Help with grenade paint restoration

[Catfishcraig]

I’ve never painted anything that I’ve come across but this old grenade lighter has no paint.  I think I’m going to try and make it look as realistic as I can.  I’m thinking green with the small yellow band at the top.  Anyone have a good idea of paint I can buy that’s close to the original?  These lighters normally were kind of a glossy green and never looked close to original in the first place.

 

Thanks 

 

Craig

 

 

[USARV72]

Paint it yellow, is that yellow paint on the bottom?

[Catfishcraig]

No it’s not paint at all but some sort of hard corrosion.  I did think of yellow and even the dark red.

[Persian Gulf Command]

Just remember that if you paint it, you'll have a grenade that looks like it was painted in 2025. Even if you get the color you want it will still smell, look, and behave like a modern paint.

 

Regarding the color if the grenade body has a plugged bottom then probably yellow or red. It the grenade has a solid bottom then OD green.  

[Catfishcraig]

All good points!   The grenade was converted to a lighter and has a screw plug in the bottom to allow access to fill the body with lighter fluid.  In my thoughts is a lighter that’s made from a grenade body that looks as though it’s never been painted.  So to make it at least at least a good looking grenade lighter I thought I would paint it to look like an old grenade.  But to your point it’s going to look new.  

[Catfishcraig]

Here’s the plug 

[917601]

Do not repaint it. I would use some liquid rust remover to remove the heavy rust BUT NOT to bare metal. Brush on, rinse off, brush on rinse off,…Then use Renaissance Wax ( museum wax) to seal it. You will find a very nice “ patina” develops when Renaissance Wax is applied over a lightly rusted surface. The high grade wax seals all oxygen off, stopping further corrosion.
 

I have for years used Renaissance Museum Wax applied to most all my ordnance. I learned about Renaissance Wax back in my bronze cannon salvaging days, used by museums worldwide.

[daskrieg]

I would be interested in purchasing it if you wanted to sell it

[Kaptainssurplus]

This is a littlestown foundry lighter. It was originally a solid bottom MK2, converted to a lighter. Originally it would have been green with a yellow stripe on top. If you google search you will see many examples of it to compare. Paint or not, either way won't effect value much, unless it is a hookey/crap paint job. 

[Kaptainssurplus]

15 hours ago, daskrieg said:

I would be interested in purchasing it if you wanted to sell it

Hit me up, I have one for sale. 

[Rifleman]

This is the Littles Town I picked up about 8 years ago.

 

 

[daskrieg]

On 2/18/2025 at 6:17 AM, Kaptainssurplus said:

Hit me up, I have one for sale. 

I pm'd you about yours

[SharpShooter]

If you unscrew the top you will notice the hole has been drilled out larger and re threaded. Being so I’d repaint it, a fuse will not thread on anyway and will never have the value. I’d do what you want with it, paint it and scuff it up to have that been there look.