Does one clean Tritium sights?

b322da · Post by **b322da** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 9:08 am

I have several carry handguns having various breeds of Tritium sights. It appears to me that my oldest sights, but not so old as to be expected to be approaching their half-life, are possibly just dirty. The three dots are well-visible in the dark, but in the daytime the white dots are very hard to see. Perhaps this is a result of sloppy cleaning, getting unwanted material on the Tritium sights.

Is there any advice out there about possibly cleaning the dots without harm to the Tritium? I am tempted to use some slightly soapy water, but caution suggests that I should consult with this helpful group first, before doing something I regret.

TIA,

Elmo

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 9:15 am

My understanding with Tritium sights is that the Tritium (a gas) is enclosed in the cylindrical plastic tube that is coated on the interior with a substance that reacts with Tritium to emit light. Thus cleaning the outside of the sights would not harm the sights. Clean away.

EDIT: A Wikipedia search says that inside coating is phosphor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium#Properties" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

WildBill · Post by **WildBill** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 9:24 am

I would try soap and water or Windex, but I am not a expert.

KinnyLee · Post by **KinnyLee** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 10:39 am

I use qtips and rubbing alchohol.

Post by **Keith B** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:08 am

KinnyLee wrote:I use qtips and rubbing alchohol.

The rubbing alcohol will cut oil and grease and drys quickly. You can also use the little lens cleaning cloths that are pre-treated with alcohol.

MoJo · Post by **MoJo** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:05 pm

Use Qtips, cloth, tissue, etc. dampened with alcohol DO NOT put liquid on your signts.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:11 pm

MoJo wrote:DO NOT put liquid on your signts.

Why?

WildBill · Post by **WildBill** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:13 pm

Thomas wrote:
MoJo wrote:DO NOT put liquid on your signts.
Why?

Alcohol is a liquid.

MoJo · Post by **MoJo** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:28 pm

Thomas wrote:
MoJo wrote:DO NOT put liquid on your signts.
Why?

The liquid can seep into the sight and loosen the adhesive that holds the tritium vials.

Ask me how I know.

I ruined a front sight that way.

WildBill · Post by **WildBill** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:36 pm

MoJo wrote:
Thomas wrote:
MoJo wrote:DO NOT put liquid on your signts.
Why?
The liquid can seep into the sight and loosen the adhesive that holds the tritium vials.
Ask me how I know.
I ruined a front sight that way.

And what kind of "liquid" did you use? Most cured adhesives are pretty resistant to most ordinary solvents.

Pawpaw · Post by **Pawpaw** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:50 pm

From the Trijicon FAQ...

What solvents can I use to clean my sights?

Care should be taken to avoid prolonged contact of solvents on sight surfaces. Some synthetic and organic cleaning agents can affect the painted finish of Trijicon Night Sights. Immersing sights for an extended period of time in solvents may loosen some adhesive bonds. Sights can be cleaned with water by simply using a damp cloth followed by wiping with a dry cloth.

Remember, those vials are very small. I wouldn't imagine it would take a lot of liquid to qualify as "immersed".

MoJo · Post by **MoJo** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:05 pm

WildBill wrote:
MoJo wrote:
Thomas wrote:
MoJo wrote:DO NOT put liquid on your signts.
Why?
The liquid can seep into the sight and loosen the adhesive that holds the tritium vials.
Ask me how I know.
I ruined a front sight that way.
And what kind of "liquid" did you use? Most cured adhesives are pretty resistant to most ordinary solvents.

Common rubbing alcohol. I did a job on the adhesive in a set of PT night sights.

WildBill · Post by **WildBill** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:08 pm

MoJo wrote:
WildBill wrote:
MoJo wrote:
Thomas wrote:
MoJo wrote:DO NOT put liquid on your signts.
Why?
The liquid can seep into the sight and loosen the adhesive that holds the tritium vials.
Ask me how I know.
I ruined a front sight that way.
And what kind of "liquid" did you use? Most cured adhesives are pretty resistant to most ordinary solvents.
Common rubbing alcohol. I did a job on the adhesive in a set of PT night sights.

Maybe they use an RTV adhesive which is water resistant, but not very resistant to IPA. BTW Hoppe's #9 contains xylene and amyl acetate which will dissolve many plastics and adhesives.

It sounds like that they need to a re-design if they are damaged by rubbing alcohol.

remington79 · Post by **remington79** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 3:23 pm

I have always wiped my sights down with Hoppes #9 while I'm cleaning the slide. I've never had a problem. According to Trijicon the tritium is in glass vials that are inside of rubber.

WildBill · Post by **WildBill** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 6:58 pm

remington79 wrote:I have always wiped my sights down with Hoppes #9 while I'm cleaning the slide. I've never had a problem. According to Trijicon the tritium is in glass vials that are inside of rubber.

I don't know if the OP has Trijicon sights. He didn't specify the brand or breed.

b322da wrote:having various breeds of Tritium sights

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