Trust me.... I know what I'm doing....

[MacTech]

I've decided to embark on a little quest/project with my latest toy, a S&W 686-1 .357

I need to find a set of synthetic ivory grips, and a good quality picture/screen cap of the grips on the gun used by Inspector Sledge Hammer, then take the grips and reference pics to the engraver that has a table set up in KTP, have him engrave the image of the sledgehammer on both grips

Yes I know my gun won't be a perfect recreation, as Sledge used a stainless Model 29 in .44Mag, and mine's a 686 in .357, but still....

Trust me, I know what I'm doing....

 

[CraigC]

I would use something with some color to it but that 'may' be hard to find in a synthetic. TruIvory is the best, followed by Eagle's UltraIvory. The newer ivory paper micarta is also good and has the right color. Don Collins of Collinscraft might be able to help.

 

[Armored farmer]

like these??
A guy in town has a laser engraver. He can do anything you want. Even copy a photo onto your grips.

Yes it shows up best on faux ivory.

 

[LNK]

Find sledge hammer fan site and contact Alan Spencer, he may be able to help you. He will return your email....

LNK

 

[hAkron]

I remember an episode where he rented a target practice video. He popped the tape in his VCR and it was a silhouette target and the audio was a loop of a voice repeating "Shoot me.....Shoot me....Shoot me". Sledgehammer shot the TV.

 

[GBExpat]

Trust me.... I know what I'm doing....

Sounds like something one might hear right after, "Hold my beer ... now watch this!"

 

[Salmoneye]

Holly looks a lot like ivory...

 

[CraigC]

But it can't be scrimshawed.

 

[Salmoneye]

But it can certainly be laser engraved...

 

[Coal Dragger]

Why not do it right and get some real ivory?

Granted it will be expen$ive.

 

[CraigC]

IMHO, holly is too soft for such endeavors.

 

[Jaymo]

Nice N frame, CraigC.
What is that image on the grip panel.

 

[funklord12]

Try contacting Altamont grips. They do synthetic ivory and I am sure they do custom scrimshaw designs. I have pair of their bonded ivory grips on my Super Blackhawk and my 1911.

 

[Salmoneye]

IMHO, holly is too soft for such endeavors.

Holly is pretty hard from my experience...

Holly (and other woods) can readily be laser engraved...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/impulsive7/4683139063/

It was just a suggestion...

 

[CraigC]

Nice N frame, CraigC.
What is that image on the grip panel.

I don't know, it ain't mine.

Holly is pretty hard from my experience...

Holly (and other woods) can readily be laser engraved...

I have over three dozen revolvers with custom grips. Three of those are holly. The rest are maple, spalted birch, ebony, three different walnuts, cocobolo, rosewood, amboyna burl, pau ferro, UltraIvory, TruIvory, micarta and stag. Holly is the softest wood of all that I own.

One of my favorite sixguns wears holly and I'm just not happy with the material's toughness.




If I as setting out to replicate Sledgehammer's grips, I would do them in antique paper micarta or another ivory substitute. They are scrimshawed, not laser engraved and that's what I would do. Don Collins can do oversized target stocks for S&W's in ivory micarta.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

I've decided to embark on a little quest/project with my latest toy, a S&W 686-1 .357

I need to find a set of synthetic ivory grips, and a good quality picture/screen cap of the grips on the gun used by Inspector Sledge Hammer, then take the grips and reference pics to the engraver that has a table set up in KTP, have him engrave the image of the sledgehammer on both grips

Yes I know my gun won't be a perfect recreation, as Sledge used a stainless Model 29 in .44Mag, and mine's a 686 in .357, but still....

Trust me, I know what I'm doing....

I just KNEW this was going to be about Sledge Hammer! when I read the caption!

According to the Internet Movie Firearms Database, the gun Sledge used was a S&W Model 629...the stainless version of the Model 29.

http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Sledge_Hammer!#Smith_.26_Wesson_Model_629

A good shot of the engraving is on that link, too.

I was just thinking last week about a future purchase of a Model 629 with exactly this engraving on the grips. I believe Sledge had the 6 inch barrel, correct me if I'm wrong.

Good show! Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Yo Mama]

I loved Sledge Hammer! How could it only last 2 seasons :banghead:

Love the idea, please show pics of the finished product. Don't shower with your shoulder holster please.

 

[MacTech]

...but it's okay if I sleep with it next to me, on a white satin pillow, right?

....next project, the "Loudener"...

 

[Salmoneye]

Holly is the softest wood of all that I own.

Hmm...Interesting...

Holly and Walnut are almost exactly the same 'hardness'...

http://www.sizes.com/units/janka.htm

My 'softest' grips to date are some I made from Red Cedar...They pick up dings occasionally, but that is to be expected with the use/abuse I sometimes subject my guns to...

 

[MacTech]

Interesting data in that hardness scale, it would certainly explain why up here in Maine when we get heavy snow or high winds (hurricane remnants) that the most common fallen limbs are from Sugar Maple (we call them Rock Maple)

It also explains why it takes me twice as long to chainsaw through maple limbs than through pine, pines flex with the wind and bend with the snow, maple stands proud and defiant, but with little flexion

It also explains why apple wood and maple are prized as heating wood, nice long burn time, pine burns up too quickly and can release resins/pitch that builds up in chimney stacks

 

[Salmoneye]

One of the saddest weeks of my life was watching mature stands of Maple 'exploding' during the ice storm of 1998...

Makes a sugar maker weep...

Some of my best grips are from Spalted Maple from a few of those trees that were relegated to my winter wood pile...

 

[CraigC]

Holly and Walnut are almost exactly the same 'hardness'...

I'm very familiar with what is where on the hardness scale. In actual use, the sixgun above is used heavily but never abused. This Single Six gets carried and shot ten times as much. The holly on the Bisley is banged up, scratched, gouged and dented. Holly is a beautiful wood but I probably won't buy another set. The American black walnut on the Single Six, which has seen far more use than the holly, hardly shows any signs of wear at all. The holly grips that it used to wear, didn't fare so well. Doesn't matter either way because you can't scrimshaw wood anyway.

 

[Salmoneye]

For some reason you seem to be hung up on 'scrimshaw', when the OP said nothing about it...

What he said was 'engraved', and my suggestion of Holly and laser 'engraving' was simply another option other than 'ivory' or synthetics...

 

[CraigC]

I'm "hung up" on scrimshaw because Sledge's grips are obviously scrimshawed. Got no problem with laser engraving but it looks nothing like scrimshaw. Perhaps the OP doesn't know the difference or what it is called?