Curly Maple New Vaquero grips

[Love Life]

Just finished these up:

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Spruces the revolver up right nicely!! I’m not a fan of maple, and when I started with this block of wood, it was rather uninspiring. The more I worked into it the more it came to life. I think I like them better than my resin ivory grips!

Let me hear what you think. The good, bad, and ugly. This is my best fitting job yet. The wood and metal come together with no gap and can’t be caught with a fingernail. I didn’t even have to sand the frame (the boo boo’s on the grip frame are from my last set I made, lol). I’m still working on nailing down the finish, and the fit of the curve from the flats at the top to the grip frame.

[ShooterAZ]

Looking good to me, I like em'. The best thing about them is that you made them yourself. Nice work.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Maple is interesting wood to work with, several different patterns in the wood like birdseye, quilted, flame, etc. It's certainly hard enough to make good grips (and gunstocks), and if you think it's too light, a couple of coats of Tru Oil will make it just a shade or two darker. I've used it several times to make a contrasting fore end tip on walnut rifle stocks. I like your grips.

[Beagle333]

Not bad at all. Nice work!!

[onelight]

That is a beautiful piece of wood .
And you did a great job on the grips. Very nice.

[OldBearHair]

Great job of fit/finish Mr. Lovelife. Love that maple! You mentioned "nailing down the finish" and I remember doing some curly maple for a tomahawk handle.. Heated the wood to carmalize the sugar in the wood. It darkened the wood quite well. Google the process.

[jmort]

Nice color contrast between the grips and the metal
Fit and finish dead-nuts-on

[45workhorse]

Color me jealous! The ability and how nice they came out. Well done, Sir!

[Michael J. Spangler]

They look awesome.
I’ve never been a big fan of light color maple though.
I know it’s just my opinion but I think a little dark stain would make them breathtaking.

I might have to try my hand at some grips. I did some 1911 grips in the past but they’re super easy.

[T_McD]

Agree with just a touch darker color, maybe even just oil. Other than that they look like something to brag about, kudos.

[Love Life]

I’d also like them a bit darker. Would you recommend just Tung oil or maybe shellac? Possibly dye? I really like the super glue finish as it’s clear and strong. I’m not sure if it can be applied over an oil based finish. I guess some experimenting is in order!!

I like wood in its natural form. The finish I use just brings out it’s beauty and is a clear finish. I don’t like the current escutcheons I’m using. There are .125 thick. I have some on order that should be .2 thick like current Colt escutcheons. I also have some brass black coming to darken the escutcheons for lighter woods.

[smithnframe]

Very nice work!

[Der Gebirgsjager]

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Click to enlarge.

Posted to show color difference. These grips were made by 4S Grips in Texas, and are spalted maple. First photo shows them as they came. I thought them too light in color, so added two coats of Tru Oil. I wasn't looking for the glossy finish, just to darken the color. If one doesn't like the gloss they can rub the grips back with a light application of 4-0 steel wool, but the color will mostly remain. I'd stay away from shellac myself as it's pretty much a surface only finish and can crack and flake with time. Tung oil will penetrate more deeply and might soften the wood especially at the thin edges. Anyway, best wishes with whatever you do; and again, your grips look very nice.

DG

[Love Life]

I’ll get some to experiment with and thank you for the advice. Im going for waterproof and clear for a coat. I will pick up some different finish stuff next time at Lowe’s. I want to try epifanes as well for a top coat.

[osteodoc08]

Those look really nice. What did you finish them with?

[Michael J. Spangler]

Some of the 1911 grips I’ve done.
I feel like the grain can get lost if it’s not dyed 247357

[Love Life]

That’s a bit dark. Seems like the natural sheen is gone. I’m going to Lowe’s this weekend and will pick up some stuff to try on Maple. I’ve seen a really nice set done with Waterlox that looked near perfect for color.

I’ve got curly walnut I can use for something darker, lol.

To answer OsteoDoc- I use ultra thin CA glue. It gives a nice clear, hard coat. The maple grips have 3 coats and I didn’t really polish them very high. I can take them to 2,000 grit and buff with wax and they’ll shine like glass. I started using CA glue after having a couple knife handles done with it, and really like it for durability and bringing out chatoyance.

[txbirdman]

I’ve got similar grips on my 50th Anniversary .44 Ruger.


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[Love Life]

Some new escutcheons arrived in the mail today from Numrich. These are much better than the other ones I used. They are taller, and overall just a better quality.

I also want to thank everyone who has commented and given me tips. You have given me a lot to ponder, and some experiments are in order!

[lar45]

I like them alot! I've got some Buffalo horn scales that I have been wanting to make into a pair of Bisley grips. I'm just terrible with wood.

[Love Life]

Go slow, check often, be prepared for a boo boo or two, lol. At the end of the day, they are yours. I love making revolver grips. It’s very therapeutic, and I love transforming a block into something nice looking and functional. With every set I make, it gets harder to spot the oopsies, lol.

[Walks]

Those are Handsome Grips, very well fitted.

I just finished My 1st set of grips in about 30yrs. Just Plain old Walnut, I like Darker Grips. Had to make these. The cheap plastic that they put on the New Vaquero are so thin, they feel like your holding the bare frame. They needed to be a lot thicker.

Will post pictures when the several coats of Tung Oil has dried.

[T-Bird]

I make knife handles from curly maple. I use an agent that is activated by heat called Aqua Fortis. It has been used on curly maple gun stocks for centuries. It gives a deep reddish brown that really pulls the contrast out of the grain in maple. It is notoriously hard to stain because of it's density. If you like that light look, it's all good! If you want to see how aqua fortis looks on maple, google it. You did a wonderful job fitting the slabs.

[Love Life]

Those are Handsome Grips, very well fitted.

I just finished My 1st set of grips in about 30yrs. Just Plain old Walnut, I like Darker Grips. Had to make these. The cheap plastic that they put on the New Vaquero are so thin, they feel like your holding the bare frame. They needed to be a lot thicker.

Will post pictures when the several coats of Tung Oil has dried.

That’s what led me to where I am now, lol. I bought the New Vaquero and it had really thin, poorly fitted grips from the factory. I ordered a set of grips and they were a little better, but still not thick enough. It was really a knuckle buster. So I made thicker grips. The gun feels better in hand to me and no more knuckle busting.

And here I am now. I have some walnut blanks and more maple I’ll play with next. As for density of maple, after making a set of desert ironwood grips for another single action, working the maple was a dream, lol.

[Michael J. Spangler]

That’s a bit dark. Seems like the natural sheen is gone. I’m going to Lowe’s this weekend and will pick up some stuff to try on Maple. I’ve seen a really nice set done with Waterlox that looked near perfect for color.

I’ve got curly walnut I can use for something darker, lol.

To answer OsteoDoc- I use ultra thin CA glue. It gives a nice clear, hard coat. The maple grips have 3 coats and I didn’t really polish them very high. I can take them to 2,000 grit and buff with wax and they’ll shine like glass. I started using CA glue after having a couple knife handles done with it, and really like it for durability and bringing out chatoyance.

That’s two fold. One part is that I really like a matte finish on my wood for my knife handles and guns. I just have a hate for glare. Probably from taking pictures of my knives.
Second part is that I used a photo box with just the right angle so get rid of any glare or shine.
Again habit from taking knife pics.
They did still have plenty of action in the grain in person.