I’ve read a few suggestions like permanent marker, black refrigerator paint, black car paint, BBQ grill paint… what do you use and how do you find that product?
I have a couple of dings and scratches and I’m looking for the best product to touch up with.
I can tell you sharpie will not work. That's about all I know. :D
It would leave a dark purple color if I’m not mistaken. Probably the worst option from the lot.
Shamefully I must admit, that I tried this too.
I am tempted to refurb an old spiderfire SSC-p7 light with automotive rocker guard paint. The black textured stuff. I think it would look cool and give a good grippy surface. Look good with an SS bezel.
The sharpie just rubs off. You could just take all of it off, just soak in some greased lightning for around an hour and it will come right off.
I have used a black paint marker, used for firearms touchup, with good results.
Plastic Dip spray for a different look and feel. It might cause overheating problems though.
if you want a matte coating thats pretty durable and should make your light new or very close without the hassle of re coating/anodizing..Your local auto repair store should carry ceramic spray for headers. Its one company that makes it VHT, and depending on the chain store the name differs.It comes in a few colors and either air drys or you can bake it for 30 min and it hard to distinguish from new. You must strip the surface of the part completely so its not a touch up remedy. And make note the trick is to clean the host as best as possible. super clean. I usually will drop the part in degreaser for 30 min and throw it in the over to dry..A few thin coats back in the oven and its the next best thing to actually using a industrial grade coating. I buy it by the case in a few colors. You should be able to find it online or local. Search for VHT Flame Proof - Its a also fire proof when dry and heat actually hardens it further ...
Sounds like an awesome product, but in the event of a few simple nicks and scratches, is there anything else on the market that would not require a complete overhaul of the body itself?
I’ve used the Aluminum Black on larger surfaces for shootin’ stuff and other aluminum items with varying success. The Super-Black Touch-up pen will prolly give you the best overall results you’re looking for on anodized/painted flashlights. It penetrates into the metal better than just regular paint IOW. I plan to get some myself.
I’d give it a shot. Birchwood makes quality products. You can find these primarily at shootin’ stores, and sometimes even WalMart.
http://www.amazon.com/PAB-ALUM-BLACK-TOUCH-3OZ/dp/B000STD3ZC/ref=pd_sbs_sg_11
If you want to completely refinish the light, you might try Duracoat. It's a heavy-duty two-part epoxy normally used to paint firearms. It's available in a wide variety of colors. It's not cheap, and you would need an airbrush to apply though. I used it to refinish a gun that had bad blueing and got really good results. The un-mixed components will thicken up if left unusued, so you may want to have several projects lined up before you try...
Duracoat or Cerakote for sure!
Either of those looks great and lasts just about forever. The only downside (I suppose) is that its a little costly to get set up doing.
If you wanted to use regular paint, make sure you use an etching primer so that the paint sticks to the metal.
Have NEVER had any luck with touch-ups, myself.
YMMV.
I'd recommend Cerakote.
If your light can be disassembled, since Cerakote gets baked on.
Not as expensive as you'd think.
I have a friend in Missouri that is an absolute artist with Cerakote.
Jeff Forbush; owns 4bushweaponsrefinishingsystems.com.
Tell him Gnarly sent you....I have ~20 pieces of his work.
This is to what I was referring in my post, as well.
I would recommend 'sharpening' the tip with an Exacto or razor knife to a fine chisel point before the initial use, and using a 'dabbing' technique rather than swiping it as a marker.
Starting at the center of the scratch, and slowly working outward to the edges seems to have worked the best for me. Storing it tip-up after use helps too. Once the tip dries in the down position, heavily covered in paint, it no longer will wick evenly.
If this does happen, one can use a very fine brush (000 or 0000) to apply the paint. Push the pen's crusty tip down several times on a piece of wax paper (or parchment paper) to make a 'bead' of paint, and wet your brush from there.
@ Chicago X, sounds like the best method thus far. I think I’ll give it a try and post back on the results.
I’m not sure at all how it would work as a touchup but I use quite alot of this guy’s product… a little expensive but it works…and really takes very little of the material for a superb finish. http://www.johnnorrellarms.com/default.asp
Good Luck. Dan.
Oh my, this is available in flat orange… veeery tempting! This would look so sick on a HID build I’m doing right now. How hard does this get? Do I need the primer too? This light turns out to get rather expensive 
Sounds great and I checked out their website, however they only ship within the US.