Lettering Replacement ??
Does anyone know of a product or procedure that can be used to replace lettering on a gun? I have one that works by electrical etching possibly called electrolysis. It is very cumbersome to use and has limitations in size and detail that it can do. I'm looking for something better. Some years ago I had a video done by a man in WA state but the product he used was made by 3M and now has been discontinued. Any help will be much appreciated, either here on GB or direct rhmc24@swbell.net. Will be happy to discuss. Thanks everybody & keep up the good work. Robert
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Colt has my NEW .45 now.
The work order they sent me says:
"REDO ROLL MARKINGS LEFT SIDE"
So, it can be done by the manufacturer. If it wasn't very deep to start, they might do it for free.
Take off the slide and ship it to the maker, if feasable, for their opinion.
They will usually pay rreturn freight.0 -
There are people in the restoration business that can do the correct period lettering on firearms. They also can supply new barrels for SAA Colts and do the proper lettering on them. 0 -
I wish I had that tape on how to do lettering. It had something to do with photographing it and acid application if I remember correctly. Does anyone have it so I can copy it? Anyway, there are 2 basic old fashioned ways lettering is done: by rollmarks (machine) and with hallmarks (by hand.) rollmarking is done on an assy line with the use of a 10 ton machine and a master plate all cut and fitted to the machine. It starts out deep and clear and as more and more guns pass through the line, the plate begins to wear and impressions become faint and when it gets too faint, the shop QA on the line, calls for it to be pulled and replaced. This is why you find early guns with deep impressions and some with light impressions later on. Its costly and set up takes time which converts into money lost. A lot of gun companies try to guess the number of guns a plate will do and it is part of the factor in how long a gun is run. If the gun is say a limited production, one plate is made. If its for a lever action Winchester 94, maybe 200. Follow me? Rollmarks are even and perfectly pressed with even pressure on all the type if it was set up right. So, lets move on to your gun. Say you have general u. s. grants SAA colt and the smith buffed off ? of the lettering and you want it redone, (lol, hehee.) so, how in the world are you going to get that 10 ton press to line up exactly with your bbl? Odds are, they will buff off the remaining letters and do a whole new one with a new or (remade original) type set on the 10 ton machine. Since this is very expensive, colt usually waits until there are enough orders to justify the expense. Then they do an old fashioned assy line stamping. Like our poster said, colt does offer new bbls with proper proofmarks. Guess what folks, odds are they did them ages ago based on projected demand. It's a lot easier to change a bbl than to fix an old one! The gun goes back documented as done in the factory and all is ok. Now, what about serial numbers? This is very touchy since any sign of buffing is a signal to start a criminal investigation. Most guns requiring serial number improvement are sent to factories with documentation to be given the owner and smiths in the factory have to be veeeery careful. They cant be rollmarked. They are different every time, So, these are done by hand or in a jig where the smith changes the type by hand for every gun . since the types are hand struck, odds are you will notice some numbers deeper than others. Though they may be straight and in order with help of a type set, some will be heavy and some will be light strikes. (he flinches, sneezes, hears the lunch whistle, etc...Granted, modern times are upon us and computers have replaced old pros' with new assy line methods, but this is the way it has been done for ages. Fonts must match exactly and a company wont replace a completely missing number or any part of it. Part of it HAS to be there or you must have proof of what it was. Photo, sales receipt, batf record, etc.On bbls, most choke marks are done by hand with single choke type sets. Even brownells sells these! Without a guide, beginners can be weeded out a mile away from a pro! So, its not a very exact report, but I hope this helps. Maybe some more factory workers can pipe in and give a little insight. Let me know!
former air operations officer SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2. former navy skeet team, navy rifle/pistol team member. co-owner skeetmaster tubes inc.. owner/operator professional shooting instruction.0
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