icebear
Sako-addicted
Here's something that may help with unsightly ring marks on used scopes.
I recently bought a Zeiss 3-9x Diavari-C from an eBay auction. The seller disclosed the ring marks and provided pictures, but the ring marks looked worse in person than in the pictures, so I decided to see what I could do to improve the appearance. The scope tube has a low-gloss finish, neither glossy nor matte. First I took a Birchwood Casey gloss black paint pen and painted all the ring marks, with a margin around them. Then I let the paint dry overnight. The painted areas stood out, of course, so the next day I rubbed them with fine bronze wool until the paint was blended and the excess paint was gone. It's important to use bronze wool rather than steel wool - bronze wool is soft and won't mar the finish. I got mine at Ace Hardware, in the paint department. Finally I polished the entire scope tube with automotive polishing compound. Polishing compound is lighter and less abrasive than rubbing compound. When I finished, the ring marks were still there but you had to look for them - the appearance of the scope was very much improved, and with a relatively small amount of time invested.
The Zeiss is now mounted on my L461 carbine, replacing a Burris Compact. I checked the zero with a laser - it looked pretty good so the next step is to the range for final sighting-in.
I recently bought a Zeiss 3-9x Diavari-C from an eBay auction. The seller disclosed the ring marks and provided pictures, but the ring marks looked worse in person than in the pictures, so I decided to see what I could do to improve the appearance. The scope tube has a low-gloss finish, neither glossy nor matte. First I took a Birchwood Casey gloss black paint pen and painted all the ring marks, with a margin around them. Then I let the paint dry overnight. The painted areas stood out, of course, so the next day I rubbed them with fine bronze wool until the paint was blended and the excess paint was gone. It's important to use bronze wool rather than steel wool - bronze wool is soft and won't mar the finish. I got mine at Ace Hardware, in the paint department. Finally I polished the entire scope tube with automotive polishing compound. Polishing compound is lighter and less abrasive than rubbing compound. When I finished, the ring marks were still there but you had to look for them - the appearance of the scope was very much improved, and with a relatively small amount of time invested.
The Zeiss is now mounted on my L461 carbine, replacing a Burris Compact. I checked the zero with a laser - it looked pretty good so the next step is to the range for final sighting-in.
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