How To Color Fill AR-15 Engravings

I don't know about you, but I really like the look of the H&K style safety markings.  The red and white pictographs look sharp to me.  When I picked up a couple Spike's Tactical lower receivers with the pictograph style selector markings, I decided it would be a good fit to color the markings.  After a thread on AR15.com asking how I did it, I made the video below to illustrate.

There are a number of ways to fill the engravings.  I've heard of people using automotive paint, nail polish and other methods.  I found some Elmer's Paint Pens at Walmart and decided to try it that way.  The video above demonstrates the entire process, but I'll explain it below as well:

1. Start by completely cleaning the area you want to mark, this will allow the paint to bond.
2. Shake the paint pens vigorously for several minutes.
3. Choose which color you want to fill first and work with only one color at a time.
4. Use the fine tip of the marker to start filling in the engravings.  (I prefer to press and allow the paint to fill the engraving as it flows.  This will reduce the amount of paint along the flats above the engravings.)
5. Allow the paint to dry for about 10 minutes.
6. Use a rag soaked with a little CLP to rub the paint off of the flats of the receiver.  
7. Assess if any of the area will need to be touched up.
8. Repeat on the other side of the receiver, or with other colors as desired.

I have only marked the selectors on my rifles.  I find that it can be helpful for new shooters that I teach to find the markings, as well as making it quick and easy to check the safety during a competition.

Below is a Bushmaster rifle that I filled with the standard "Safe" and "Fire" markings.  The selector switch allowed me to fill in the line that indicates where the safety is pointing.  This allows anyone to be able to view the location of the safety, even from the right side of the gun, which does not have a safety selector switch.  

AR-15 selector with color fill

Although I have limited my color filling to the safety markings, any engraving can be color filled.  There are factory logos, serial numbers and custom engravings on many guns that can be filled using the same methods.  You can also use any color combination imaginable if you use the nail polish or auto paint methods.

Have you color filled engravings?  Did you buy a factory firearm with a color fill?  Let me know in the comment section below.