horge
Member
I don't know what I may have gotten myself into.
I decided early on to indulge in a pair of DIY wooden grips for my Bersa Thunder 380, as the factory grips make it impossible for my small strong-hand to easily/quickly manipulate the magazine release button.
As plain as the wood is, there's some poetry in the fact that it comes from a piece of scrap lumber I used to defend myself (in combination with a knife) against armed assault --the very experience that convinced me to purchase my first pistol, the Bersa Thunder 380 shown below with the grips in their present state:
To make the grips I used an NT safety cutter and sandpaper, with a power drill to execute the screwholes and pin recesses. Some of custom reliefs made to fit my hand(s) better resulted in severely thin sections of wood. The unlacquered grip panel viewed from above shows some of these thin sections --especially where the grip hovers over the slide-release lever's downward tang:
I had already tested the raw-wood grips live-fire to my satisfaction.
Here's the problem --without first asking around, I used a high-gloss, lacquer-type sanding sealer (it was what was on hand) for finishing. I did the workshop drill:
lacquer, dry, then sand... lacquer, dry, then sand... lacquer, dry, then sand...ad nauseam.
I had to stop for fear of a THICK finish cracking under imagined recoil-flexure (is this a valid concern?), and out of concern that lacquer might not stand up to moisture, shock, etc...
My questions:
1. Did I screw up by choosing a lacquer-base finish? What finish(es) would normally be applied to wood grips?
2. If lacquer IS used on grips, is it a fairly thin deal, or can it be built up thick?
3. What's the downside to leaving the finish glossy vs. sanding it down to matte? Why?
I certainly will make another pair of grip panels, and I'm fairly sure it will go much faster for all the trial-and-error lessons learned the first time around.
But right now, this is my first pistol and my first attempt at DIY grips (heck, this was my first carving and lacquer project since a pencil holder way back in 6th grade shop) ...so please go easy on the mistakes I must have made.
horge
I decided early on to indulge in a pair of DIY wooden grips for my Bersa Thunder 380, as the factory grips make it impossible for my small strong-hand to easily/quickly manipulate the magazine release button.
As plain as the wood is, there's some poetry in the fact that it comes from a piece of scrap lumber I used to defend myself (in combination with a knife) against armed assault --the very experience that convinced me to purchase my first pistol, the Bersa Thunder 380 shown below with the grips in their present state:
To make the grips I used an NT safety cutter and sandpaper, with a power drill to execute the screwholes and pin recesses. Some of custom reliefs made to fit my hand(s) better resulted in severely thin sections of wood. The unlacquered grip panel viewed from above shows some of these thin sections --especially where the grip hovers over the slide-release lever's downward tang:
I had already tested the raw-wood grips live-fire to my satisfaction.
Here's the problem --without first asking around, I used a high-gloss, lacquer-type sanding sealer (it was what was on hand) for finishing. I did the workshop drill:
lacquer, dry, then sand... lacquer, dry, then sand... lacquer, dry, then sand...ad nauseam.
I had to stop for fear of a THICK finish cracking under imagined recoil-flexure (is this a valid concern?), and out of concern that lacquer might not stand up to moisture, shock, etc...
My questions:
1. Did I screw up by choosing a lacquer-base finish? What finish(es) would normally be applied to wood grips?
2. If lacquer IS used on grips, is it a fairly thin deal, or can it be built up thick?
3. What's the downside to leaving the finish glossy vs. sanding it down to matte? Why?
I certainly will make another pair of grip panels, and I'm fairly sure it will go much faster for all the trial-and-error lessons learned the first time around.
But right now, this is my first pistol and my first attempt at DIY grips (heck, this was my first carving and lacquer project since a pencil holder way back in 6th grade shop) ...so please go easy on the mistakes I must have made.
horge
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