Dear Cornered Cat:
This morning I put on a delightful cream colored baby-doll top which I have previously found particularly flattering on my figure. After looking in the mirror, I quickly changed into a black T-shirt. Why? My gun and holster were clearly visible under my thin, light colored top. I contemplated my decision all day, as the sun was quite hot on my black t-shirt. Why are guns black? Why not skin-tone?
After discussing this problem with my husband, and a good deal of online searching, I decided to fix the issue myself. I went to the local store and purchased some spray-paint that matched my skin tone. I took my holster apart, disassembled my gun, and laid all the parts out in the back yard. I taped off any moving parts, so that the paint would not cause a problem.
Then I started spray painting. I was nervous at first, but I knew I had securely taped off any parts I did not want painted, or that would be covered by the holster. After three coats, I was satisfied.
I wish I had taken photos of the process, but I was so excited (and nervous!) that I completely forgot. Now my gun is skin-tone, fits in my skin-tone painted holster, and is completely invisible even under a white shirt.
I wanted to share this with you because I think it’s important for women to understand that the standard black or silver the gun comes in does not have to be it’s final color. For a durable finish, I recommend duracoat or similar resurfacing, but for a quick-and-easy refinish for concealed carry, some spray paint works fine!
Thanks,
Kari
Huh, I *never* would have thought about that. Sounds like a much better way to appeal to women than pink cerakote.
“Why are they black?”
Beyond the “that’s how it’s always been” issue, gun powder is black when it burns and the muzzle end. A good coating like Duracoat, Durabake, or Cerakote would make clean that off, since aggressive gun cleaners might strip off spray paint (but there are some good paints that bond great to plastic/kydex).
Why are they black?
Guns made out of steel (like anything else) will rust if the steel isn’t given some protective finish. The original finishes, blueing, case hardening, browning, etc. tended to be dark. So with the exception of silver stainless steel, dark is traditional.
Skintone is an interesting idea for a carry gun, if you can match it.
However, any gun I did something like that to would need test firing before carrying it. I want to see how the paint reacts to heat.
Awesome idea! However, I have one concern…most paints don’t react well to heat, some may even combust. There are several brands of high-heat spraypaints, although getting them in a wide color variety may be hard to do. Keep a close eye on your new finish the next time you take it to the range! Otherwise, kudos on thinking outside the box and solving a problem!
Should of said “my skin tone”, I’m black and my P226 is fine under a white shirt.
Good point!
Pragmatism rules ! If it’s stupid, but it works, it ain’t stupid.
I feel like I should clear some things up:
I am the person who sent this in.
The slide, trigger, sights (front and rear), trigger guard, and laser of my gun are not painted, since these are covered by my holster. Really, the only painted area is the grip.
In retrospect, I didn’t need to take the gun apart or tape it all off to just to paint the grips, but better safe than sorry, right?
So far, it seems to run fine in testing. (50 rounds, cleaned after, did not attempt to clean any painted areas other than with mild soap and water) Though some paint has shown wear, I wore it under a light grey top (I am a very pale, stereotypical-Irish skin tone) today without any trouble. It *does* appear that I will need a touch-up coat sometime during the summer, however. A more permanent solution might be in my future.
While shooting, I felt no difference in my grip. I was originally concerned about the paint taking away the “texture” on my grip, but it did not make enough difference to be noticeable to me.
I’m glad everyone pointed out the heat problem. I will be careful to watch this in my training sessions. I really do not recommend making a change to the slide or trigger or internal parts without significant research and professional advice.
Oh, and I painted the base of the magazine, since they (I carry an extra in addition to the one already seated) protrude from the base of the weapon.