Sight Black

[JulianY]

Do people still bother with this mucky stuff? I got some for use on my AP an found little or no difference, so i am not bothering but what do you folks do.

Julian

[RobStubbs]

Yep, I use it. You can buy it as a lighter which is pretty much muck free. I picked mine up in Switzerland - it's a white lighter with black writing - can't remember the maker. Failing that, just use an ordinary cigarette lighter.

Rob.

[Nicole Hamilton]

I'm sold on it, too. For a long while, I didn't bother, or when I did (only on my AR-15 in high power rifle) used some of that aerosol sight black. Then I started shooting with folks using the little carbide lighters and discovered what the fuss was about when a friend began blackening the sights on my pistols that way. It does make a difference and the aerosol stuff is nowhere near as good. I find it makes the front post much sharper and just recently bought my own lighter. (Now I just need to wait for the carbide to arrive. :)

[JulianY]

Well I bought some of the Birch Casey Airosol stuff and I hate it. Does any one know of a european mail order source for lighters? aparently you can get what look like cigaret lighters but I have never found anything like them.
I would like to try again as i do sometings get a slight glair off the depth plate on the rear sight of my LP10

Julian

[Steve Swartz]

- Anschutz makes the lighter version (hard to find; our host ocassionally has some) and not easy to use out doors
- Champion's Choice and other Rifle places sell teh carbide lamps- dito onhte hard to use (after squirtinghte lump of carbide with water you have like 10 seconds to black your sights then its' clean the lamp, dry the inside, drop another chunk, etc.)
- Birchwood Casey makes a "felt pen" that is easy to use and relatively inexpensive. You can write graffiti witht eh darned thing or just touch up a single small nick. Widely available at you local Bubba store but I have not seen them at "match grade" stores

Steve Swartz

[Nicole Hamilton]

Champion's Choice has been out-of-stock on their sight smokers lately. I ended up buying one from Ray-Vin.com after seeing one a friend bought. It has a little reservoir of water in the bottom and a screw to squirt a few drops onto the carbide. Kind of a cool design, but a little more expensive than the Champion's Choice versions you spit in. (But since I haven't even gotten to use it yet, please don't take this as some kind of big endorsement.)

[nthe10ring]

Been using plumbers candles for years, the plain white ones they usually sell at military surplus stores. No fuss, lasts forever and works really well.

nthe10ring

[GaryBF]

FWIW, I use a short piece of wax candle. Just light the candle and hold the sight in the flame for a few seconds. It may not be as elegant as a carbide lamp but it works well and is cheap.

[pilkgunsat home]

styrofoam coffee cups burn really well with a thick black smoke

[JulianY]

styrofoam coffee cups burn really well with a thick black smoke

and cyanide - or is that an urban legend ?

J

[Guest]

chemically it makes sense as it has carbon but i dont think i would want to try it. its pretty posionous anyway.

[Guest]

Burning masking tape also works well. Roll it up into a small, long "tube" and light it up.

[macca]

My 2 cents worth!
Nicole - The Carbide lighter you speak of is the Cadillac of lighters and sight blackeners.
Steve - The Birchwood Casey “touch up” would be next.
GaryBF The Candle is the easiest to purchase, carry and have available, great.

An “oldie” like myself have tried the lot and found them only necessary for “outdoor” ranges.
On indoor ranges “concentrate” on the foresight or relation ship of the foresight to the backsight but for a little psychological help a black felt tip marking pen will do the job with excellent results. Ease of purchase, cheap and can be used for diagrams, etc.

Good shooting,
macca

[RobStubbs]

<snip>

An “oldie” like myself have tried the lot and found them only necessary for “outdoor” ranges.
On indoor ranges “concentrate” on the foresight or relation ship of the foresight to the backsight but for a little psychological help a black felt tip marking pen will do the job with excellent results. Ease of purchase, cheap and can be used for diagrams, etc.

Good shooting,
macca

I actually find them much more useful indoors than out. Outdoors the extra brightness of daylight gives a greater natural contrast.

Candles or ordinary cigarette lighters are both pretty good. As for marker pens - be very careful you don't end up with a shiny, reflective surface - that will be worse than using nothing, especially in indoor lighting situations and if the sun is behind you.

Rob.

[Steve Swartz]

Here's the paradox- *any* flame based device is a real pain the butt to use outdoors (wind); however outdoors is where you need sight black!

Also Robb the Birchwood Casey is no off the shelf marker pen. I have been using it for the last year and it most certainly does not leave a shiny result.

Wish they had been available when I was shooting high-power rifle.

Steve Swartz

[Nicole Hamilton]

Nicole - The Carbide lighter you speak of is the Cadillac of lighters and sight blackeners.

I've since received the bottle of calcium carbide (the lighter can be sent by air but the carbide can only be shipped surface) so now I've had a chance to try it out. And I have to say: It rocks! What's really cool is that when you're using it, if the flame is getting too low, you just turn the knob on the bottom to inject a little more water. You don't have to start over, opening the thing up and spitting inside again.

[Fred]

Also Robb the Birchwood Casey is no off the shelf marker pen. I have been using it for the last year and it most certainly does not leave a shiny result.

Steve Swartz

Steve,

Could you post the exact name and manufacturer's number of this product? The 2-3 B-C products I have tried on sights were not at all satisfactory.

Thanks,
FredB

[RobStubbs]

Here's the paradox- *any* flame based device is a real pain the butt to use outdoors (wind); however outdoors is where you need sight black!

Also Robb the Birchwood Casey is no off the shelf marker pen. I have been using it for the last year and it most certainly does not leave a shiny result.

Wish they had been available when I was shooting high-power rifle.

Steve Swartz

Steve,
I was responding to macca's "black felt tip marker pen advice". I'm sure there are other very good devices out there.

Rob.

[ColinC]

A bit of camphor set into an old air pistol pellet tin works wonders, indoors or out. Just light the camphor, let the black smoke waft over the sights then pop the lid back on to extinguish the flame.
Works every time and I have never seen any holes from silverfish or moths either ;-)

[Steve Swartz]

Fred:

I don't have the part number or anything on the pen- I bought it at the local Cabelas and discarded the hanger tag (with barcode etc). It is called the "Super Black Touch-Up Pen" and has the phrase "Flat Black" on the barrel of the pen. It came in a "Net Weight 1/3 Fl Oz (10 ml)" size.

Also-Nicole- who makes the carbide gizmo you are referring to? The one I used to use for high-power was the old unscrew cap/dump out goop/wipe out inside etc version. Would be nice to inject additional water without unscrewing cap.


hth

Steve