My foray into custom exotic wood 1911 grips
- Thread starter SRT1
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PandaBearBG
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Wow, beautiful work! you got a special touch, very classy and each one really adds a lot of character to the guns. Have you ever tried Bamboo?
I LOVE the wood you got for your grips. What tools
I've only done one set of grips (for a Star BM), and I'm happy (yet somewhat embarrassed) to say that I did these by hand:
Just some plain white oak (from an old doorframe someone was throwing out) with a light stain and polyurethane finish. I used a dremel for the roughing and a handful of knives, fine files, and sandpaper to get them done. I only post this because I agree with you completely: grips should be as close to the contours of the metal edges of the sides as possible; it feels much nicer.
I'm not sure if it's your pictures or the actual end result, but it would appear to me that you're not applying enough finish to get a 'glass' smooth finish. Something I did that I found helped was to apply entirely too much poly on each coat (apply, let it firm up a little bit, then apply again while still tacky), and then sand the bejesus out of it. Then, leave the poly residue in the cracks instead of cleaning before a second poly application. I think I went through that process 4-5 times before I'd filled in the small grain pits and got it perfectly smooth. The fine ground poly acted as a slight 'filler' to make the process a little quicker.
I've only done one set of grips (for a Star BM), and I'm happy (yet somewhat embarrassed) to say that I did these by hand:
Just some plain white oak (from an old doorframe someone was throwing out) with a light stain and polyurethane finish. I used a dremel for the roughing and a handful of knives, fine files, and sandpaper to get them done. I only post this because I agree with you completely: grips should be as close to the contours of the metal edges of the sides as possible; it feels much nicer.
I'm not sure if it's your pictures or the actual end result, but it would appear to me that you're not applying enough finish to get a 'glass' smooth finish. Something I did that I found helped was to apply entirely too much poly on each coat (apply, let it firm up a little bit, then apply again while still tacky), and then sand the bejesus out of it. Then, leave the poly residue in the cracks instead of cleaning before a second poly application. I think I went through that process 4-5 times before I'd filled in the small grain pits and got it perfectly smooth. The fine ground poly acted as a slight 'filler' to make the process a little quicker.
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Wow, very surprised to see this old thread on the first page after all this time! Glad people are still enjoying the beauty of the woods.
SRT
Caimlas - yeah, the finishing techniques have come a long way in the last year. some people prefer that some of the true grain texture show through the finish, others prefer totally smooth. I make some of each.
Good looking grips!
Glad people are still enjoying the beauty of the woods. SRT
Caimlas - yeah, the finishing techniques have come a long way in the last year. some people prefer that some of the true grain texture show through the finish, others prefer totally smooth. I make some of each.
Good looking grips!
leadcounsel
member
Amazing work. Just amazing!
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