1911 Grips

ryanbp01 · Post by **ryanbp01** » Thu Nov 03, 2011 4:23 pm

How would you go about checkering the grips?

BPR

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Thu Nov 03, 2011 4:24 pm

ryanbp01 wrote:How would you go about checkering the grips?

BPR

If I wanted checkered grips, I'd go buy them.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu Nov 03, 2011 9:00 pm

ryanbp01 wrote:How would you go about checkering the grips?

BPR

I think THAT was what he started with and wanted to replace.

mustangpalmer1911 · Post by **mustangpalmer1911** » Thu Nov 03, 2011 9:20 pm

I have no idea how to checker them. I love the smoth grips checkering ruins the beauty of the grips if ya ask me. I have rubber checkerd grips i swap on if I need the extra grip.

jimthej · Post by **jimthej** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 1:19 am

Checkering is done with tools much like a scratch tool for beading. http://www.amazon.com/DEMBART-CHECKING-Dem-Bart-Checkering-Tool/dp/B003A07GMC
This is a relatively inexpensive tool set.
In 1951, when my dad sporterized his '03-A3 he did the checkering with a filed broken pocket knife blade. He drew the lines with a sharp pencil and a flexible ruler, then scratched them in with the blade. Sixty years later, it's still not perfectly even, but it still looks darn good.

tom_k/mo · Post by **tom_k/mo** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 8:36 am

I know someone that has an Epilog laser engraver and checkered a set of grips with that. I was amazed at how well it turned out. He made the checker design a grayscale image, and set the engraver so the darker the color, the deeper it would engrave. Doing this he actually got the tapered checkering just like done by hand.

tom_k/mo · Post by **tom_k/mo** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 8:44 am

I got this picture from Gordon, These grips were checkered with his laser engraver. Pretty cool, huh?

[ATTACH]14655[/ATTACH]

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 10:00 am

tom_k/mo wrote:I got this picture from Gordon, These grips were checkered with his laser engraver. Pretty cool, huh?

[ATTACH]14655[/ATTACH]

YES Indeedy!

jimsjinx · Post by **jimsjinx** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 8:29 am

If you want the old grips,(and I'd keep them if I were you), I'll strip them for ya. No charge,cept' postage. I can get them clean as new with our strip system at my shop. The beauty of my system, it won't ruin the original checkering, and gets ALL the crud out of the wood. Just an offer, should ya need the pistol original someday. jimsjinx

wlhayesmfs · Post by **wlhayesmfs** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 8:39 am

I agree on keeping the old grips, I carried the 1911 many years ago when I was a police officer and have several grips for it but have alway kept the original grips just because, that is a really nice offer to clean them for you. Just shows you the class of the guys in this group. Love the knowledge in this group
Thanks