clear grips disappeared

You probably will have to wander gun shows for grip dealers.

They did not work very well, one, for not being very transparent, and two, for only being a window into the window of the grip of the side of a magazine.

Clear and transparent plastics are some of the wort to work with, from the moulding and machining side.

You could be able to DIY a set, though. You'd need some RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanizing) mould-making compound. You'd need some clear casting resin, and a sample "smooth" grip to take a moulding of.

Note, the clear resins are very unpleasant for chemistry and smell. You will probably want a finishing kit with sanding pads that runs 800 to 2400 grit to get clear enough to see a photo through. Check out the folks at Micro=Mark tools online.

I just bought a very nice set from a guy on another forum. He said a buddy of his made them, and was thinking of making more, but this set took him awhile to sell until I came along.

Very few plastics will remain clear and undamaged by the lubricants and cleaners routinely used on firearms.

Maybe they are available, but you can't see them because they are clear?

I found a set for a 1934 Beretta on eBay, but that is about it. I have heard this topic breached before and the point has always been raised that Lucite and plastic wouldn't survive cleaning.

Still, some manufacturer should let me decide if I want to go through the extra steps of removing them during cleaning.

How about buying a piece of plexi-glass or lexan and making your own.

It seems you could you could get some plexiglass and make your own as mentioned above.

I have seen clear plexiglass grips on paintball guns before. They were flat though, with no curve to them at all.

Gotta put a photo of your honey under them.....

http://www.stingerpaintballdesigns.com/SPD_Custom_Paintball_&_Pistol_Gun_Grips_Clear.htm

Clear 1911, S&W Model 59, S&W .45 Auto, Sig P238, and various paintball gun grips.

Can't beat the price. I'll be ordering a couple sets in the near future.

Since you're looking to put a photo in the grip and not have it be fully transparent to the magazine, have you considered just getting some good quality smooth grips of some kind and pasting the photo over top with some kind of clear coat?

Here's someone that claims they'll make a set to order. Doesn't really tell the material and aren't coming from an established production process.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1911-Government-Model-Crystal-Clear-Grips-to-made-/220819995266?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3369e5ba82

Gotta put a photo of your honey under them

Click to expand...

My guess is those stocks are Plexiglas, polymethylmethacrylate, the stuff the British used for fighter canopies in WWII. I am not sure, oddly enough, whether US planes used the same material.

Lexan came along later. Great stuff, but scratches easily.