Blackening sights

[Spencer]

In the flame.

if you have a plastic insert in the sight it can get 'interesting'.

[Rover]

Yeah, I toasted a Gamo rear sight once. I've had a couple of S&W's with the plastic inserts. I knocked them out (the worthless pieces of crap) and it greatly improved the sight.

I've also done the trick of lighting a cigarette by puffing on it a foot or so above the flame.

[motorcycle_dan]

Saw several post saying use camphor. I don't understand, please explain.

[Fortitudo Dei]

Saw several post saying use camphor. I don't understand, please explain.

Keep a tablet of camphor (I break mine into smaller pieces) in an empty flame proof container with a tight-fitting lid (e.g. an empty pellet tin). When you want to blacken your sights, open the tin, place it on a stable surface, then light the edge of one of the camphor pieces with a lighter or match. The camphor will instantly ignite and will produce voluminous amounts of sooty black smoke from a relatively small flame. Move your sights into the path of the smoke for a second or two to blacken them, then simply replace the lid on the tin which will immediately extinguish the flame. Store the tin as-is until the next time you require it.

[Spencer]

...Store the tin as-is until the next time you require it.

but wait for it to cool down before putting it back in your gun box.

[motorcycle_dan]

Went to a local health food store on the ride home. They had camphor oil but nothing solid. Where do I find these pellets?

[Fortitudo Dei]

Ebay, Amazon, Indian grocery stores, probably online Indian food / Hindi cultural supplies websites.

May be called camphor tablets, camphor cubes or camphor blocks (all the same thing)

[Spencer]

Went to a local health food store on the ride home. They had camphor oil but nothing solid. Where do I find these pellets?

the camphor we use is a solid wax.
try the insecticide section of your supermarket - if it's there, it will be somewhere near the moth balls

[ssingh]

Chemists also stock them. I bought from chemist in Chatswood.

[seamaster]

Camphor

muscarinic agonist, not good, that is nerve gas stuff.

slow heart rate, increase salivation, abdominal cramping. Not good.

Effects on the body[edit]It has effects similar to a muscarinic receptor agonist.[jargon]

Small dose[edit]Its effects on the body include tachycardia, vasodilation in skin (flushing), slower breathing, reduced appetite, increased secretions and excretions such as perspiration, diuretic. [17] Therefore camphor must be used carefully and in low dosage in baby oil, where it is used for its calming-down effects.

Large dose toxicity[edit]Camphor is poisonous in large doses. It produces symptoms of irritability, disorientation, lethargy, muscle spasms, vomiting, abdominal cramps, convulsions, and seizures.[18][19][20] Lethal doses in adults are in the range 50–500 mg/kg (orally). Generally, two grams cause serious toxicity and four grams are potentially lethal.[21]

[Rover]

Put some in my crack pipe!

[Spencer]

Vicks VapoRub as a WMD?

[RobStubbs]

Camphor

muscarinic agonist, not good, that is nerve gas stuff.

slow heart rate, increase salivation, abdominal cramping. Not good.

<snip>
Camphor is poisonous in large doses. It produces symptoms of irritability, disorientation, lethargy, muscle spasms, vomiting, abdominal cramps, convulsions, and seizures.[18][19][20] Lethal doses in adults are in the range 50–500 mg/kg (orally). Generally, two grams cause serious toxicity and four grams are potentially lethal.[21]

Oh dear, sensationalist reporting alert !

It is nothing like a nerve gas (most act by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase).

It is poisonous in large doses but it's not even classified as highly toxic. Which probably means the lead in your pellets is more toxic.

If you're worried or want to educate yourself look up it's MSDS, then compare it with something like table salt (NaCl).

Rob.

[23's Dad]

I'll see if they have some camphor available.

It sounds like a used ALTOIDS tin would be a good sight smoker box. Would that work or do I need something more airtight?

[ssingh]

Sight black spay-can is available on amazon.com :

http://www.amazon.com/Birchwood-Casey-N ... lack+spray

I bought similar spay-can from Sydney today but haven't used it yet. But I think it would solve the purpose.

[morten]

I buy my Camphor her: http://www.ebay.com/itm/291164527914?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

Have them in an empty pellet tin box

[Fortitudo Dei]

Those small cans of spray-on sight black are pretty expensive once they reach these shores ($25) and just like soot, it doesn't adhere to the sights. Unless you have a gun which could be easily damaged by heat (say a Hammerli 280) I think camphor or similar is a better and cheaper option.

[David M]

A cheaper spray on. Black hair spray, works well.
Matt black when dry and will not rub off.
Wash's off with metho.
About $5- $7 a can.

[Muffo]

Camphor is mothballs. But make sure they arent synthetic mothballs. Can someone who uses one of the ray vin smokers explain how they work. What do you refill them with?

[RandomShotz]

Muffo -

Camphor may be mothballs down under. In this US, mothballs are paradichlorobenzene, which I would strongly recommend not trying to burn.

The Ray-Vin SuperSmoker ( http://www.sbsdistributing.com/index.ph ... uperSmoker ) uses calcium carbide (usually just called "carbide") in a chamber into which is squirted a little bit of water. There is a spontaneous reaction which produces calcium hydroxide and acetylene gas which exits a small nozzle at the top. Cutting torches mix acetylene with oxygen, but when it burns in air it doesn't get nearly as hot and produces a very sooty flame. BTW, carbide is the stuff that is used in miner's helmet lamps - some years ago I was in Andamooka and they were still using that kind of helmet lamp in the opal mines there. I've been using a SuperSmoker for years without problems once I got used to the drill.

Roger