I have seen several old guns that have had their serial numbers and the stamped lettering filled with white or other colors. I had tried to duplicate it on some of the firearms I own with paint. When trying to fill the letters I would often times imagine soldiers in an armory doing the same thing and I could not imagine them dabbing with a toothpick in all the serial numbers it is way too tedious. I also found that the paint would wash out with bore solvent.
I noticed on the Mosin and a some GI 1911a1 frames that I had that the filled serial numbers looked like they were filled with a filler and not just paint. They looked “chunky” and thick. The numbers are filled to the brim of the stamped number. The 1911s are filled with a very white substance. Some of the Mosins are yellowish white or even orange. The numbers are filled with something that is very stable and strong. I will put up some pictures later showing what I have seen.
I bought a reprint of a technical manual for the m1 carbine a gun store. The same manual is available online, but the most readily available edition is from a different year than the reprint. In this reprint they describe filling illegible serial numbers with “filler per MIL-100”. (I believe that is the spec, but I am not sure. I have misplaced the reprint and this info is not in the most available edition. I also could find no reference to this spec on t the internet) I thought back to how I thought the original numbers looked like they were filled with “bondo”, which is a body filler used for cars. I could not imagine them using such a filler to fill the numbers. It seems that most of the supplies called to work on military equipment is stuff that could be found in a garage or hardware or grocery store, so I know they didn't use bondo.
Several months passed I was reading about talc and how it is used as a filler in paints and it is the primary filler in bondo. I thought that might be the formula that was originally used by the armorers. Talcum powder is available and has been available historically for quite a while.
I bought some talcum powder in the form of baby powder. I mixed it with white paint and it formed a paste. When it is mixed it behaves just like bondo does. I was able to use a business card to apply over the stamped area of a serial number and then I wiped it off with the edge of the card. It was quick and easy. I tried it with red paint as well and it formed a red paste, (not pink) I filled the selector marking in an ar15 with this. It looks really nice.
Now I am not sure that this is what was used by the armies of the past , but it certainly looks the same and I believe it could possibly be the same or very close to what was actually used.
What do you think?
I noticed on the Mosin and a some GI 1911a1 frames that I had that the filled serial numbers looked like they were filled with a filler and not just paint. They looked “chunky” and thick. The numbers are filled to the brim of the stamped number. The 1911s are filled with a very white substance. Some of the Mosins are yellowish white or even orange. The numbers are filled with something that is very stable and strong. I will put up some pictures later showing what I have seen.
I bought a reprint of a technical manual for the m1 carbine a gun store. The same manual is available online, but the most readily available edition is from a different year than the reprint. In this reprint they describe filling illegible serial numbers with “filler per MIL-100”. (I believe that is the spec, but I am not sure. I have misplaced the reprint and this info is not in the most available edition. I also could find no reference to this spec on t the internet) I thought back to how I thought the original numbers looked like they were filled with “bondo”, which is a body filler used for cars. I could not imagine them using such a filler to fill the numbers. It seems that most of the supplies called to work on military equipment is stuff that could be found in a garage or hardware or grocery store, so I know they didn't use bondo.
Several months passed I was reading about talc and how it is used as a filler in paints and it is the primary filler in bondo. I thought that might be the formula that was originally used by the armorers. Talcum powder is available and has been available historically for quite a while.
I bought some talcum powder in the form of baby powder. I mixed it with white paint and it formed a paste. When it is mixed it behaves just like bondo does. I was able to use a business card to apply over the stamped area of a serial number and then I wiped it off with the edge of the card. It was quick and easy. I tried it with red paint as well and it formed a red paste, (not pink) I filled the selector marking in an ar15 with this. It looks really nice.
Now I am not sure that this is what was used by the armies of the past , but it certainly looks the same and I believe it could possibly be the same or very close to what was actually used.
What do you think?
