I'm not about to open up the can of worms about whether or not you have to engrave. I just want to hear from those of you who have had rifles engraved for a while now if you do something to protect the exposed aluminum. Maybe I'm being a bit anal, but I just want to know that it's not going to cause any problems ( I mean they anodize them for a reason...). I'm not thrilled about having to engrave in the first place...

Anyway, if you guys have any suggestions of what to do to fill in the engraving (other than a black sharpie) please let me know, or if you've had it engraved down to bare metal for a while let me know if you've had or not had any problems. Please include how long it has been since you've engraved if you're going to say it's not an issue.

Thanks!

I'm another Gray Laser customer.  The engraving was deep enough to LOOK engraved.  I ran some Aluminum Black into it and let it sit then rinsed it out.  That did fine.

I'll also point out that hardcoat anodizing protects the surface against wear.  On contact with air, aluminum forms an oxide coating that stops further oxidation.  As long as the exposed metal is below the surface of the rest of the piece, you don't have to do anything to protect it.  If you want to, Aluminum Black, or even black paint, is just fine.

Just one clarification: there is not a size requirement for NFA engraving. The size requirement is only for the serial number.

This is what I did to one of my SBR lowers and it's held up fine.  Granted, it's only been 4 months.  

The other lower got the rattle can treatment

Thanks guys, I'll be checking out Gray Laser for sure. It's good to hear that some of you have had it for a while with no problems. It's probably a nit-picky thing, but if I'm going through the trouble of SBRing a lower, I want to make sure it's not going to be ugly in a few years....

I had mine done at CC (http://www.customizedcreationz.com/)

Some I just finished assembling into pistols (while I wait for the stamps). Others I have sent the stamps, but have not assembled the lower into a pistol yet. I say this because I can't post pics of the ones that have been filled (they are black and don't come out right with the potato).

He will engraved the words THREE TIMES DEEPER than  than regulation requires, while utilizing the same principle for font size ***. The reason for this, when you "blacken" the engraving it still shows clearly and it is easy to read-the oxidation process will cover/fill some of the depth in the engraving . Below is a picture BEFORE the Aluminum black was placed on the lower (Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black Metal Finish in the 3oz bottle -make sure to read the directions as to not activate the entire content of the bottle-)

***27 CFR 479.102  basically states that the engraving must be to a minimum depth of .003 inch and in a print size no smaller than 1/16 inch for the serial number. All other required information (makers name, city, state) is subject to the same depth requirements, BUT has no minimum font size requirements.



REVISED

But...while there isn't a stated minimum size for maker/city/state, I feel more comfortable that the engraving is sufficient if it meets or exceeds the specs for serial number engraving.  And remember, the specs for the serial number aren't big.

While it may make you feel more comfortable, the point still stands: there is not a size requirement for NFA engraving, only for the serial number.

The way your post is written will cause others to (incorrectly) think there is a size requirement for NFA engraving. This is a technical forum. We should strive to provide factual information and let the end user decide how to proceed.

Alumablack or Cold Blue is what the pros use I think.

I had an SBR lower engraved about 2 years ago. No problems so far.

I had my engraving done by Gray Laser(highly recommend them over Ident for turn around time), he sprayed something on there to protect the aluminum, even he didn't know exactly what it was, the supplier would not disclose the exact contents to him.

You are completely correct that there is no specific standard for depth or size of any firearm engraving, other than the standards for serial numbers.  However I SPECIFICALLY acknowledged that you are correct that there is no requirement other than for the serial number, so how someone could misinterpret that as saying there was such a requirement eludes me. If you look at my posting history, you'll see that I am consistently focused on factual data, and when I learn that I have been wrong about something, I acknowledge that and correct myself.

There is NO REQUIREMENT to comply with the serial number standards for maker's information.  But there is NO HARM in doing so.  My earlier statement holds: Given that the standard is for serial numbers to be at least 1/16" high and engraved/cast/pressed/stamped/etc. to a depth of 0.003" (that's three one-thousandths of an inch), I feel more comfortable in complying with at least these standards for anything because it makes it very hard for an investigator to say that maker's data is not big or deep enough to be legible.

Perhaps I would be better understood in such matters if I simply posted the above paragraph, instead of trying to make my point more conversationally.

I sent mine to Orion, shipped to delivered was 7 days. I don't know the specifics, but it's black and doesn't look like it was coated with anything, and doesn't look like it needs to be. I believe it's laser...anyway, looks absolutely fantastic, and I assume it should be GTG.

Get a bottle of this and you'll be good to go.  My engravings are small and close to the manufacturers stamped info, so it just looks like part of the original factory stamping.  They are barely noticeable, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Be careful with that Aluminum black, don't get it on any chrome or NiB surface, it will turn it black/grey too.  I know because I accidentally got some on my brand new NiB-X bcg

It's right there at the intersection of those 2 lines in the middle of the pic

Still seems to be some confusion...

Please see: 27 CFR 479.102 (a) (2)