How to customize your 1911 grips

[Woodnut]

Originally Posted by ehughes

http://www.northcoastknives.com/nort...s_Supplies.htm

this is a site i use for knife making supplies, but they do stock wood for scales, there's maple burl and coco bolo and what not you might use for grips, also, what are the dimensions of a standard 1911 grip

Thanks for the link, I will check it out. I am always looking for different woods. At the present I am looking for some Buffalo horn that is large enough for grips, also regular stag.

If you are talking about the scales. The minimum measurements the scales have to be are 1 and 5/8 wide, 4 and 3/4 long and should be 3/8 of an inch thick for the standard grip. They can be made with 5/16 thick, but you don't have much room to sand and finish because the finished grip needs to be about .250 to .260. If you want the dimensions for the finished grip and hole centers, I can give you that in a later post, I don't have those dimensions in my head, I will have to measure. I will be glad to give you those measurements if you want. Just let me know.
Thanks for the post and looking at my thread.
Carl

[Woodnut]

This is a pair of Ajax pewter grips that I ordered for someone and he wanted me to enhance the engraving. I decided to post a before and after picture to show the difference it makes. The grip on the left is in its original condition, the one on the right is the after enhancement. These would look good on a blued gun or on a stainless for that matter. The darking of the background made all the difference in the world. I think they are a lot better looking now than before. It seemed to me to make them look more expensive, and elegant.
Some thoughts please!!!
Enjoy the pictures.

[ehughes]

the pewter is cool, i would imagine they get hot in the sun though, or cold in the winter for that matter, anyway, yeah the dimensions i was looking for were the finished ones, i hve the measurement for the screw holes i just need the height and width of the finished grip, thanks, and i believe there was some buffalo horn on nck, might not be big enough though

[Woodnut]

Originally Posted by ehughes

the pewter is cool, i would imagine they get hot in the sun though, or cold in the winter for that matter, anyway, yeah the dimensions i was looking for were the finished ones, i hve the measurement for the screw holes i just need the height and width of the finished grip, thanks, and i believe there was some buffalo horn on nck, might not be big enough though

The temperature is something I hadn't thought of. Guess because I am used to an indoor range and I do not carry a weapon on a daily basis. It's something to think about when buying grips. Here is a rough drawing of the measurements you wanted. Keep in mind that these measurements can vary depending on the look you want on the frame, but they will be close. The grips are .250 to .265 thick or 1/4 to 5/16 in inches. If I can be of further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Thanks
Carl

[Woodnut]

I have finally gotten back to the shop to build more grips and customize some that I already have in stock. Today I am showing a pair of fancy maple that I decided to darken the outline of the design to make it pop out a little better. Personally I really like the look, of course its not for everyone. Grips and design are a matter of personal taste. This is a nice example of fancy maple, lots of burl and depth. Grain just swirls all around and glistens when turned in the light. It is finished with Birch Wood Casey Tru Oil. This is a pair of grips that really must be held in hand to appreciate the beauty of the wood. The stippled design and cut border really adds to them.
Enjoy the pictures, will have more soon.

[Woodnut]

Here you will find a photo of a pair of Flame Box Elder. This is the first time for me with this wood. Even stabilized it tends to wrap when sanded on a belt sander. I am not sure if the process for stabilizing was done incorrect or what, but as beautiful as the wood is I was disappointed in how it worked. Maybe I got some bad wood, it is cross cut and I am not too fond of cross cut. I have one more piece I am going to try, it is out of the same block so I can see if it is just a bad piece of wood. I am anxious to see how it holds up under firring. The grain is great lots of red and different colors. Makes for a nice looking set of grips.
Hope you enjoy the pictures.

[Woodnut]

This is the set of pewter grips after I finished them. Just wanted to show what a nice looking set of grips they turned out to be. Of course it's not for everyone but some awesome grips for the person with this taste. The darkened background really makes them pop, huh.? Check back in an earlier post to see what the grip looked like before darkening the back ground.
Enjoy!

[Woodnut]

This post has been temporally removed

[JLA]

Not at all woodnut, I myself, am baffled at your expertise and thoroughly enjoy viewing your work. Keep it up.

[Woodnut]

Hi all, I am back from my vacation and am working on some new grips now. Should have some new pictures for you this afternoon or tonight. This wood will turn out beautiful I'm sure, can't wait to make the split and see what I have got. I always love a surprise.
Carl

[Woodnut]

I did not do as promised but I have a good excuse. I was called out of town on business and just got back Tuesday

Anyway here are the first pair of the wood that I acquired. It is Afzelia, and the first of it I have worked. It works wonderful and is a beautiful piece of wood. This particular piece is burl and the grain is just fantastic. It swirls all around and glistens in the light. It almost looks like the grain is raised above the surface of the wood, there is so much depth. It is a really must see in person to appreciate.
I will post more as they are made, if the interest is still here.
ENJOY!

[Woodnut]

Hey Guys and Gals I need some advise.!!
I have these Maltese Crosses that I made out of Mother of Pearl and am open to suggestions as to what kind of wood to inlay them in. I can't seem to make up my mind if I want a dark wood like Ironwood or Walnut, Ebony, Rosewood etc. or a lighter wood. Would you please put in a suggestion as to what you like. The wood with the most suggestions will make up my mind. These crosses are cut to a little under one eighth on an inch thick and rounded on the back to fit the curve of the grip when inlaid.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Later
Carl

I can show a larger picture if anyone wants to see an enlargement.

[Woodnut]

It has been a long time since I have posted any of my work. The thread seemed to lose interest. I am still working wood as usual. Here is the last pair I completed. They are made out of Laminated Cocobolo with inlaid initials. It is really a beautiful pair of grips. Let me know what you think. With a few responses I will post more pictures.
Thanks
Carl

[Shooter45]

Carl, you are building some nice grips so keep the posts and pics coming. I brought back a few board feet of Cocobolo from Central America a few years ago. I had planned on trying my hand at grip making but my time is limited and it would take years to complete the project.

[RunningOnMT]

Woodnut I really enjoy seeing your beautiful work. I had wondered why you hadn't posted any pics in awhile. Please keep them coming. What did you do with the Maltese crosses?

[anfoman76]

Beautiful Work Sir

[Woodnut]

Good morning all.
Shooter45d;
I would love to get my hands on some of that Cocobolo you have. It should be really dry by now. If you would part with a small piece of it, PM me and we will discuss thickness and beauty. I like to have pieces large enough to split and bookmach my grips. Thanks for sharing the information.

RunningOnMT:
I sold the crosses as is to a gentleman that wanted to try his hand at inlay work. I did build another set out of the same material, (I kept the pattern), but just like before I still don't know what I want to put them in. Dark or light.

anforman76;
Thanks for the kind words. It is really appreciated.

Since my last post a few months ago, I have been practicing metal engraving and it is coming along quite well. I plan to start with engraving knife bolsters and if I get good enough I might try my hand at gun engraving.
As I progress I will post some pictures of my work. I have a long way to go to get to where I want to be, so it may be a while.
I will have more grip pictures soon. The ones pictured above are special order and are .335 om thickness which is oversize for large hands. The normal size is .250. This is the second set I have made for this man and he swears it has helped his shooting 90%. His hands are just to large to hold the 1911 comfortably with the regular grips.
Enough babbling for now.
Enjoy the pics and keep checking back for more beauty of the wood.
Carl

[Insulation Tim]

What an Eye Opener for me. These are quite beautiful?

There is a real beauty to wood, but it takes an artisan to bring it out. I'm always amazed when I go to art shows, to see some of the things that Wood Turners create.

Keep up the great work.

[Woodnut]

Talk about beauty. This is a set of AZ. Desert Ironwood that I find absolutely gorgeous. The wood is so hard and dense that it needs no finish, it just polishes out to a mirror finish. It's like you can just look down into the grain of the wood. The contrast and swirls of the grain just make it a fine wood for grips. The burl is getting harder and harder to find.
Enjoy!

[awtoyscom]

amazing wood, looks great

[cranky cj]

Love your work. Pure art. I saved the pic of the one post of dimensions. Do you have a template you could post of both R and L sides, to include thicknesses. Reading this thread, I may want to take a wack at this. I dabble in woodworking also. Nothing compared to what you have the ability to do.

[jacksonco]

You are truely gifted. I wish that I could make something as beautiful from a piece of wood as you have. I always enjoy pics of your work.

[Woodnut]

Originally Posted by cranky cj

Love your work. Pure art. I saved the pic of the one post of dimensions. Do you have a template you could post of both R and L sides, to include thicknesses. Reading this thread, I may want to take a wack at this. I dabble in woodworking also. Nothing compared to what you have the ability to do.

Sorry I do not use a template. But will help and guide you through the process anytime you want to start a pair. I am at your service, I love helping people and don't have any secrets when it comes to wood work.
The only jig I have made is one to drill the holes. I drill the first hole then lay this jig on the grip and drill the second hole through the hole that is in the jig. The jig has one grip bushing mounted on it that inserts in the first hole drilled and a hole in the right spot in the other end. The holes are the most critical part of grip making.
Hope this helps. I sure Hope you will start a set soon. Just PM me and I will help from start to finish. Here is a picture of a set of Mesquite Burl on a Dan Wesson, with a close up of the grain. I think the grain is just stunning.

[1shot1k]

Dear Mr. Woodnut sir, I have recently been admiring your handiwork. You certainly do good crafting and have your grips
and related down pat.

Wanted to mention something I have done. I joined this forum around 11/08 right after mom died. When I took care of her funeral
on a saturday, my wife told me to get out of the house and go
do something to walk around, such as the gun show going on that
Sunday - story short - I'd been wanting to pick up a 1911 again but broke as usual so I got a very good shooting Old LlamaA1 at show,
just to have something to plink and start up again with.

Anyway , weapon had current nice coated wood grips, smooth
in surface. After a couple weekends I thought I would play around
with some new grips. The Llama grips are unique to the weapon
receiver holes ( more later on this ) so I got apeice of ash and not
having tools or shop access you probably had, I used basic sanding and my extensive Dremmil to make a decent new set and they
fit as expected - then I used my plan - in past I have made many
desk pen set type items for people , usually with some sort of
miniature involved relating to them incorporated in to set-
after properly staining wood to effect , I have always then utilized
a material from Micheals or similar that consists of twobottles of
resin ( resin + Hardner or accelrator ) to coat said desk plaque.

Anyway , for these new grips, I left them plain, light sanding,
tackd, than several coats of Ivory paint. After proper drying,
I aplied the Resin coat, left for 48 hr, then sanded the underneaths
to remove drops and runovers, etc. They turned out pretty good.

I am trying to get my camera going and I will send pics. I want
to make a new set now , and utilize wood effect after watching some
of your work and would be glad for your advice when i do.

Following data I would like to provide for any interested : concerning
what Iv'e learned about this Llama version-

> studied web very thoroughly for info this weapon and can at
least speak with some authority to the following -

1. Yes no longer made , parts scarce ...?
2. MANY posts per web some/none parts interchange w/1911A1.

3. Actual truth - this particular weapon will interchange with ALL
1911A1 parts EXCEPT -

a. Grips ( hole placement +threaded receiver vs. grommets )
b. EXTRACTOR is SIDE/VENT type vs. within slide like FR PIN

Anyway, will get pics up soon and will be thinking about new type
of wood design thanks to your posts.
Regards,

[Woodnut]

[QUOTE=1shot1k;390535]
[ Quote "Dear Mr. Woodnut sir, I have recently been admiring your handiwork. You certainly do good crafting and have your grips
and related down pat."
[/COLOR][/B]

1shot1k: Thanks so much for the kind words and comments, it is much appreciated. That is what keeps me going.

In the beginning the purpose of starting this thread was to help people learn how to make and customize grips. There has been very little interest in this knowledge. I just want you to know that I am here to help in any way that I can to make you or anyone else a grip maker or learn how to carve, inlay or any part of the art that you wish to learn.
A very minimal amount of tools are required, since everything is mostly done by hand. However there are many tricks to make it work out the way you want it to. That's the part that I can help with. We can communicate by thread, phone or email, whichever you prefer.It might be better to do it by thread. That way everyone could have the knowledge and might get the urge to try it their self.
As far as the Llama is concerned, I owned one years ago and you are correct in saying almost every part will interchange with the standard 1911.
I have a lot of calls for grips for this gun, but I have no pattern or measurements to work from. If you start building them I will be glad to send these people to you. You almost have to have a frame to build the grips and get a good wood to metal fit, and to get the screw holes correct.
For now I will say that I appreciate your interest. It sounds like you have the ability to do what ever you want, and the desire to do it. I would love to see some of the work that you mentioned. Please feel free to post it on this thread or send it to me via email (h2owork@aol.com). I am looking forward to working with you and walking you through the steps that you have questions with.
Thanks again
Carl