Who makes Abalone grips?

[SHOOT1SAM]

I showed a pic of abalone grips to my wife and she just about drooled over 'em! The problem is, while I can find pictures of them, I can't seem to find who makes them...

I have used the "Search" function and didn't find any info as to who might make them.

I went through every grip link in the Handgun Accessories forum (and several of those links desperately need to be updated).

If anyone can point me to someone(s) who make grips from abalone and other materials, I will greatly appreciate it.

Sam

 

[Panzerschwein]

They look neat! An abalone is a type of snail, not a clam.

 

[owlhoot]

Nobody makes abalone grips for handguns. You can sometimes find small clasp knives with abalone scales but that's about it. Pearl grips can be purchased from Eagle Grips for some gun models, but they are quite expensive and prone to chipping and cracking unless much care is taken not to knock them against hard objects.

I do see some very showy grips made with abalone insets and mosaics offered on Ebay from time to time. These have been for 1911's and K and J frame S&W's only.

 

[MislMan]

Checkout Wicked grips for abalone 1911 grips. Do a search on'abalone pistol grips'

 

[SHOOT1SAM]

I do see some very showy grips made with abalone insets and mosaics offered on Ebay from time to time.

Exactly, and I have seen some on some guns on Gunbroker...so somebody's making them - I'm just having trouble finding who they are.

Sam

 

[chaim]

There is a guy out of Vietnam who does buffalo horn and buffalo bone grips with abalone inlays (mostly for the 1911 and compact, but some others). I'm thinking about ordering a pair with an abalone Star of David or menorah for my incoming RIA 1911 compact.
http://www.handicraft-vn.com/shop/pistol-grips-1911a1-grips-c-101_102.html?page=2&sort=2a

 

[Panzerschwein]

Tasty AND makes beautiful grips! How lucky we are to have abalone as an animal!

 

[Solomonson]

Would Mother of Pearl suffice?

 

[Solomonson]

There is a guy out of Vietnam who does buffalo horn and buffalo bone grips with abalone inlays (mostly for the 1911 and compact, but some others). I'm thinking about ordering a pair with an abalone Star of David or menorah for my incoming RIA 1911 compact.
http://www.handicraft-vn.com/shop/pistol-grips-1911a1-grips-c-101_102.html?page=2&sort=2a

Of the two, I think the Magen David would look VERY nice...

 

[SHOOT1SAM]

chaim, thank you!

Solomonson, looking for more color than Mother-of-Pearl, but thank you.

Sam

 

[Varminterror]

Kirinite?

 

[Speedo66]

There is a guy out of Vietnam who does buffalo horn and buffalo bone grips with abalone inlays (mostly for the 1911 and compact, but some others). I'm thinking about ordering a pair with an abalone Star of David or menorah for my incoming RIA 1911 compact.
http://www.handicraft-vn.com/shop/pistol-grips-1911a1-grips-c-101_102.html?page=2&sort=2a

There's a used set on Ebay now with one of each. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1911-FULL-S...036058?hash=item1c8caa019a:g:bqkAAOSwrk5ZekVE

 

[zb338]

I heard about Abalone. I have been digging for them for years. Never found one yet.
I guess they are scarce around Eastern, Pa..

Zeke

 

[Bwana John]

Just jump in and get yourself some!

 

[Speedo66]

Mmmm, abalone! We used to get fried abalone sandwiches in Monterey at the town dock when I was stationed at Ft. Ord in the late 60's. I think the seals now own the dock. That would be marine mammals, not members of the navy.

 

[Bwana John]

Mmmm, abalone! We used to get fried abalone sandwiches in Monterey at the town dock when I was stationed at Ft. Ord in the late 60's. I think the seals now own the dock. That would be marine mammals, not members of the navy.

It is sea lions that rule the docks. Sea lions are "tier 1" operators compared to regular (harbor) seals.

 

[Twiki357]

I can’t imagine abalone shell being thick enough to make grips. I was an avid scuba diver in California in the 1950s to 1970s and acquired hundreds of abalone shells. The shells are beautiful, but also thin and chip very easily. Grips would have to be an overlay on some other type of base material to even be able to install them.

 

[Bwana John]

Yes without laminating somthing substantial to both sides of the nacre, abalone would make very poor grips.

Never mind the Patton quote about who would use nacreous material for pistol grips...

 

[SHOOT1SAM]

These:

https://www.terapeak.com/worth/gree...bone-brass-and-ebony-1911-grips/151692418410/

are what I have been searching for. I realized I should have been more specific about abalone inlays, but for the life of me I can't find who made these.

Sam