Engravings/Stampings -- Highlighting and repair?

[Keith Wheeler]

Wow, I've got a lot of gun projects going on.

Engravings/stampings:

1) Can a talented engraver "repair" stampings? I've got some parts with enough wear that the original stampings are fading.

2) Best method and material of highlighting engravings/stampings? Such as filling in safety markings and such. This will be over parkerized finish.

...and if anyone knows an engraver that specializes in Hebrew, I'd appreciate the info!

 

[dfariswheel]

Restoring standard roll marking can be done.

As example, Colt can now re-mark the roll stamps on some of their models, and Doug Turnbull offers restoration of stamps.
http://turnbullrestoration.com/

A engraver who does guns can hand re-cut the stamps.

To fill stamping to make it stand out more, there are several methods.

Gunsmiths and military armorers fill sight markings and stamps with white to make it easier to see the marks.
They use "Lacquer-Stik" from Brownell's:
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/productdetail.aspx?p=7778&s=

This is actually paint in a stick form. To use, you scrape the end to expose fresh material, then rub it into the lettering until it's full.
Use a bit of mineral oil or lacquer thinner to remove the excess and allow to dry.
This is VERY durable, but easy to remove with more lacquer thinner.
It comes in various colors, and the gold or silver is often used on pistols to high-light stamps.

Another method is to buy one of the commercial gold or silver fill kits. These use real gold or silver to fill lettering.

Another is to use model airplane paint, which comes in a huge variety of colors.
You use a fine artist's brush to fill the lettering.