MY FAVORITE FRONT SIGHT PAINT HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED

chief38

chief38

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I am a big fan of Testor's model paint that was sold in the 3/4 ounce glass bottles. I have been using it for over 4 decades to paint my front sights as well as for many other purposes and it works fantastic - IMHO even better than the factory red ramp inserts. I went to Michaels Craft Store a few weeks ago to buy a half dozen bottles in assorted colors for other uses and they did not have any Testor's paint in stock. They had another brand but it was acrylic instead of enamel like Testor's. I just figured they started carrying another brand. So then I drove down to Hobby Lobby which always carries Testor's and all they had was a very small selection. When I asked if they were getting in a shipment soon, the lady told me Testor's paint had been discontinued. When I got into my car I verified this on my cell phone and Testor's indeed has been discontinued for a while now and the stores are just selling what they have left in inventory. :(

So if you use Testor's paint and have a store that still has some in stock, I'd say buy it now as it will very shortly be a a product of the past.
 
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[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Testors-Enamel-Paint-9132X-Fluorescent/dp/B0006O5F4G/ref=sr_1_7?content-id=amzn1.sym.5aa19d53-77d3-406e-a166-ae5e47edb27b%3Aamzn1.sym.5aa19d53-77d3-406e-a166-ae5e47edb27b&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.inYQj379048FhWnXC8DlR2DuOFf4wqLsrOT6RzADBRk0_oqFOERutioQ2-WRuq6aIlOJJQC2kRlSnfOgv3Binb733HbrPF9PJra3aK_iJglw9VmFZgUCyO7lyO_Cxy46rpfM-PcsHUoPkbT5UrQ8GJ7b_wmBgH-Xo8Wmap7uRyWeAZMBN3jHjSEc-ns7dpVfuhMbwq4rchPrXtcJznuPyaoGvm8YQ7kBuorevkt7gRwe3WqODGIhX6Ufm3pigngazg1p2lMkhhdUZd6hZx4nppIxfXe2aczdWcbtjqWhrS7DEb1lG0iU7rEHz-zd0CYW6dT0NC7j8hsTtPqQ08lgEcuaLINgzVjtSwKPBbef1_Psx138o_oRHdVFQlw1SHHRXqie83BXviuuWBgGUqkU5pX36Ifv7N0gqiUGjRFHdwmjONXl8KbQCE000kVSnl_x.hEDRKTeFemWCfFamg52wliKeiwhNOuhiCTeEGO4nleI&dib_tag=se&keywords=testors+enamel+paint&pd_rd_r=ac2c4a35-f39a-4325-a829-934115a9c349&pd_rd_w=ML9TH&pd_rd_wg=lQUl4&qid=1738648751&sr=8-7[/ame]
 
I was looking for a bunch of colors to touch up my garage's epoxy floor. When I drop a tool or spill acetone on it, sometimes it gets slightly damaged. I use 3-4 different Testor colors, mix them and then add the simulated sprinkles with paint to match. Works well but the colors I was using are no longer available. I bought a few bottles of other colors that I should be able to make work, just more mixing required. Hey - I take priode in my home and even my garage. :D:o:p

Because the Testor's comes in the tiny bottles and is enamel, it lasts a long time and can always be thinned with mineral spirits if it thickens a bit. Don't know of any other available enamel in small bottles.

Once my garage floor gets to the point that it is no longer worth fixing I will get a floor like I had in my past house. It was made of granulated Quartz (similar to fish tank gravel) mixed in 9 layers over 4 days with the strongest epoxy I have ever seen. It is what they use in Firehouses, Police facilities, and many other commercial applications. It is costly but once done it will last forever and never needs touching up as it wears like iron!
 
hardluk1 said:
chief38 If you have a Hobby Lobby near by they sell testers enamel paints red included
Click to expand...

Hmmm, I was in Hobby Lobby when looking for the Testor's but will admit I was focused in on that particular brand and not really looking at other paints. I will have to go back there again, thanks! :o
 
I called a well stocked local hobby store. Testors discontinued some of their hobby enamel paints, but they're still making gloss and matte white enamel paints
 
hardluk1 said:
chief38 If you have a Hobby Lobby near by they sell testers enamel paints red included
Click to expand...
They may still have some stock, but as lifelong model airplane builder, I can tell you Testor's was ceasing production of enamels a couple years ago and unless EPA goes back to ~ 1995 VOC regs, there won't be any more from anyone.
Besides the Testor's, I haven't been able to get the Ben Moore enamel I used for the Adirondack deck chairs I built 20 years ago, and the acrylic **** Ben Moore told me I could use blistered the old paint when I applied it and ruined my chairs.
 
You can also get liquid Rustoleum white paint in 6 or 8 oz. cans.
I've used it before. It works just as well as Testor's paint.
I painted the serrated area of a Colt Series 70 front sight with this product over 10 years ago, and it has withstood
years of cleaning, etc.
 
tomahawk223 said:
I have some old bottles from the early 70's that had 10cents on the top. from pauls hobby shop in east rutherford nj
Click to expand...

Ha. I grew up in Rutherford and, being a model airplane nut, spent many hours at Pauls Hobby Shop.

I use Brownells Site Kote with nailpolish top coat over the Site Kote. Seems pretty impervious to holsters, cleaners, clumsy gun owners.
 
I'm sad because I grew up on Testors products, and did more than my fair share spending my allowance on paints and glue. But for front sight paint, I prefer nail polish in a color called "Traffic Cone" and works better than anything else I've found as far as visibility in all light conditions.
 
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