White Lettering on Colt 1911's ?

mauser22

Have been looking at the latest Rock Island Auction catalog A lot of the Colt model 1911's have white lettering. Is this factory or has this been done by collectors? Thanks

rufe-snow

The white lettering is most likely done after leaving the factory, as it's not very durable. You can duplicate it using a product called "Paint Stick". It's sold in auto parts stores for use on tires, to make the lettering on them stand out. It's in the form of a crayon that your rub over the stamped or engraved lettering on the handgun. The white paint fills up the engraved or stamped markings to make them much more visible.

nunn

I have used plain old Testor's model paint for the same effect. Slather it on, wait for it to become almost dry, then wipe with a rag dampened with thinner.

Wolf.

I've used both the paint stick stuff and the model airplane paint.

Of those, my preference is for the paint stick, because it is actually paint, but thicker in consistency and easier to manage.

Brownells also sells this stuff in various colors, including gold. It is, of course, a bit pricy-er at Brownells. You can get the paint stick at home centers and the Testor's model airplane paint at hobby shops, etc.