Replacement revolver grips - Petrified Wood?

[FSCJedi]

So I've seen all kinds of fancy custom grips that can be had for revolvers, but has anyone heard of custom grips being made from petrified wood? If so, anyone got a link?

I wonder how well they would hold up if the highest loading would be around .357 Magnum (maybe with rubber spacers in between the frame and the grips)?

 

[Guitargod1985]

I've never heard of them, but if it's truly petrified wood it will hold up just fine.

 

[Rustynuts]

I thought truly petrified wood is more like stone, with all the traces of real wood replaced with minerals. Seems like it "could" be brittle and not hold up to shock loading? Maybe not. But would most likely be a lot heavier than wood or rubber if that matters.

 

[PercyShelley]

Not all fossil wood is entirely petrified; some of it still retains the organic material. Truly petrified wood is, as Rustynuts says, just an imprint of the original structure writ in silica and quartz.

In either case, it's really tough.

 

[JWarren]

Crap... now you guys have me thinking about this for my 1911.

I've handled a lot of petrified wood over the years. I've seen some that is REALLY strong and rigid. And I've seen some that broke fairly easy. Like any rock, it is a function of the condition of the fossil, I think.

That said, I think it would be a prudent suggestion to have a thin rubber "bushing" or "spacer" between the frame and the fossil grip. I think it would help with protecting the original finish, and could offset some of the jarring forces if there is a concern over brittleness of the fossil.


All that said, now I need to find some fossils to start on with the dremel.


-- John

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Could be really neat--but I would imagine that PW would be hard to work with and somewhat expensive as a raw material. As JWarren said, it would need a metal spacer or liner like pachmyr used to put on their grips (do they still??). You could almost replicate the 'look' of polished PW by resin-impregnating a hardwood--but no, it would not be cold and rock like to the touch.

You know, it's nice to wake up to a novel idea early on Sunday-thanks FSC!

 

[Mad Magyar]

On a wheelgun, I prefer the weight up front. Since I do a lot of custom work on grips, the shock/recoil affect on a pair of petrified wood will make you reconsider and appreciate an ol'fashion Pachmayr....
One thing, I'm sure they would look pretty.....

 

[mightyike]

New Composite

I don't think you would be happy with stone or rock grips....the sillicon would scratch your frame and they would be very fragile to break or chip....get nice composite (saw a beautfiful Torquoise copper wire type) at a gunshow here in Mesa Az last weekend...

Didn't buy as I like Alumnagrips the best.

But his are the prettiest and fanciest I have ever seen....

I think 50 or 60 a pair...

DAVE @ 480-600-2583

 

[FSCJedi]

I agree with needing something between the frame and grips (like a rubber spacer/shock absorber). However, I'm not too worried about it transferring too much of the shock from firing. If you all will humor me, here's what I was inquiring for:

I want to buy a Medusa Model 47 revolver. See where I'm going with asking for petrified wood? I'd like to find a stone carver and have him carve a medusa head in the palm of the grips.

Glad I asked on here. Being 26 years old, I don't get a chance to come up with too many original ideas, so it does me good to see that it hasn't been discussed before!

 

[Gator]

I don't think you would be happy with stone or rock grips....the sillicon would scratch your frame and they would be very fragile to break or chip

+1

Very fragile, and heavy.

 

[Novus Collectus]

Could be really neat--but I would imagine that PW would be hard to work with and somewhat expensive as a raw material.

Don't know if it would be cheaper, but artificially made petrified wood could be carved while it is still wood.

Artificial petrified wood has been produced in a Washington lab. In the process small cubes of pine were soaked in an acid bath for two days then in a silica solution for another two. The product was then cooked at 1400 °C in an argon atmosphere for two hours. The result was silicon carbide ceramic which preserved the intricate cell structure of the wood. Soaking in a tungsten solution produced a tungsten carbide petrified wood.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrified_wood#Artificial_petrified_wood

 

[Boxhead]

Perhaps you are thinking of stabilized spalted wood? Whereby wood is allowed to rot or "spalt" typlically beautifying than is stabilized with hardeners to allow finishing into a grip. Here's a pair of spalted maple on the gun on the left. They have no finish on them, just polished, and are very hard and durable

 

[rcmodel]

+2

Very fragile, and very heavy.
Don't drop them.

The stabilized spalted wood shown above in Boxheads post is a whole nother story.
I've used it on custom knives, and it is strikingly beautiful and tough as all get out. It also no heavier then Diamondwood or Micarta.


rcmodel

 

[ClarkEMyers]

I don't know how much difference there is between petrified wood and petrified ivory or tooth enamel. Lots of petrified ivory out there in simple shapes like the 1911 - works but does not have the warm feel of ivory.