siamesecatmanuk Loc: Leicestershire UK

Tried matte black which don't match when dry,gloss is too shiny when dry,just cannot get the Finnish as the rest of the unscratched parts of the barrel.
Any ideas ?
Graham

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Maybe an automotive collision repair shop might suggest a good match?

Quixdraw Loc: x

Hobby shop is a good oprion.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

Try mixing matte and gloss.
With any paint you will see the painted spots, so why not leave the scratches alone and call them badges of honor from your tough shooting expeditions?

Dave327 Loc: Duluth, GA. USA

You got me curious. I’m a canon shooter and the finish on their lenses is a black wrinkle. Amazon has various black wrinkle spray paints. As to exact shade - who knows. The best I could suggest is spraying some in cup and use a artist brush to touch up the scratches.

DanielB Loc: San Diego, Ca

Why paint it at all?

juan_uy Loc: Uruguay

This.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

How scratched up is your lens? Have you considered an indelible magic marker?

Quixdraw Loc: x

That really doesn't produce a good result IMO - usually turns a sorta purple tone.

hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Say the scratches were from a grizzly bear...

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

The original finishes on cameras and lenses (barrels and control rings) are probably applied to the external surfaces BEFORE the equipment is assembled or constructed. The finish or color may be intrinsic in certain plastics. If it painted, the paint is most likely baked after application. The surfaces also may be anodized or electroplated, depending on the metals used. In some cases, special lacquers are applied. These surfaces are very difficult to match both in color and surface texture and degree of luster or gloss and, in my experience, many tend to reset paints.

My point is that anything you apply to the surface will probably come off even with normal handling. Out-of-doors in hot or damp environments, they will likely come off more readily. No matter what kind of coating you use, you will probably need to prepare the surface with solvents to remove any oils or dirt and then sand it to create a "tooth" for the paint. This is all risky business in that particles or debris from the sanding, the solvents or paints itself can somehow migrate into the innards of the lens such as the helical coils or the diaphragm mechanism and cause more damage than any superficial external cosmetic issue which is superfluous to the performance of the lens. If any of the aforementioned substances get onto the glass, that is problematic as well.

If the scratches really bother you, a Magic Marker, Sharpie, etc., will somewhat camouflage them but you can bet it's gonna come off on your hands.

Back in the day, the BLACK paint coming off the old Nikon "F" bodies revealed the kinda golden color of the metal underneath- it was called "brassing". This was the "badge" of the veteran photojournalist. Some Of the guys had 3 bodies that looked like solid gold cameras what with the burnishing of the metal.

If you are, however, totally obsessed with this "project" and it's keeping you up at night, there are small quantities of automotive touch-up paints that match the finishes of a wide variety of manufacturer's original paint jobs. They come in many degrees of high gloss, semi-gloss, luster, matte, metallic and "pearl black" surfaces when dry. I found one to cover a few scratches on my car. The one that worked best came in a spray can so I sprayed some into a small jar and applied it with a small brush. My 9-year-old GM Saturn looks like new but it ain't a camera or a lens!

At one point in time, some years ago, I ran a side business that specialized in repairs, modifications and custom build of studio electronic flash gear. I shared a space with a camera repair shop. Between us, we had lots of experience with paints and finishes- none of it was fun!. On the strobe housings and trim and power pack cases, we would either send them out for electroplating or to an automotive body shop where the cases were sanded, primed, sprayed and baked. Cameras with leather, Morocco or synthetic skins were re-leathered but we discourage painting except for the collectors who were not going to use their antique cameras and just put them on display.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

Why worry about it?
Normal wear it won't hurt a thing, if it really bothers you send it in for refurb.

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

It's called satin (or luster, semi gloss etc).
However finding a match will not be an easy job.

Haydon

Ed thanks for that informative post.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

White, then people will think you have a Canon