Preserving Trades When Painting

[Zander]

Hi guys. I remember people discussing the possibility of preserving trades on a gun when you paint it but nobody ever went into detail on how to do this. Can anyone with experience give me some tips. I want to paint the "outer shell" on my 551 but keep the trades because they look really nice. Thanks.

[Knife]

You should be able to buy some liquid painters tape or I've been told you can use Vaseline, but I've never tried it.

[Tollis]

I used vaseline while doing some touch-up work on my truck's battery compartment. My dad gave me the idea because that is what he did when he had to refinish the howitzers and trucks in the army.

[Zander]

So im guessing you use the vasoline as a paint remover? Using a q-tip or something to trace the words?

[Knife]

Vaseline won't dry, so it will prevent the paint from drying onto the gun. Once you're all done, wipe away the Vaseline, leaving the trades behind.

[Clampitt]

yup, it's pretty easy to just use vaseline. Take some, throw it in the trades and wipe the excess away with a q-tip or whatever, paint, then clean it once it's dry.