Grips worthy of new NAA model

45flint · March-07-12 05:03

We know that the new gun will be based on the Magnum grip. Trying to do a grip that is over the top for the new model that is coming. Picked up these knife scales last night, never seen anything like them. They are a stabilized dyed wood burl. The blue goes all the way through he assured me.

grayelky · March-07-12 05:03

I don't know about the new one coming out, but they would look fabulous on one of the blued minis I have!! Sandy has promised they are working on a color case mini. I suspect your material would also look great on one of those.

capn · March-07-12 08:03

45flint, as soon as I opened your note and saw that photo, I said, "WOW!". My wife even looked up to see. We're both impressed.

Can't wait to see what you do with those.

ikoiko · March-07-12 09:03

When I opened the post and saw the picture, I thought you were making a presentation of the scales and they were behind a curtain. Didn't realize it was the scales themselves I was viewing.

Really neat looking. Does burl give you a lot of trouble working with it? Have you ever seen snakewood? If not, give it a look. Bunch of examples here if you scroll down http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/snakewood.htm">http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/snakewood.htm If you have worked with it, I'd like to pick your brain about it.

chopprs · March-07-12 10:03

Wow, that is CA-RaIzEEE!!!!

How do they get like that? How do they get the die to do that?

45flint · March-07-12 10:03

Ikoiko, All figuired wood can give you trouble. By its nature you have grain going every which way. For grips, however, my main way of shaping is belt sander and small sanding drum on a dremel. So I really don't usually have issues cause you are sanding not cutting. The big issues I have is planning the piece to utilize the color and pattern to it most advantage given the shape of the grip. Also in shaping you remove a lot of surface so the pattern and color most often can change on you when you get to the final surface. I am sure that will be the challenge on the scale above. I have changed the thickness of a grip to get the pattern I want. It really is a lot of the fun really you don't have any idea what they will really look like till its almost done. I have not used snakewood but have seen it. For some reason I am not drawn to it. I would rather be in antler-ivory material really. I do love burl wood and love blue so I thought I would give the one above a try when I first saw it. Basically I had to have it when I saw it. Feel free to email me if you have any questions or ask them in this thread.

45flint · March-07-12 10:03

Chopper, I really don't know, I know when they stabilize wood they put it under a vacuum and let the resin go throughout the wood. They do that with the Mammoth Ivory as well. I assume they put the dye under the vacuum as well or have the dye be in the resin. I don't have them yet so it will be interesting if they are as cool as they look in the picture. I really have looked for interesting scales for a while to make grips and have never seen anything like this.

ikoiko · March-07-12 10:03

45flint

   Would I be correct in assuming that burl (and something such as birdseye maple) would be tough to do on a CNC machine? I was thinking of some Chong grips for my naas as I definitely don't find much to grip (or is that what my wife told me?).



   From what Ive read on snakewood, if you let it get hot from sanding or working it, it cracks, even if stabilized.

ikoiko · March-07-12 11:03

45flint

   Looking at your scales again, they put me in mind of the mammoth tooth scales or other such matter that has changed color due to minerals in the water/ground where it was buried.



   Kauri wood also looks interesting http://www.thewoodturnersstudio.co.nz/pages/KauriBlanks.htm">http://www.thewoodturnersstudio.co.nz/pages/KauriBlanks.htm



   Again, those blanks you have are really nice.

widow420 · March-07-12 12:03

never considered changing grips on my mini until i saw this. wow!

45flint · March-07-12 13:03

I think a CNC machine may work it or may not. You would have no feel for the places the cutter was set to go. I think that could be problematic if the surface had certain issues you may have to adjust for.

blitzkrieger · March-07-12 20:03

Dude!!!!!!!! Those scales are beyond awesome!!!!

On top of that, blue and green....my fav!

Where did u find em, I want some.

widow420 · March-07-12 20:03

if you can make them the same size as the black widow stock grips i may be quite interested.

no promise. just thinking on it.

45flint · March-07-12 20:03

Better wait till I get them, the guy may just be a great picture taker. We will see.

RogueTS1 · March-07-12 21:03

BEAUTIFUL.......... I love them.

zippovarga · March-07-12 23:03

Book matched scales are BEAUTIFUL Steve! Typically, when presenting the scales for sale, they will wipe them down real quick with mineral spirits which enhances the figuring and gives the desired depth without hurting the scales like they would if any kind of oil was used to bring out the beauty of the wood. So when you get them, if they look dull and lifeless, just wipe them real quick with a cloth dampened with mineral spirits and you should see all the figuring. BUT...since these have been stabilized, my uneducated guess would be that they will look the same as in the picture. Possibly even nicer!

Uncle_Lee · March-08-12 05:03

That is a beautiful picture.

It looks like silk bed sheets.

45flint · March-24-12 09:03

Back in business with new bandsaw blade. Making ebony guides on this one just because they look good to me but no one will see them!!!

45flint · March-24-12 16:03

Call it a night. Looks like hell but hard part done.

Had enough material to make the spacer out of the blue burl as well. Can't see it yet but the plan is to have this one wrap around with a center seam, like most grips.

Uncle_Lee · March-25-12 05:03

Those are going to be Bar-B-Que grips.

ikoiko · March-25-12 09:03

Looking forward to more pictures as the grips move to completion. Looking good.

45flint · March-25-12 11:03

Not sure what I want to do. I am wanting to do something totally different from my other grips. About a year ago I started a grip up to the cylinder in walnut but never finished it. It had some good grain but nothing like this. This material really lends itself to do this. Given this look I think it may be cool to give it kind of a rounded buccaneer look. The burl grain also seems to run in this direction. I outlined it in pencil? Realize I have a lot of rounding and trimming to do just don't want to go farther without a feel for where I want to go.

Steve

45flint · March-25-12 15:03

Given the thinness of these scales, I did my first center seam boot, using two thin scales pieces epoxied to either side.

blitzkrieger · April-01-12 12:04

So how are these grips coming along? Quite interested in seeing a finished product and how the grain looks compared to the original pic of the scales.

45flint · April-01-12 12:04

So I am, on vacation, on a trip to San Diego to see my daughter and her husband. Have the grips and the presentation case waiting to be finished at home. So far the fit of the grip is very good, start fine shaping when I get back next week. Really going to take my time on this grip, has potential to be so cool. It is blue clear through but grain pattern will change as I take material off. Really like that the spacer is the same material. Ironically these grips will not work with the Sidewinder

blitzkrieger · April-01-12 12:04

So did you find these on ebay? I am looking for something similar to these for my "second" attempt at grips. The first attempt was years ago. I think I have matured quite enough to sucessfully make a quality set now. lol

45flint · April-01-12 13:04

Yes but he has not put any more up for sale If I see any more I will tell you

blitzkrieger · April-01-12 13:04

Would definetly appreciate it ;)

ikoiko · April-01-12 13:04

Blitz

   I haven't made any grips in a long time, and at that, only one pair . . . . But for a few months I've been looking at different woods etc. here's one site that may interest you

   http://woodstabilizer.com/">http://woodstabilizer.com/

   Did a search on dyed burl wood grip blanks. Don't know if it's what you're looking for, or how prices compare to Zippo's supplier.

   Here's another one http://shop.arizonaironwood.com/Knife-Scales-Pistol-Grips_c107.htm">http://shop.arizonaironwood.com/Knife-Scales-Pistol-Grips_c107.htm



    Good luck

blitzkrieger · April-01-12 15:04

Wow, thanks Ikoiko, I'll definetly look into that site for some scales. What I see so far looks great.

coinchop · April-01-12 17:04

You guy keep this up and I may have to try grips again. Been years, and then I used walnut. Have lots of that.. Also have half of an antique ivory cue ball. Last ivory cue balls were made about 1900.

Have some desert ironwood thats a joy to work with.

Maybe this fall.

ikoiko · April-01-12 18:04

Oops, meant 45Flint's supplier..

45flint · April-02-12 09:04

Arizona Ironwood looks interesting. My scale was buckeye burl dyed blue. They dye but I don't see that they stablize. Not sure the stabization is necessary? My scale was $41 in a competitive eBay bid. I think my guy takes better pictures!!!!! That's how you sell product online. My supplier was a knife maker from Alaska.

ikoiko · April-02-12 10:04

I started digging around in my quest for Snake Wood and also fossilized ivory for grips . . . .that turned into is snake wood stable and workable (esp on cnc machine) and will the fossil ivory hold up as a gun grip. No definitive answers found, but stumbled across lots of different exotic woods.

coinchop · April-02-12 10:04

45

I have used ironwood for knife handles that came from wood carvings bought at pawn shops, junk stores, etc. Picked up a ironwood duck awhile back and picked it up by the head to show my grandaughter and the head broke off. Lots of grips there.../