Cleaning/refreshing white dot sights

Marty8613 · April 14, 2014, 12:02 PM

Own of my autos white dots sites are getting a bit dingy and hard to see. How do you folks clean/refresh/repaint these? I hate to scrub on these with the same cleaning solutions as the rest of the gun. These are most definitely simply painted into an indention.

And no, I do not want to upgrade/replace the sites.

Is it as easy as a soft toothbrush or something, until you have to repaint?

Thanks!

madmo44mag · April 14, 2014, 12:28 PM

I clean mine with a well worn tooth brush and when need be re-paint with a enamel paint.
They clean up easy with just a little soap and water.

Marty8613 · April 14, 2014, 01:34 PM

That worked great! Now I'll let you shoot it at your next gathering.

Thanks Mo.

My rear sight does not appear to be painted, it looks more like some sort of rubber in laid. This pistol has the half square outline at the rear.

carguychris · April 15, 2014, 08:45 AM

Quote:

I clean mine with a well worn tooth brush and when need be re-paint with a enamel paint.

In lieu of the toothbrush, I suggest Q-Tip "Precision Tips". These are similar to standard Q-Tips, but are molded into a finely pointed shape. They're also great for cleaning extractors, those narrow channels under the slide, and the tiny crevasses in the trigger mechanism. After you use these for a while, you'll never want to go back to the standard Q-Tip.

FWIW I've never seen them at a Wal-Mart, but Target and various pharmacies carry them. The only downside is that AFAIK they only come in boxes of 170; they don't seem to be available in the giant 600+ blister packs like the standard Q-Tip.

Marty8613 · April 15, 2014, 10:54 AM

Quote:

they don't seem to be available in the giant 600+ blister packs like the standard Q-Tip.

They do if you have a Uline account. I have these here in my iPad repair lab. Another great idea

Don P · April 17, 2014, 09:01 AM

Clean with alcohol and then a dab of white nail polish applied with a tooth pick.

madmo44mag · April 17, 2014, 09:34 AM

If you think they are rubber take a toothpick and push on then a little and see if they have some give.
If they do, use an acrylic paint.

Marty8613 · April 17, 2014, 09:39 AM

Mo, we'll just look at it Sunday of next week.

southjk · April 17, 2014, 10:49 AM

Liquid paper also works well on white dot sights if that's all you have around at the time.

April 14, 2014, 12:02 PM	#1
Marty8613 Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2014 Location: Grapevine TX Posts: 378	Cleaning/refreshing white dot sights Own of my autos white dots sites are getting a bit dingy and hard to see. How do you folks clean/refresh/repaint these? I hate to scrub on these with the same cleaning solutions as the rest of the gun. These are most definitely simply painted into an indention. And no, I do not want to upgrade/replace the sites. Is it as easy as a soft toothbrush or something, until you have to repaint? Thanks!

April 14, 2014, 12:28 PM	#2
madmo44mag Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2008 Location: Ft.Worth, Texas Posts: 1,522	I clean mine with a well worn tooth brush and when need be re-paint with a enamel paint. They clean up easy with just a little soap and water. __________________ Texas - Not just a state but an attitude! For monthly shooting events in DFW visit http://www.meetup.com/TexasGunOwner-DFW

April 14, 2014, 01:34 PM	#3
Marty8613 Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2014 Location: Grapevine TX Posts: 378	Worked great That worked great! Now I'll let you shoot it at your next gathering. Thanks Mo. My rear sight does not appear to be painted, it looks more like some sort of rubber in laid. This pistol has the half square outline at the rear.

April 17, 2014, 09:01 AM	#6
Don P Senior Member Join Date: December 17, 2005 Location: Swamp dweller Posts: 6,187	Clean with alcohol and then a dab of white nail polish applied with a tooth pick. __________________ *NRA Life Member, NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, NRA Certified Pistol Instructor,, USPSA & Steel Challange NROI Range Officer, ICORE Range Officer, ,MAG 40 Graduate* *As you are, I once was, As I am, You will be.*

April 17, 2014, 09:34 AM	#7
madmo44mag Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2008 Location: Ft.Worth, Texas Posts: 1,522	If you think they are rubber take a toothpick and push on then a little and see if they have some give. If they do, use an acrylic paint. __________________ Texas - Not just a state but an attitude! For monthly shooting events in DFW visit http://www.meetup.com/TexasGunOwner-DFW

April 17, 2014, 09:39 AM	#8
Marty8613 Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2014 Location: Grapevine TX Posts: 378	Next week Mo, we'll just look at it Sunday of next week.

April 17, 2014, 10:49 AM	#9
southjk Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2012 Location: Memphis Posts: 468	Liquid paper also works well on white dot sights if that's all you have around at the time.