[arinvolvo]

Ok, my RAP402 pistol knocked the sights out first time I shot it...The little white inserts just popped out. There was one left in the back, and I picked it out with a dental pick...NO WONDER they fell out...They are just little rubber nubs that are poked in there. It picked right out and bounced around on the table.

Hmmm

Now what to fill those empty holes with? The holes are pretty deep, running almost the length of each sight.

What has already been suggested.

1. Pushing whatever color crayola wax you want into the hole, and smoothing it off with a pieve of cloth...Interesting idea, but I live in Vegas, ans I have seen what has happened to crayolas if they get left in the car. Not good.

2. Testors Model paint...I bought some...I was real excited too....Got flourescent green for the back, and flourescent yellow for the front. Bad thing is, the stuff shrinks like crazy when it is dry, so you have to drip it in there about 5 seperate times over the course of two days...And even after a few days of curing, it never hardens up completely. It feels rubbery, and picks out with a dental pick very easy.



This is driving me nuts, because I am sure there is a real perfect, obvious solution to this...but I am drawing a blank...I wish I could find some low heat meltable plastic in different colors...but I wouldnt even know where to start looking.

Any suggestions would be great.

ANd since the question "What is a RAP?" always comes up, Ill post a picture and here is some info:
South african current production pistol. 401=9mm 440=40cal
general copy of Astra 75. Really neat, quality, heavy single stack autoloader...I am very happy with it. (except for the sights.)

RAP is on right...next to SIG 228

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=302899

[Old Fuff]

You can buy kits that contain a liquid plastic material that dries hard along with different colored dye. Usually they are used to cast the plastic inserts you see in revolver front sights, but the stuff should work fine for your purpose. Be sure the holes in the sight are clean and degreased.

[firestar]

Every time you post a pic of that RAP 401, I get closer and closer to buying one.:banghead: I can't afford it and I don't really need it but I feel like I am going to place a bid real soon.

Darn you arinvolvo!!!!:cuss:

As for the sights, I will probably pull them out like you did and mix some model paint with some model glue and fill it in. Kind of a tinted glue.

[arinvolvo]

Old fuff, where oh where could I find something like that? I am very interested.

Firestar
Just buy one...you know you want it...

And they aint THAT expensive!...220 is what i payed for mine I believe. And you get a hell of a gun.

I have put about 300 rounds so far. Not a hiccup of any kind. awesome gun.

[caz223]

If you want it to be permanent, you can use J.B. weld, or another type of two-part epoxy.
Once it hardens, you can roughen up the surface up a little with a emery file or something similar, and paint will stick to it.
Tape over the J.B. with masking tape until it hardens a little so it stays put where you want it.
Are the holes big enough for tritium vials?

[TarpleyG]

You may not like the Testors method but I did the same thing on all my sights. I used the acrylic because they didn't have the flourescent colors in the enamel. It may be soft but I have had it on three guns for the better part of six months and as long as I keep the chemicals off of the sights, it's okay.

GT

[Navy joe]

You'll laugh, but with one old 1911 that had a drilled front dot I grabbed up some Sculpey clay in my favorite bright orange color and stuffed it in the hole. Sculpey is modeling clay that is oven curable, so it shouldn't melt. Worked okay for me at the time.

[themic]

yeah i'm thinking modeling paint and modeling glue/cement mixed together and injected in with a syringe

or possibly even a transparent epoxy mixed with paint

those should harden up real nice

[Penforhire]

Maybe some hot-melt from a glue gun? Painted fluorescent at the end.

[Grump]

Drill all the way through, then put a dab of clear epoxy with light/fluroescent green tint in the FAR side, domed out a bit, and another in the near side, flush.

OR

Just put one of those FireSight or whatever plastic thingies all the way through, with a smear of clear epoxy on the sides to hold it in.

You'll be amazed at how the drill-through enhances the low-light performance. Next best thing to tritium.

If you live dangerously :neener:: RADIUM from an old watch. Half-life is something like 90 years, so you'll probably see no change in brightness in the next 40! I'd do 1.5mm thick clear epoxy on top of that one... (Do at your own risk--this one may put you afoul of NRC regulations, and several hazardous materials laws on both the state and federal levels). :uhoh:

[firestar]

I checked out the fiber optic sights, here is a link to show you what they look like:
http://http://www.gunaccessories.com/TruGlo/Firesight.asp

If you can find just the fiber optic rods and not the entire sights, it will be cheaper. I bet a hobby store might have them. If anyone knows where to buy a selection of firber optic rods in different sizes and colors, that would be perfect!

If you don't want to drill your sights, they will still be somewhat brite because of the flouresent color. They would work great if you drilled all the way through though. I would go with a different color for the front than the back so you can tell them apart faster.

If you do find a good solution to your problem, let us know so we can learn. I really think I will be getting one soon.

[ambidextrous1]

Visit an industrial plastics supplier and tell them what you're attempting. Tell them you are thinking about a 2-part clear epoxy with coloring added.

Listen...

[braindead0]

pick up some brightsights paint, works great and gun solvents don't dissolve it (non that I've found at least).

[Calanctus]

I just touched up the sights on my Sig 226 this week, using some Porc-a-fix porcelain glaze I had for repairing a crack in my bathroom sink. Haven't test fired it yet, but was easy to apply and a bright shiny white. Just use a toothpick instead of the brush that comes on the cap. I don't think gun cleaning solvents would affect the porcelain, but I'll let you know.

[philupcolt]

Get a bottle of white out, the stuff used for correcting typing errors. Just dab a little where you want it. I used to outline the front sight , which worked pretty good.

[Blueduck]

I'd be thinking more in terms of getting the hole 98% filled with someting solid THEN look at adding a dash of color for the dot

JB Weld to fill the hole then would use a tiny bit of fingernail polish in appropriate color (or brownells sight-bright) to make the dot. JMHO

[caz223]

LOL, Kinda like making a long island...

[Andrew Wyatt]

call up XS and see if they can put tritium inserts in there.


that'd be the most useful.

[Graystar]

I've used White-Out.

[Trisha]

Nail polish works great, guys. I've used it on three of our handguns, and nary a problem.

I've also used 14 carat gold wire cut to length and then secured with binary epoxy, gently tapping the visible end with a brass punch to swedge it, buffing when the epoxy dries the next day (you can get the wire in any diameter from a jewelry supply store). Be sure to completely degrease the hole before you start, of course (a drop of brake cleaner does the trick).

Trisha

[M2HMGHB]

I second bright sights. I've got it on my cz75 and my 1911 and it works very well. I got it from sportsman's guide here's the link:
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?p=WX2&i=21189

[Leibster]

Without a doubt, Bright Sights (http://www.brightsights.com/index.shtml) is your simplest solution. It works well and is simple to apply.

If you want to go the fiber optic route, you can contact TRUGLO (http://www.truglo.com) and ask them if you can buy their fibers individually.

--Leibster

[BigG]

Did anybody mention rhinestones? That would be nice. :D

[arinvolvo]

My fiance reminded me a couple days ago, why I love her so much.

I am in dental school. She asks me..."You want to FILL those holes right?....Well, you are a dentist, you should know what to FILL holes with."

By golly...what a genius. So the holes got filled with light cured resin composite...The same stuff your dentist uses to do "white" fillings in your teeth. I filled them holes right to the top...Cured it with a curing lamp...and then painted the top of them with some Testors LAQUER model paint....

You gotta get the Laquer stuff...that is what they use to paint the bodies of RC cars, and it is impervious to gasoline...

I assume if gasoline wont strip it, other solvents wont either.

Anyway, let it dry, and smooth it off with a Qtip and some nail polish remover....viola!! They look like some pretty nice sights.

I havent shot it yet...But I have cleaned it, and my cleaning stuff didnt hurt it....I wil let you know how they hold up.

here is a horrible picture...the lighting in my room aint real great at the moment...But you get the idea.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?s=&postid=323193

[C. H. Luke]

"If anyone knows where to buy a selection of firber optic rods in different sizes and colors......."

Brownell's sells them separately......
296-000-009 & 296-000-045

[Erich]

Love it, arinvolvo!

[MJRW]

Pie. Should have filled them with pie.

[Andrew Wyatt]

I think a nice baked on custard finish would be more appropriate.

[firestar]

arinvolvo,
Love the new sights! I will probably have to do something like that also. I can't decide if I want to go the paint route or the fiber optic route.

How did you decide on green and yellow for the colors? I have painted a few of my gun's sights and I found that using a different color on the front is a really good idea. I have tried several colors: red, orange, yellow, green, white and blue and I found that red is the worst for low light and yellow or white is the worst for daytime. I like green and orange but if it is the rear sights, yellow or white is often fine.

Good work! I may copy you but I don't have any cavity filling stuff. I wonder if Bondo would work?

[arinvolvo]

Firestar, here is my thinking on the colors..

Green is easy for the eye to pick up, it is a good contrast against the black...

However, Yellow is an even easier color for the eye to pick up...the contrast of the yellow against green forces your eyes to focus on your front sight.....it is very easy to find, and focus on, even if you arent trying.

As for bondo, that would be great...I probably would have used that if I had thought of it...Just make sure you wipe a nice divot out of it at the top when it is still wet, to allow you room to drip the paint into.

Just be wary of putting a more vibrant color on you rear sights...your eyes will be drawn to it, making front sight focus harder.

[dude]

white RTV/silicone should do the trick

[arinvolvo]

I think the stuff they were filled with to begin with was white silicone....it didnt last long.