I am in the process of making some 1911 grips out of granite and marble. I have heard that there may be an issue with the grips cracking when the gun is fired, so they may be just for display guns, at least at first. Do you think people would still be interested? How much do you think I could charge?
I have no idea what to tell you on either question (My initial thought is that the marble might be more brittle than the granite but that's just a guess)... but I'd LOVE for you to post some pics when you get them done...
I don't know what you should charge, but have you considered a rubber grommet to absorb some of the vibration when fired?
i personally think they would look very nice. the problem that occurs to me is the thickness of them and the brittle nature of the material. 1911 style grips are usually 1/4" or less in thickness. something that thin in a brittle material might or might not stand up to the recoil of a pistol. i don't know for sure myself. then there is the constant handling of them also when shooting. my best suggestion, is to make a pair and try them out. sounds like a cool project.
What about the question of added weight? While I'm sure the finished product will look amazing, if it makes the gun feel like aiming a boat anchor the idea won't take hold. I have no idea, but just something to consider. I can tell a big difference in weight just between different woods as grips. Granite sounds like it might be a lot heavier.
I think that if you were to segment the stone in a raised small diamond pattern, like the space shuttle tiles, and somehow glue it to a piece of kydex the grips might be functional, they would look beautiful in a black onyx type stone, as to how much you can charge it's hard to say with out seeing them, but they'll be worth what ever some one is willing to pay. shoot safe, shoot straight, and have fun
Here's where I'm at so far. These are actually marble instead of granite. I've still got some shaping to do, and I will need to drill the screw holes. Those scuff marks will also be gone when it's finished. What do you think?
They're actually pretty light weight. I've got all the remaining tools I need coming in this week, so I should have the finished product up in a few days.
That's a pretty neat idea and looks good so far. Not sure how that particular granite will hold up but not all stone is created equal. You probably want to stick with more consistent material (less veins) as that is where the material will be weakest. Maybe try slate, marble, even a flagstone. I think the idea of vibration isolation could be helpful, got any access to some super thin, like 2-4 mil, rubber sheeting?
Yeah, to start out I am just going to sell them as grips for display guns. It's going to be difficult for me to properly test them and experiment because I live in the city, so I can't just go in my backyard and shoot. I have to go to an indoor range. If anybody is interested, I'd be willing to make some kind of deal in a few weeks maybe, you could get a really good deal on the grips or maybe even a pair for free if you thoroughly test them for me.
LOVE THE IDEA!! I was looking for some jet black obsidian 1911 grips for my recent tuxedo gun project but could not find what I was looking for in my searches. I ran into some of the same comments as you indicated; IE they will crack or could be destroyed with recoil. I don't know what you COULD charge for them, but I know if I came across the right grips for that gun, I would have gone $75-$100 to finalize it if they looked like what I wanted. Then again, I have a penchant for going overboard with my builds. Looks awesome though. PLEASE post pics as you go along and what they look like when finished. Those would look sexy AS HELL on an all black 1911 with green Tritium Night sights and a grip side, 1/4 away shot!! That would be a magazine cover caliber shot. JD
So, this has turned out to be a lot harder than I expected, but I have finally figured things out. I ran out of the old tile (don't worry, I just got more), so I've been using white marble.
PeteZahut, very nice looking! i think you are off to a good start of some very nice looking and unique grips. please post more pictures.
Marble is an interesting idea and could probably work ok. I would think that unlike wood, bone, or most other mediums; stone would have to be ground with a water soaked system. Can't imagine trying to just sand down tile with a normal sander or by hand!
