My first pair of selfmade grips

[TheBoneBabe]

After talking to a friend in FL I decided to make him some special grips for his 1911 Government. The first idea was to order some bonegrips on ebay use them as blanks to carve the surface.Three weeks later I finally had them here...Man was I horribly disappointed... the 100% Beefbone grips where maybe 40% Bone and the rest some dead ugly resin filler, a complete no-go!
So I decided to start from scratch. I have not counted how many pieces I had to discard till I finally managed to have some blanks that fitted smoothly.
Well this is my first pair of grips, still figuring out the settings on my new smartphone camera so the polish doesn't come out but you get an idea.

I have already finished the first grip of the second pair of grips(found out that I am fascinated by the topic) and just hope my friend will like them

[Insulation Tim]

Stunning but it would be nice if you could use smaller or less noticeable screws to hold the grips.

[skullfr]

nice work

[Zane71464]

Very Nice!

[TheBoneBabe]

@ Tim, the screws came with the adapter I used to work on, in the end they get their fancy screws, no worries, but here in Spain it is not a common weapon and I don't exactly get showered with acessoires ;-)

[Bobitis]

Welcome to TFF BB.

Beautiful grips. If yer friend don't like them, ya can send 'em to me.

[76Highboy]

Welcome to the forum. How many hours did that take you to make. Also, can you share with us what your gun laws are like?

Jim

[RunningOnMT]

Welcome aboard Bonebabe. I would love a pair of grips like that. Where did you learn to do this?

[TheBoneBabe]

The first pair took way to many hours to count, if I figure all the failed attempts.Once I got figured out how to cut the basic blank it was smooth sailing, I guess including polishing I´ll be about 20 hrs.My job is carving jewellery out of bone, I am used to carve small detail. On the koi grips I spend so far about 6 hrs, not counting the blanks. I don't think this would actually something marketable as I probably would have to charge about 200€ for a pair but it was a challenge to give this a try and I really enjoy it.
About the gun laws here I don't know all that much save that they are pretty restrictive as the laws are still from Francos time. I remember though that when I had a job where I regularly was carrying big amounts of cash I could have gotten a permit.This entails physical and psychological tests, which are repeated every 12 months, as well as that your firearm is inspected, for a duration of three years then you have to apply for a complete new license. Also the State Police is doing an evaluation about your "conduct", knowing them my guess is that you need a friend or two among them. One license per person, one firearm per license.This excludes those mingy hunting rifle to shoot the undernourished rabbits(easier to snare from my point of view), those are easier to come by.

[TheBoneBabe]

Where did I learn carving in general or carving these grips? Carving bone,tusks and horn has been a hobby for a long time(bone is the perfect substitute for Ivory) and about five years ago I turned my hobby into a fulltime job. The idea with a grips came chatting with a guy in FL who is collecting colts.When he showed me his "custom grips" I was a bit suprised, when I hear "custom" I would think "one of a kind" something that is unique. I was trying to get a demilitarized frame to work on as I couldn't find any colt 1911 Government here on the island but Sarco was fresh out of them :-(. I found out that Pearce is having an adapter to put 1911 grips onto their air-rifle, ordered one had it shipped to my friend to confirm that the grips are fitting also bought some grips to get a feel for them and to use as templates. Admittedly I am bit like a terrier with a bone when I set my mind onto something *grin* Getting the holes right and in the right place working only with a handheld motor was a bit difficult at first but I figured it out in the end.Currently I am working on the koi grips and a pair made of of german Stagantler I want to inlay with some turquoise I got lying around. If I thought it was so much hassle to even start, I might not have done it. Now I think I would like to make my next trip to the states, I would really like to actually shoot a colt

[RunningOnMT]

You are very talented. Do you do cameos?

By all means you have to shoot ANY 1911. They're a breed apart and you just might find another hobby.

[RJay]

I think I love you! I would really like to see other samples of you work, and I'm sure others would also.

[Airdale]

Beautiful work. Please post other samples of your work (don't have to be gun related).

[Squeak]

You & "Woodnut" (sponser of this forun) need to touch bases.
Carl is a REALLY great guy!!!
If you two guys can get together, it might be a good thing.

[hogger129]

Beautiful work.

[BETH]

beautiful work please show up more pictures of other work u have done

[Woodnut]

Great looking grips, especially for the first try. The carving looks awesome.

Take a look at my Gallery, if I can ever be of assistance in any way, don't hesitate to contact me. I will be more than glad to answer any questions about the grip making and inlay process. But it really looks like you might not need any help, from the looks of these grips.
Great job, and please post some more of your fine works.

[TheBoneBabe]

Thanks for making me start my day with a blush
Somehow I can't manage to have the pics within my posts....

[TheBoneBabe]

actually I do have a question.I am using the aforementioned adapter to work the grips on, make them fit,and according to my friend in FL every pair of government grips he tried onto that adapter fit perfectly.Then again I read in some forumpost that even if 1911 are the same model there are tiny differences....So which is true?The idea that I put so much time into a grip and then later on it might rattle around on the frame...UTTER HORROR!!!!!!

[Woodnut]

Originally Posted by TheBoneBabe

actually I do have a question.I am using the aforementioned adapter to work the grips on, make them fit,and according to my friend in FL every pair of government grips he tried onto that adapter fit perfectly.Then again I read in some forumpost that even if 1911 are the same model there are tiny differences....So which is true?The idea that I put so much time into a grip and then later on it might rattle around on the frame...UTTER HORROR!!!!!!

TBB,
I find that the difference in the frames are so small that it does not matter. For the most part they are all mill spec and should interchange. The only thing I can think of that would make them rattle around, as you say, would be that the counter sink portion of the grip is too deep which lets the screw tighten on the bushing itself and not on the grip. This would let any slack in the hole magnify, and would cause a sloppy fit.
Hope I have explained this so you can understand what I am talking about.

[Woodnut]

I forgot to mention that the work you posted is awesome. You have much talent. Keep up the good work and keep posting.
Very Very Nice Work, My Friend.

[berto64]

You are a very talented lady! Welcome to the family!

[dad2thebone]

Welcome to the forum! from what i see you do great work and the hours you put in show. Thanks for the pics it was great to see another artists work. Your the other Carl.

[Zane71464]

Very nice work and looks worthy of an Art Gallery, IMO.