Grip making........

[BobWright]

If I may be so bold, I've made a few grips for my own guns, and thought maybe so I'd share my efforts. Understand, I don't pretend to be a grip maker.

First lay out your lines. Use a broad marker and cut outside the lines. This allows for closer fitting.



Here I'm making a one-piece style for a Single Action revolver, so there is a spacer to be glued in place:



Glue the spacer to one grip panel:




Glue second panel:




Carefully sand away all that doesn't look like a grip:




Carefully check fit to grip straps, sanding as required:



Apply finish as desired:



And fit to the gun:





Bob Wright

 

[troy fairweather]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

Nice!

 

[J-Bar]

Thank you. You make it look easy, and I know it’s not. But you give me courage and I may try it while “socially distancing” for a few weeks.

I replaced the screws and fittings in some stag grips after the old hardware began to loosen. It worked out better than I hoped!! Maybe I can go for the gold.

Or walnut.

Or holly.

Or...

 

[slicksleeve]

Very timely thread for me Bob. Thanks. I’ve been planning to make some single action grips myself and this will give me a leg up. I have a piece of walnut that came from my mother’s yard that blew down in a tornado.

 

[Gumby0961]

You couldn't have said it any better "sand away all that doesn't look like a grip:" nice

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Carefully sand away all that doesn't look like a grip:

“A fool-proof method for sculpting an elephant: first, get a huge block of marble; then you chip away everything that doesn’t look like an elephant.”
— George Bernard Shaw

What is the wood Bob?

Looks like Walnut.

And I'm glad you have your work table and sanding table labelled, so you don't forget what they are.

Driftwood

 

[WestKentucky]

I like the label... detail sanding table.

I have a set of those drum sanders on order. Hopefully they will show up soon.

 

[sparkyv]

Well done, sir.

 

[gotboostvr]

After you glue the second panel on, how do you get it back off to do the final shaping/ polishing?

 

[BobWright]

After you glue the second panel on, how do you get it back off to do the final shaping/ polishing?

The backstrap of the revolver must be removed.

Bob Wright

 

[BobWright]

What is the wood Bob?

Looks like Walnut.

And I'm glad you have your work table and sanding table labelled, so you don't forget what they are.

Driftwood

It is indeed walnut.

There is a very good reason for labeling my various work tables. They are filed in my shop sort of like a bookcase with those labeled ends showing. Keeps things organized, you know.

Bob Wright

 

[gotboostvr]

The backstrap of the revolver must be removed.

Bob Wright

The brass grip frame looks like it's totally encapsulating the wooden spacer to me though.

I'm sure there's another view that makes it painfully obvious, but I just can't wrap my head around it from that point of view from the third picture.

 

[v8stang289]

The brass grip frame looks like it's totally encapsulating the wooden spacer to me though.

I'm sure there's another view that makes it painfully obvious, but I just can't wrap my head around it from that point of view from the third picture.

The grip frame should be 2 pieces

 

[deadeye dick]

You mentioned holly. I have some big holly trees on my property. Is this a good wood for grips? also thought of crape myrtle. this seems like a hard wood also.

 

[BobWright]

As has been stated, the trigger guard is separate from the backstrap. Here is the gun (covered) with the trigger guard in place but the backstrap is removed:



In this shot the mainspring is removed and both grip straps are in place:



Assembled:




This was a Hy Hunter Single Action. The backstrap was from a Colt 1851 Navy revolver (replica or original, I don't know. I bought the backstrap many years ago from Dixie Gun Works long before I had a Single Action.) the trigger guard is from Hawes.

Bob Wright

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy Again

Maybe these photos will help.

This is an Uberti Cattleman. It is very similar in construction to a Colt Single Action Army. This model features a One Piece Grip. In this photo, the back strap has been pulled off the revolver, but the front strap, which is part of the trigger guard casting, is still screwed to the frame. With the back strap removed, the One Piece Grip can be pulled backwards from the front strap.






Here is a photo of just the back strap, trigger guard, and the One Piece Grip. Notice the One Piece Grip started out as a very thick piece of wood that has been carved out to receive the metal parts.






I have reversed the position of the One Piece Grip in this photo. Notice the serial number of the revolver has been inked onto the wood. That is because the way these grips were traditionally fitted to the metal parts was to grind and sand both the wood and the metal together by hand while they were attached to each other as an assembly. This would have been done before the metal was blued and before the finish was applied to the wood. Then the wood and metal were separated, and each went to their respective finishing operations. Later, at final assembly, the wooden grip was married up to the appropriate grip frame. The serial number on the wood was how they brought the correct parts back together. This meant that each wooden One Piece Grip was custom fit to the back strap and front strap of a particular revolver. Mix things up and the fit would not be so good. Yes, at least when this Cattleman rolled off the assembly line in 2001 they were still being done this way. The grip was individually fitted to the grip frame, exactly as Colt would have done it many years ago.






Which brings me to a couple of further questions for Bob.

The center piece in your 'one piece' grip needs to be the same thickness as the back strap and front strap. How do you get it down to the perfect thickness? Do you have a planer? Do you carefully cut it to thickness on a table saw? Or do you just sand the dickens out of it until you get it the right thickness? A former professional woodworker wants to know.

Also, do you do your final shaping of the grips with them mounted on the straps the way Colt did? I see you are using a brass grip frame. Have you ever fitted grips to a steel frame? If so, what did you do to prevent sanding away the factory bluing on the metal?

 

[BobWright]

Well, Drift (if you'll excuse the familiarity) I do very carefully sand the center piece plug to exact thickness. I sand it first on a belt/disc sander, then trial-and-fit by hand to final thickness.

As to fitting to steel, I protect the steel with tape to near flush, then a final fit very carefully. I have used black plastic electrician's tape with good results. And I've never nicked the meta yet.

Bob Wright

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Well, Drift (if you'll excuse the familiarity) I do very carefully sand the center piece plug to exact thickness. I sand it first on a belt/disc sander, then trial-and-fit by hand to final thickness.

As to fitting to steel, I protect the steel with tape to near flush, then a final fit very carefully. I have used black plastic electrician's tape with good results. And I've never nicked the meta yet.

Bob Wright

Thanks Bob

I figured you would use the tape trick if you worked on already blued grip frames.

No, I don't mind being called Drift. Some of my best friends call be that. Also, Mr Johnson. Just don't call me Drifty, I hate that.

 

[il.bill]

Inspirational. Thank you!

BobWright and Driftwood Johnson always have the best photos - thanks for sharing.

 

[Viper1357]

Very nice work there BobWright!

 

[StrawHat]

I have done antler stocks that way. And holly. I approach the spacer a bit differently. I cut it to shape but thicker than the straps. Once glued to one side, I use a pull saw to slab it to the correct dimension. The straps act as my thickness gauge. Once cut, the second stock is glued in place.

Kevin

 

[bannockburn]

BobWright

Very nice grips and an excellent photo tutorial to go along with them! Thanks for sharing!

 

[WestKentucky]

A key point on one-piece stocks is that a whole bunch of them started off as 3 pieces. Left, right, and center spacer. I have seen the center spacer done unbelievably quickly with tape, spray paint, and a belt sander.

Chop a rough shape with whatever is handy.

Fit it into the grip frame snugly leaving room for spring at the front by laying the grip frame on top of the roughed piece, and with a taped off grip frame a quick blast from a can of spray paint marks the exact shape and size that the final piece needs to be. Same could be done with a pencil, but you risk moving one part relative to the other as you move your pencil around.

screw/glue your piece to a pusher with the paint side out (so it gets sanded off) and adjust thickness with the sander until it’s right. I attach the pusher and then attach your left/right pieces with glue and you suddenly have a rough one piece grip to finish.

This part is hidden once it’s all glued up so small imperfections can actually be beneficial in that rougher sanding produces a stronger glue bond. When it comes to the left and right panels that are exposed and need to be pretty... I’m lost. I don’t have the patience to do it, but I do understand the process.