledgeable gunsmiths,, where people swear the trigger pull is a pound or less. Yet,, when I put a trigger pull gauge on them, 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 lb pull. It may cost more than swapping springs,, but I'm assured reliable ignition.

So,, I was just wondering,, have you given that SP-101 a chance at the range before trying to change it?

 

[AZ10X]

Use some clear enamel in mat finish to protect the existing coating.

 

[WanderLust]

Contender, I value your advice, along with anyone else that gives me any of their time and experience. My background is mechanical engineering and installing/improving expensive machines, along with more basic cars and such. I have seen tremendous improvements in technology, including progressive-wound springs, Royal Purple oils, advanced lubes, Gates belt drives and others. I did NOT shoot this gun before teardown. In my mind, I wanted to start with a clean, smooth gun and all the advantages I could have. I have found multiple metal shavings and I still haven't gotten all the way through yet. Knowing what I know about stock surfaces vs smoothed surfaces, why not start with the best possible internals I can get? It cost nothing but my time and materials to smooth it out and swap parts. If it shoots well, I win. If it doesn't shoot well, I try again. If it never shoots well, i sell it and start over. After owning Smiths, Colts and Kimbers with better triggers, I know that this gun could be smoother with just a little effort. Why not?

 

[contender]

Ok, I understand your thought process.

Metal shavings & rough spots in any gun action is not conducive to smooth shooting. I normally suggest a person actually shoot a new gun prior to any actual work. But a good cleaning is a good idea before the first outing.

But to really make a gun "better" (and as a mechanical engineer) you can only judge it's performance by having a "base line" to start with. So, shooting one "stock" first,, gives you a base line. Measure the trigger pull, see where it shoots, see if one type of ammo is better than another, etc. THEN start working on changes. Do a single change first,, such as a smoothing & polishing the internal parts, IF,, IF,, you have the skills to do it correctly. Then check the performance. By adding a single change at a time,, and using your base line as the standard of judgement,, you can see if what you did makes a difference.
Starting with an altered gun doesn't give you an idea about how well (or not) your work has done.