I think so. The brass is kinda common. So is maple and walnut and other brownish or black woods. All kinda done and rehashed. But for a hunting pistola, what could be better than a naturally red wood named BloodWood!
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1860 Army Blackhawk
- Thread starter Sharps40
- Start date
Time to make the grips. Started by stripping down the gun and bagging all the parts. Got another small handful of stuff like the pins and screws and loading gate that I can start bluing tomorrow evening. For now, all in the house work cause its too darn hot to be inna garage or the workshop.
So....a tracing of the grip frame and I label both sides...helps me get left and right correct as I want to select the outside and inside of surfaces of the wood and not make a mistake and have em reversed later.
Once cut out I lay the template on the frame to see if it lays well and to make sure its a whisker bigger than the overall grip.
Lookin at the end grain, it ain't sawed from the middle of the tree and the curve is not sharp so I'm not too concerned which side will be front or back from a warping perspective....ordinarly, if it shows a good curve I put it concave shape facing inward cause that's the likely direction it could move.
But, neat pores in the end grain. Might be neat if some of those dots show thru as the wood is shaped from blocky to curvy....maybe it'll look like a strawberry.
Just a quick look on the gun and the camera washes out the colors but the darkest red is next to the black frame. It lightens a bit moving back and down to a golden streak near the bottom rear of the grip. I'll position the template on the wood to make sure the color gradients are the same on the left and right sides....that is, dark at the frame and becoming lighter and a bit golden as you go back and down. Course, as I pare away the excess wood, the colors could change and throw off my plans....wood can be fickle.
That's it for the night. Sippin Woodford Rocks and relaxin with 750 new megagiggles and the Roku is runnin free movies on the big screen again with no stopping to load and load and load.....
So....a tracing of the grip frame and I label both sides...helps me get left and right correct as I want to select the outside and inside of surfaces of the wood and not make a mistake and have em reversed later.
Once cut out I lay the template on the frame to see if it lays well and to make sure its a whisker bigger than the overall grip.
Lookin at the end grain, it ain't sawed from the middle of the tree and the curve is not sharp so I'm not too concerned which side will be front or back from a warping perspective....ordinarly, if it shows a good curve I put it concave shape facing inward cause that's the likely direction it could move.
But, neat pores in the end grain. Might be neat if some of those dots show thru as the wood is shaped from blocky to curvy....maybe it'll look like a strawberry.
Just a quick look on the gun and the camera washes out the colors but the darkest red is next to the black frame. It lightens a bit moving back and down to a golden streak near the bottom rear of the grip. I'll position the template on the wood to make sure the color gradients are the same on the left and right sides....that is, dark at the frame and becoming lighter and a bit golden as you go back and down. Course, as I pare away the excess wood, the colors could change and throw off my plans....wood can be fickle.
That's it for the night. Sippin Woodford Rocks and relaxin with 750 new megagiggles and the Roku is runnin free movies on the big screen again with no stopping to load and load and load.....
45 colt arrived. A bit worse than I thought. A 1974 Blackhawk. Barely a new model. Freckled all over the frame and progressing to light pitting. Ugly Pachmeyer grip. Loose on the cylinder pin. And very likely not cleaned in or out since 1974.
On the good side. After a quick clean and inspection... Perfect bore. Shiny cylinders. Betcha it was carried daily or at least stored in leather.
Not sure if its a keeper. Might be best to clean, inspect and sell or trade it. If it shoots good....I don't know. Its for sure going to take more effort in freckle removal than its worth!
Maybe I should bead blast it. Oh well. Let it sit. It'll gel later.
I hope it don't get looser with cleaning. I think I'm gonna drop it in a tub of gasoline or kero or maybe onna them big tubs o carb cleaner (the smell good kind) and let it soak for a week or two.
On the good side. After a quick clean and inspection... Perfect bore. Shiny cylinders. Betcha it was carried daily or at least stored in leather.
Not sure if its a keeper. Might be best to clean, inspect and sell or trade it. If it shoots good....I don't know. Its for sure going to take more effort in freckle removal than its worth!
Maybe I should bead blast it. Oh well. Let it sit. It'll gel later.
I hope it don't get looser with cleaning. I think I'm gonna drop it in a tub of gasoline or kero or maybe onna them big tubs o carb cleaner (the smell good kind) and let it soak for a week or two.
After some rough cut out...over to the drill press and 80g drum for some rough shaping.
A bit of a stub was left on the bottom of the grip so I could thin the board on the jointer to just shy of 1/2" thick then taper it on the belt sander. All the initial thinning and tapering is done on the back to get a panel that is flat and sits on the brass frame well.
First fit adjustment, before the panels are sanded to metal, is the 90 degree corner at the top. Kiss with files or sandpaper or whatever on the high spots till the grip mates to the frame.
With the stub cut off and the upper corners fitted its time to stop and make up a cross bolt and drill the trigger guard for a grip pin down low.
The 1860 Army Colt grip panels are 1/2" thick at the bottom of the frame. These Bloodwood panels will be close to the same....perhaps a bit smaller.
A bit of a stub was left on the bottom of the grip so I could thin the board on the jointer to just shy of 1/2" thick then taper it on the belt sander. All the initial thinning and tapering is done on the back to get a panel that is flat and sits on the brass frame well.
First fit adjustment, before the panels are sanded to metal, is the 90 degree corner at the top. Kiss with files or sandpaper or whatever on the high spots till the grip mates to the frame.
With the stub cut off and the upper corners fitted its time to stop and make up a cross bolt and drill the trigger guard for a grip pin down low.
The 1860 Army Colt grip panels are 1/2" thick at the bottom of the frame. These Bloodwood panels will be close to the same....perhaps a bit smaller.
First step is setting up the trigger guard with a locating pin. It helps with making the grip panels and keeps em from rockin around later.
Pin is then used to transfer a mark on each grip panel for drilling.
Panels stuck on and looking like a pretty good fit.
Transferring some marks from the frame that when sanded to will leave the grips still a bit large.
Using the coil spring as a guide, I marked locations inside each grip panel and drilled for a 6x32 brass grip panel screw. I then used an 8x32 nut, drilled out #27 drill and rounded and countersunk with a flat reamer to make up the washer for the screw head. Here its in place with a small blob of acraglas to keep it in place forever.
Pin is then used to transfer a mark on each grip panel for drilling.
Panels stuck on and looking like a pretty good fit.
Transferring some marks from the frame that when sanded to will leave the grips still a bit large.
Using the coil spring as a guide, I marked locations inside each grip panel and drilled for a 6x32 brass grip panel screw. I then used an 8x32 nut, drilled out #27 drill and rounded and countersunk with a flat reamer to make up the washer for the screw head. Here its in place with a small blob of acraglas to keep it in place forever.
For the opposite side, a 6x32 brass nut is rounded and tapered and fitted to a 1/4" hole for a light drive fit. Once its right, I countersink the left grip panel and drive in the threaded washer. Once driven in, it'll stay in.
Initial shaping was conducted on the bench sander belt and with drums and a file and then with a jitterbug. The nut is in place and the shape is coming along well on the back strap for the left panel. The inside loop is where all the hard work is.
Similar work completed on the Right side along the backstrap and up top near the hammer.
That don't look like much wood but that 1/16" inch with proper shaping too will take all the time and make all the difference on this grip frame.
Getting there.
Initial shaping was conducted on the bench sander belt and with drums and a file and then with a jitterbug. The nut is in place and the shape is coming along well on the back strap for the left panel. The inside loop is where all the hard work is.
Similar work completed on the Right side along the backstrap and up top near the hammer.
That don't look like much wood but that 1/16" inch with proper shaping too will take all the time and make all the difference on this grip frame.
Getting there.
Final fitting and sanding is done. What you can't see right now....and I'll show it later, is a wood block inside the grip at the backstrap. Serving mainly as a catch block for the trigger return spring legs....should they ever slip out they will be impinged by the filler block and unable to drop down....trigger function gaurenteed. Second purpose is to form a wood sammich up top where the wood is a bit thin and down to the edge of the grip screw....ya can sinch it down a bit tighter without bowing the wood. However, this wood is so hard and dense that I doubt it will ever bend or crack and it sure sands nice. Best smoothest worn out 220g finish I ever saw on a hunk o wood. 400g would likely result in a polish.
Inside loop is done and I left the grips slightly proud of the steel frame and the bottom edge of the trigger guard (and a bit all around too). Room to refinish later and allows for a bit of a rounded edge, less likely to chip or splinter with use.
I made the bottom dead flat instead of flat with up facing bevels like the 1860 Army Colt wood grips.
Inside loop is done and I left the grips slightly proud of the steel frame and the bottom edge of the trigger guard (and a bit all around too). Room to refinish later and allows for a bit of a rounded edge, less likely to chip or splinter with use.
I made the bottom dead flat instead of flat with up facing bevels like the 1860 Army Colt wood grips.
I decided I like the urethane finish best, the amber tone leaves a touch of the red and brings out some of the golds in the wood. So the first double coat rubbed in hard till its nearly dry.
At this point, should be able to put 5 or so coats, hand rubbed with 0000 steel wool after drying each time and a final rub out with fff and then waxed....a day or two of occasional work.
From there, I spect the final steps will be to complete the bluing and get it together for final function tests and then off to the range for performance tests.
At this point, should be able to put 5 or so coats, hand rubbed with 0000 steel wool after drying each time and a final rub out with fff and then waxed....a day or two of occasional work.
From there, I spect the final steps will be to complete the bluing and get it together for final function tests and then off to the range for performance tests.
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Ya should hold this thing. As good as the Lightning points, this lines up better. First handgun I ever owned where the barrel is exactly in line with the inner bone of my forearm.....both the bone and barrel are in the same axis pointing dead forward. This, moreso than the fat factory grips on the Blackhawks, should be an awesome and accurate one hand pointer.
