OM Blackhawk Medallion Touchup

[Ruber]

Hey all, before you cringe, this is a shooter and has been for decades, I remember every ding and scratch the grips have taken--and they'll get some more. :wink:

Has anyone had any particular luck with certain brands of paint for touching up the black on the ruger medallions?

Thanks!

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I'm told that black model enamel is good, usually thinned a little bit.

 

[contender]

Yep, model paint, semi-gloss, and a tiny dab on a toothpick, CAREFULLY moved into all the right places.

 

[Ruber]

Thanks for the tips!! I hadn't thought about the toothpick!

 

[Flash]

A hypodermic syringe works really good if you have anyone close in health care that can get them. My dad was a diabetic and he actually gave me the idea. They are a "one time" use but they still work great.

 

[caryc]

What I use is Rustoleum Satin Black. Since I'm a grip maker, I restore a lot of old black eagles out of the grips.

I thin the paint about 50 / 50 and use a small brush to apply the paint. No need to be neat about it because the next step takes care of that.

Let the paint dry about 4 or 5 minutes then take the medallion by the post and hold it face down on a piece of printer (typing) paper and run it fully down the length of the paper. Do this on a nice flat surface and it will remove all the paint that is outside the eagle.

Medallions come out real easy with a pin punch. What I did was take a paper back novel and drill a 5/8 hole in it about an inch from one edge with a flat drill. I place the grip with the medallion face down over the hole and knock it out with the pin punch.

 

[Ruber]

Cary,

Thanks! I've been admiring your grips, when I save up enough cash I plan on picking some up. By the way, I used to chase snakes up your way in the Bernasconi Hills and Lakeview Mountains and up into the San Jacinto's. Can't believe how it's changed over the past 30 yrs.

 

[caryc]

Cary,

Thanks! I've been admiring your grips, when I save up enough cash I plan on picking some up. By the way, I used to chase snakes up your way in the Bernasconi Hills and Lakeview Mountains and up into the San Jacinto's. Can't believe how it's changed over the past 30 yrs.

I live in those Lakeview Mountains. While driving out to the paved road where my mailbox is yesterday I drove over a stick in the dirt road and I thought to myself that it looked like a snake. On the way back I drove to the side of it and stopped. The sun was down and it was starting to get dark but it still resembled a snake to me. funny thing was, it was laying in the road absolutely straight. That's why I thought it was a stick at first. I got out of the car and after checking for any little rattles on the end I gave him a nudge with my toe to get him started. He turned around and started in the direction of my car. By this time I determined that it was a little rosey boa so I just picked him up and walked off the road a ways and let him go. Any little critter that eats rats and mice gets a free pass from me.

I had driven right over top of him the first time and he didn't even move.

 

[Ruber]

Well, I can't say I'm not partial to the big reds you've got up there, but I did appreciate a nice rosy when I found them!

Maybe I'll get on Santa's good list this year and pick out a set of grips! (Now which one should they go on, the super, the 45, ....)

 

[SAJohn]

Cary, A friend had the same experience with a stick but that one climbed up into their car engine compartment. They had a heck of a time getting it out.

John

 

[Ruber]

Thanks all, just in time for the turkey shoot next week!

ps. John, sorry about your friends car...

 

[farmkid]

...Medallions come out real easy with a pin punch. What I did was take a paper back novel and drill a 5/8 hole in it about an inch from one edge with a flat drill. I place the grip with the medallion face down over the hole and knock it out with the pin punch.

My first post of (minimal) content, other than the obligatory 'new guy' post, but this information was exactly what I came here for: how to remove medallions.

I had no idea whether they had some sort of fastener, or -- as I've heard on some posts (which didn't seem to match what I was seeing) some sort of glue. But your method, changed a bit to suit what I had on hand, was the cat's pajamas. Thanks! (They popped out with no damage to medallions or grips!)

Changes: I used a wood scrap rather than a book, since I didn't have one. And I made sure that things were aligned, to avoid broken stuff, by drilling the hole in the middle of a big (multi-inch) crosshairs, so that I could be sure that the medallion was centered over the hole in the less-forgiving wood.

Yeah, paper-backs are an inspiration, and I wish I'd had one. But it worked out fine this time.

 

[caryc]

...Medallions come out real easy with a pin punch. What I did was take a paper back novel and drill a 5/8 hole in it about an inch from one edge with a flat drill. I place the grip with the medallion face down over the hole and knock it out with the pin punch.

My first post of (minimal) content, other than the obligatory 'new guy' post, but this information was exactly what I came here for: how to remove medallions.

I had no idea whether they had some sort of fastener, or -- as I've heard on some posts (which didn't seem to match what I was seeing) some sort of glue. But your method, changed a bit to suit what I had on hand, was the cat's pajamas. Thanks! (They popped out with no damage to medallions or grips!)

Changes: I used a wood scrap rather than a book, since I didn't have one. And I made sure that things were aligned, to avoid broken stuff, by drilling the hole in the middle of a big (multi-inch) crosshairs, so that I could be sure that the medallion was centered over the hole in the less-forgiving wood.

Yeah, paper-backs are an inspiration, and I wish I'd had one. But it worked out fine this time.

Glad you got them out ok. Stock Ruger medallions are "staked" into the grips. If you look at the back post of the medallions you will see that it has a hole in it. Staking is just taking a tool that fits over that post in the hole and tapping it to somewhat spread out that end on the medallion. Kind of like riveting.

Staked medallions don't have any glue used. As I said one can usually get staked medallions out of wood grips with a punch because the wood is forgiving. Don't try knocking them out with a punch if they are in something like Ruger faux ivory grips. You will just wind up cracking the grips.

To get those out, if you are careful, you can use a 5/32" drill and carefully drill out the post from the back trying to keep the drill centered in the medallion post hole. It's lots easier if you use a drill press for this.

Incidentally, the reason I use the paper back book is that it is soft and you are less likely to put any dents in the wood grips while tapping the medallions out.

 

[rugerguy]

bottom line is make sure you "support" the wood ( grip material) around the hole itself, so as to NOT 'splinter' it out....we use a bench block and a piece of leather that has a 1/2"- 5/8" holes punched in it,been working for us, since 1965.
The hole size is determined by the size of the medallions, old Colts and some Smiths the holes are smaller and some, much larger..........