Anybody know of or have used anything thats applicable on scatches instead of like airbrushing or paint cant, maybe a paintbrush? that will do a good job of touching up or covering over scratches and match the original bluing ie stag bushy rra black

I use CLP.

Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black works very well.

ARs are not blued.

Quoted: ARs are not blued.

Its black, you knew what i meant...well these other guys did anyway

Is it phosphate or pakerizing?

Aluminum black works well on aluminum, but sucks on steel.

The Birchwood Casey pen, the one that looks like a Sharpie, works well on steel.


Both of these will work much better if you thoroughly degrease the area first, then liberally apply the product.  Allow to dry and clean the residue.


Dings, dents and scratches are earned badges of honor.  Wear them with pride.

Quoted: Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black works very well.

+1

Quoted: Quoted: ARs are not blued. Its black, you knew what i meant...well these other guys did anyway Is it phosphate or pakerizing?

It is anodized.

No, it is not parkerizing.  Parkerizing is done on steel, a chemical reaction with hot phosphoric acid.  It leaves an etched phosphated coating.  Not only is the coating somewhat protective, the real corrosion protection comes from the fact the surface is very porous and holds oil like a sponge.

This reaction does not work with aluminum.  The aluminum receivers are dunked in sulfuric acid and an electrical current is passed through.  This causes the growth of an aluminum and sulfate compound on the surface, a sort of spongy crystaline surface not unlike parkerizing in texture.  This process is called Anodizing.  It is still aluminum colored, but now the surface is also much harder and corrosion resistant.  It is protected and surface hardened in one step.

The black, or any other color comes from an additional step known as color anodizing.  After the initial anodizing the surface is porous and can be dyed with special dyes made for this purpose.  Black is easy because you just leave it in until it is all black.  Purple Bushmaster receivers are due to insufficient time in the dye bath.

After this, and rinsing between each step, the part is dunked in a sealer that seals the pores.  This is done whether the part is black, blue, red, gold, green, or left natural aluminum.

Birchwood Aluminum Black is a chemical that will react with raw aluminum and turn the scratch or scrape black.  If there is a spot where the dye did not take, it may or may not color that.

For receivers that are worn, some of the color off, or uneven, I do not recommend reanodizing.  This strips off the surface, puts on a new layer of anodizing, and thus changes the dimensions ever so slightly.  For my own personal AR's I prefer to coat with Norrell's Moly Resin.  This is a tough, durable coating that is long lasting, the underlying anodized surface is not affected.  The Flat Black Socom matches RRA, DPMS, J&T/Doublestar, Armalite, and many, many other uppers and lowers.  They have a gray that matches the old Colt, the original gray color.  An advantage to this is that nearly anyone can do this at home.  No problem with sending out to an anodizer, FFL's, shipping, all those hassles.  And the cost, when all that is done, is nearly the cost of a new receiver.  After the cost of the cheap airbrush (I had one already), the only cost is the Moly Resin, which will do much more than one receiver.  The smallest bottle, 8oz, will do 3-4 full rifles.  So, we are really looking at under $10 of materials to do a lower receiver.

For just a touchup, the Aluminum Black is my choice.

I use a Sharpie marker for nicks and scratches like on a flat top after removing an accessory. It lasts a long time and I can't tell it has been retouched. You can't get much cheaper or simpler.

Quoted: I use a Sharpie marker for nicks and scratches like on a flat top after removing an accessory. It lasts a long time and I can't tell it has been retouched. You can't get much cheaper or simpler.

Whenever I use the sharpie on aluminum it doesn't last long at all!

I find that it is usually easier, mentally speaking, to cover the small scratch with a bigger one. You will no longer worry about the little scratch at this time and you'll stop treating the rifle like a safe queen soon after.

All my opinion of course

WIZZO

Why!!!

Drive your Hot Rod to the show and Shoot your guns.

120 grit paper will remove the finish so all your scratches will  "blend".