Color Filling Your Glock's Engravings with Nail Polish

I found some videos on Youtube with instructions on how to add colors to your firearms' engravings. Some use Crayons, some with Modelling Paints, but I chose to do mine using Nail Polish because I felt it would be more durable than using Crayons, and yet easier to find than other paint materials. Here is the video that I used for instructions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcLzaxqsOCE

This works not only on the slide, but on the Polymer magazines as well. Here are the end results on my Glock 22:



Just follow the instructions on the video, and you should be fine. A couple of important notes, though to remember, though, based on my experience doing this:

'Choosing the Materials'
I used the "Caronia" brand for the Nail Polish, and "Bobbie" brand for the Nail Polish Remover, although any other brand you can find will do. These can easily be bought at your neighborhood SM Department Store. If the Saleslady starts giving you strange looks, just explain right away that you are using these for your gun's engravings. Of course, she will probably just think, "Yeah, right". The polish and remover are dirt cheap, I was able to buy 2 colors and 1 remover for under P100.

When choosing the Nail Polish colors, remember to choose "bright" colors (i.e. White, Yellow, etc.) as much as possible. If you are to use "dark" colors (i.e., Red, Blue, etc.), try to use the "brighter" versions of these dark colors, like "Bright Red", for example. Or "Neon Blue". The reason is that if you don't use them, you won't be able to see much the colors once it dries against the flat black background of the slide. One suggestion is that if you can't find a bright version of Red, then Orange is a good substitute.


Instead of cutting Paper Towels into smaller pieces, you can use Toilet Paper Roll Squares instead. Less work, no need for cutting. Just fold them into strips, and you are ready to go. Be prepared to use a lot of these, though. Not necessarily the entire roll, but probably 2-3 dozen, depending on how many items you will be painting.


'Applying the Nail Polish'
When you apply the first coating, it is unlikely that the colors will stand out immediately. It will take at least 2-3 coatings before the colors really start looking very good. When painting, try to coat the areas vertically twice and then horizontally twice. This will help ensure that the paint will be distributed all throughout the engraving.

Same when using the remover. Wipe twice one way, the twice the other. Don't use the paper squares more than five times before changing to another area of the square. Take note that the Nail Polish Remover will discolor or turn your firearm's finish into whitish or flat color. Do not panic, as this is normal. That discoloration can be easily removed by wiping the slide with a little bit of oil. Best is to dab some oil into a cloth, and then wipe the slide with it after you've completed the coloring.

Allow the paint to dry for about 5 minutes, before trying to remove it. This will ensure that majority of the paint will stay in the engraving when you use the remover to remove the excess paint.

'Parting Thoughts'
Be patient when doing this, be prepared to spend an hour or so to finish coloring your items. These does not only improve the gun aesthetically, but also has a functional purpose as well, especially with the magazines. It will be easier for you to see the number of rounds left when you check it.

This procedure was done on a Glock, but will work well with other pistols using Tenifer coating. If your firearm uses a different type of finish, you can still use the instructions above. However, it is best to test how the Nail Polish Remover and Alcohol will react to it by wiping both chemicals on a small area of your firearm, and then applying oil-dipped cloth on it to see if the finish will be restored. Good luck, and have fun with painting your firearms!