[Huckleberry]

I would like to remove the black paint, or whatever it is, from my revolver engravings.
Does anyone know how to do this without causing any damage to the gun?

 

[smithnframe]

Do you mean the bluing?

 

[Huckleberry]

Do you mean the bluing?

No, my revolvers are stainless.
I mean the black coloring that is in the engravings.
This pic is swiped from google, but you get the idea.

 

[bwinters]

Try soaking in hopes #9. Overnight soaking.

 

[Waveform]

You are out of luck my friend. Ruger switched from rollmarks to laser etching and those are literally burned into your stainless steel. Take a very high power magnifying glass and good light and you will see what I mean. It isn't paint or filler it's blackened steel from the high heat of the laser. I can't think of anything that will change that.

 

[RichKeagy]

You can make the laser etching look better with light sanding.
When I first bought mine, it looked like there was a lot of spillover. A little bit of sanding made the lettering much more attractive (less ugly).
If you want a pic, let me know.

 

[slimjim9]

I can't think of anything that will change that.

Cerakote over it and turn the whole thing black.

Seriously, that is one reason I like blued guns better than stainless - the writing is less obtrusive.

 

[Waveform]

I've seen the same thing on other new Ruger revolvers - the SP101 and GP100 particularly. My assumption is it has something to do with how the etching was done. They likely place the gun in a fixture which controls the exact placement for the laser to apply the etching and also control depth. If the gun is placed in the fixture and clamped with the muzzle end a little high then the etching would be lighter at the frame end and progressively darker moving toward the muzzle. In your example picture that one got done rather poorly IMO. I would not be happy with that and would be calling Ruger for a shipping label. I realize this does not affect performance in the least but man that's unsightly. If you could correct it yourself easily enough then I would say just let out a sigh and fix it but I'm not sure you can clean that up at home. You could try a fine grit sandpaper (400 perhaps) and see if it helps. Scorched steel is not just a surface stain. You have to remove metal.

Just my opinion of course - I'm no expert. But that would bug me for sure.

 

[njsfm15]

Maybe color-fill it with silver paint as per the process on many YouTube videos. It seems to work good (when done right) to make roll mark lettering stand out with contrasting colors, so maybe the opposite would work with a similar paint color to the stainless???

 

[RichKeagy]

My SP101 looked just like that. Here is what I did to fix it:
220 grit paper followed by 400, then 600. By that point, it'll look great.
Got a vice you can put the gun in? Remove the grip and put the 'tang' in the vice.
Works wonders.

 

[slimjim9]

My SP101 looked just like that. Here is what I did to fix it:
220 grit paper followed by 400, then 600. By that point, it'll look great.

Pic please!

 

[Waveform]

My SP101 looked just like that. Here is what I did to fix it:
220 grit paper followed by 400, then 600. By that point, it'll look great.
Got a vice you can put the gun in? Remove the grip and put the 'tang' in the vice.
Works wonders.

Well there's good news! Give it a try Huckleberry and post up an after pic now that we've seen the before. I've handled examples at the LGS with similar looking etching and thought there was perhaps no home remedy for it. I always prefer to fix these cosmetics myself rather than bother with shipping a gun back and forth, even if Ruger is picking up the tab.

 

[Hoggin]

Glass beads #80 will take it right out and leave the text just fine.

 

[OldCrow]

You may get lucky and clean the lettering up with CLP powder blast. Test powder blast in an area that is not seen in case it stains the stainless steel. I have never stained any metal with powder blast but it is better to be safe than sorry. If all else fails call Ruger and ask them what to do. You paid for a new gun in new condition, not a mess their 5 year old kid left on your gun.

 

[wproct]

Personally, I kind of like the black lettering, I think it makes a nice contrast. Guess I'm lucky, I don't have to fuss with mine!

 

[475linebaugh]

Try MEK with a tooth brush. If it is paint that will remove it and not harm the gun. It will however remove all the oil from the area and will look dry. You can get MEK in the paint dept at Homedepot or Lowes. If you have painted or plastic front sight keep the mek off of it.

 

[Hoggin]

It's not paint. It's residue from the lettering being etched.

Abrasives are the only way. The only way to keep the lettering clean is to bead blast with a glass media

 

[Walkingwolf]

Have you thought of filling the lettering with silver paint?

 

[P89DC]

Etch it with wood bleach (oxalic acid, used to clean wooden decks).

 

[DT91nmj]

Have you thought of filling the lettering with silver paint?

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