sperman Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I don't think you would ever need to re-do the application of the sand, but if you do, you will have a heck of a time getting the old epoxy off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pensfan Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 http://www.mcmaster....g-media/=kkqbv8I can't remember which grit I purchased. So now 3 years later, how do you like the grips and would you do anything different sperman? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoLeft Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 Great job on that! I paid $125 plus shipping to have mine done. Yours looks even better that mine. I love the super aggressive texture as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Long Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 The SVI "scott" grips use the same method. Plastic + epoxy + grit. And the sand wears off, not easily, but quicker then you would hope. I go through 2 sets of griptape grips on my glock every season. Just about everyone around here uses griptape. I picked up a gun with the "scott" grip last year, and its in need of being redone. I'm just trying to decide if i should smooth it up and go with griptape or refinish it like you have. Obviously it looks more professional the way yours is done, but if its a 3 hour process to redo it every year, i can slap grip tape on a gun in a matter of 5 min. I'm really interested in how long it lasts, so keep us updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sperman Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 http://www.mcmaster....g-media/=kkqbv8I can't remember which grit I purchased. So now 3 years later, how do you like the grips and would you do anything different sperman? I've actually sold both of the guns that I did the treatment to, but not because of the grips. I shot the M&P quite a bit and didn't see any signs of wear during that time. I'm not familiar with the SVI "scott" grips, but I would be surprised if the grips I did would need to be re-done. Does the epoxy let go or does the sand lose it's "grit?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Long Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Its a mixture of both. Obviously the grit will become smoother with wear, but its getting "bald spots" especially under the trigger guard from the fingers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyros Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 A few months ago I did some grips also (like Ultimo-Hombre) , with JB-WELD and silicon carbide like Pat Miles noted in another post . And it's paintable also . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyros Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Long Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Thats interesting how you raised the grip up like that. I take it you like it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyros Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 (edited) Thats interesting how you raised the grip up like that. I take it you like it? Yes I do like it , because I can have a good recoil control without to press very hard the grip with my week hand . I'm shooting 40 S&W , factory ammo. Ammunition reloading is forbidden here in Greece. Edited December 22, 2012 by kyros Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clange Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Any chance on a durability update? I'm currently trying to decide between the same DIY silicon carbide grip or stippling. Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottrallye Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Ultimo-Hombre, I owe you a debt of gratitude. After doing much research online about doing both the grip work and silicon carbide grip job, and finding a disappointly small amount of info on each, your write-up ended up being my guide for the project. In case you were curious and for anyone else considering this, here are some thoughts/things I encountered when I did this project. I have a Gen3, and the texturing is in recessed areas (front of grip and backstrap), so I was concerned that smooting everything flush with the bottom of the recessed areas would leave the grip pretty thin. Fortunately, this wasn't an issue. I went slowly (per your recommendation) and carefully and I was able to smooth everything flush. The side panels on the grips actually extrude on the Gen3, so I blended the edges of the raised area with the rest of the grip, and took the sanding drum to rest of the raised area to smooth it all out. The only tough part was working around the Glock logo on the left grip panel, I just went slowly and I was able to work around it. The thing you mentioned about masking tape made a big difference. I'd usually buy the cheap "Ace" brand stuff, but I shopped around for some good stuff. Went with 3M "Edge Perfect" (or something like that) masking tape, meant for fine detail painting on trim, etc. Packing claimed it would leave perfect lines at removal. So I actually spent $7.99 on a roll. Absolutely worth every penny. Pretty much followed your masking instructions and used a hobby knive to cut nice rounded corners. When I removed the tape, it did leave absolutely perfect lines. Worth the investment if you are as OCD as I am about getting stuff "exactly right". Also, for some reason the 3 or 4 stores I went to didn't have JB weld. I've had good luck with 3M Epoxies, but since JB worked for you, I'd rather go with what I KNOW would work. After my failed attempt to find JB weld, I ended up with 3M's Slow-Set 60 min working-time epoxy (comes in a double tube syringe so you get a equal mix of the two parts). I tested it on something first and it seemed to work well. So I made a big mix of it on a paper plate and started spreading it around the grip area. I then used some small foam paint brushes to smear the epoxy around the grip, over the edges, and get a nice even thickness and coverage. It ended up working out great. Before I started, I got some bailing wire and made a hanger to hook on the trigger guard so I could hang it when I was done. I was glad I did, otherwise I would have ended up with a epoxy and silicon carbide covered gun in my hand and wandering around trying to figure out the best way to let it dry. Anyways, the 3M stuff worked well. After I checked on it this morning, the silicon carbide looked great, but was VERY rough. After being sure the epoxy was very well set up, I took a 200 grit sanding sponge and lightly sanded all the silicon carbide surfaces. This made a huge difference and smoothed it down enough that it's very gippy, but not nearly as harsh. Overall, I think it turned out better than I could possibly have hoped for a first try. Thank you for sharing your process! I would not have attempted this based on the other online guides I found. Once I have the pistol all back together later today I'll post some pics. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycan Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Very detail report. Please post up the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexmg Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) I just wanted to say Thank You to "Ultimo-Hombre" for providing informational support as I was texturing my XDM's grip with Silica Carbide grit, it is a bit premature to conclude full success as I still yet to put pistol together, but so far results look very pomising. I played with two different sizes of the grit, coarse and medium, you can see in one of the images below it applied to two backstraps and one on left has smaller grit size. I chose smaller grit size and this is the handle after grit application. Today I will have to clean all loose grit and see how it assembles together. Then will give it a field test to see about durability and longevity of application. If it can hold 30k shots I will be happy. Edited February 26, 2015 by alexmg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadetree Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 great posts. When I found the skate board tape I was using too aggressive for my taste I painted over the grit. It worked very well for me. The paint softened the sharp edges and secured the grit better to the tape so it lasts longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultimo-Hombre Posted February 28, 2015 Author Share Posted February 28, 2015 Alex, It looks great! Good job. I have done several of these since first posting this thread. Have learned a few additional things. Anyone looking to do this feel free to pm me and I'll do whatever I can to help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1gcountry Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Had anyone tried mixing the grit with the epoxy, and just applying the slurry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowrider Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 I've found that shooting a coat of duracoat over the grit helps keep it in place greatly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultimo-Hombre Posted February 28, 2015 Author Share Posted February 28, 2015 Had anyone tried mixing the grit with the epoxy, and just applying the slurry? With the epoxy base I use this doesn't work. The original method I describe remains the most practical after trying different things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1gcountry Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Thanks U.H. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoyGlock Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I've found that shooting a coat of duracoat over the grit helps keep it in place greatly. Doesnt it make it slippery instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoyGlock Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Had anyone tried mixing the grit with the epoxy, and just applying the slurry?With the epoxy base I use this doesn't work. The original method I describe remains the most practical after trying different things. Fully agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alma Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I have done almost this exact same job on my P320. Here is a video. I got some Black epoxy resin today that I will be using tomorrow to see if the color turns out better than using white. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowrider Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 (edited) I've found that shooting a coat of duracoat over the grit helps keep it in place greatly. Doesnt it make it slippery instead? If you don't go absolutely crazy on the thickness of the duracoat you'll still get the effect of the grit and you are basically putting an epoxy over the grit sealing it in. It actually adds an aspect of control of the surface you are after. You could adjust grit size down or up and alter the feel of it with the duracoat to suit your taste with some experimentation. I haven't done that, but it could be done if you are inclined. Remember that grip tape and most abrasive papers have a coating on them too. Edited March 1, 2015 by Shadowrider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1gcountry Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 This sounds kind of interesting to me. I have never done anything like this before, but i do have experience with an air brush from my modeling days. If you thin the dura coat, it will probably flow from the high spots (grit) to the low spots, and you could get the benefit of the coating holding down the grit, and very little will be on the raised portions that contact your hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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