Silicone Carbide grip

[Ultimo-Hombre]

I put up a pretty detailed how to quite a while ago.

I have done these for other people as well as my own guns.

Original JB weld is best. If you let it set up for a few minutes after mixing it is easier to work with.

Like any paint project, really good prep work and masking makes all the difference. Blue painters tape works well.

In laying down the JBweld you really need to be cautious with its thickness. You are going to add a little size to the grip with this process and I had one guy I did it for not care for the slight change in grip dimension feel.

I learned you can mitigate this with prep work. For example, on a glock, if you file down the texture bumps on the grip in prep it keeps the finished product feeling svelte.

I like taking the front strap bumps off smooth. Think gen 2 grip. The front strap bumps and aggressive carbide just don't feel right.

I like cutting a half inch strip from an old credit card and using that like a putty knife to apply the weld. I aim for a very smooth and very thin coat of JB, when you are done it should look like it is painted on. Any thick spots really are noticeable in the finished product. After the grip is coated in weld, press it gently into a pile of the carbide grit. If you sprinkle it on you don't get good adhesion and if you pat it in at all with your fingers the grit gets kinda smoothed out too much. It takes some creative angles but by using the very edge of your workbench you can get it done.

After applying the grit hang the gun from the trigger guard and walk away for 30 min. Then come back and peel of your masking. The weld will still be soft enough that you can use an exacto knife to clean up the edges then. Make sure not to touch the carbide treated surfaces at all.

Hang it back up and let it cure undisturbed for 24 hours.

In my opinion it really stiffens up the grip. So it's s great option for a STI grip that has been reduced and is having problems for a gorilla grip guy.

Good luck!

Edited January 22, 2016 by Ultimo-Hombre

[Ultimo-Hombre]

I need to re do the grit on my SV, It's pretty beat. Should I try to sand it off and redo or can you apply more grit over what is already there?

I'd grind off the old grit or it is bound to get pretty thick.

[andrewtac]

Me 2

I ordered from these guys, good price and reasonable shipping.

http://www.therockshed.com/grit1.html

[bradsteimel]

I love the idea of a more "permanent grip tape"… But I'm slightly concerned about it permanently changing the grip with the JB Weld. Anyone else have that concern?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[andrewtac]

I love the idea of a more "permanent grip tape" But I'm slightly concerned about it permanently changing the grip with the JB Weld. Anyone else have that concern?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Not concerned as my grips are replaceable. But yeah I'd say it is a bit permanent. You could easily reapply but going back to original on something plastic will be tough. A game only gun I wouldn't worry as this mod will help it serve its purpose.

[taz8654]

a couple resources for the silicon carbide and aluminum oxide, you can get several colors too.

http://www.amazon.com/Panadyne-Inc/b/ref=bl_dp_s_web_9268199011?ie=UTF8&node=9268199011&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Panadyne+Inc.

http://sandblastingabrasives.com/home.php

here is the link to my FB page of several guns I have done for customers and my own. A few STI's too. I use 60, 80 or 100 grits

https://www.facebook.com/Praetorian-LLC-999417846754826/photos_stream

[turbopower18]

a couple resources for the silicon carbide and aluminum oxide, you can get several colors too.

http://www.amazon.com/Panadyne-Inc/b/ref=bl_dp_s_web_9268199011?ie=UTF8&node=9268199011&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Panadyne+Inc.

http://sandblastingabrasives.com/home.php

here is the link to my FB page of several guns I have done for customers and my own. A few STI's too. I use 60, 80 or 100 grits

https://www.facebook.com/Praetorian-LLC-999417846754826/photos_stream

What are the benefits of each as using Silicone or Aluminum? Seems the Aluminum may be to abrasive to me. Ive researched this briefly and im thinking of giving this a try. Also noticed someone using Loctite Marine Epoxy and some use a JB Weld epoxy. So by you experienced gents have you tried more than one epoxy or just one and that worked. Would like to hear from someone that has used multiple expoxys.

[chargerarms]

I gave this a try with both the epoxy and the JB weld on some old a2 grips.

The prep work is important. I masked off the upper part of the grip so I could see about how clean the lines were.

Both stuck the blasting grit I had well. The epoxy masking peeled away perfectly after the curing had set up over night.

The JB weld, you will want to peel the masking off before it cures. I did not and i pulled a chunk loose well past the masking line. Other parts were left under the weld and it wasn't straight lines. If I use JB Weld, I will pull masking off much earlier as described above.

Both seem to be holding onto the grit really well. Mixing the JB weld was easier but applying it with the credit card putty knife was just a hair more challenging than painting on the epoxy.

I am getting some finer grits and will try again. I am looking to see if I can almost match the color that Zev uses on their grips. I like the slightly grey look.

[Shmella]

After reading this post I felt man enough to tackle this myself. My open gun was done by DonnyGlock and I love it so I wanted to match it. I used jb weld and the three pack of tumbling compound from harbor freight. One of the bags is labeled coarse, that is what I used. Taped it off with blue painters tape and peeled it before fully cured. Thanks for the post and input from everyone else on their experience it helped me a lot and I think mine came out pretty good.

Edited February 20, 2016 by Shmella

[Shmella]

Pics

[EclipseDS]

Pics

The gun looks pretty good.

It seems JB weld works better when it's a bit hotter. It's more pliable and can be applied a bit thinner.

[Steelix]

Nice looking Guns. Slide cuts on open are real nice too.

[billdozer]

Does this stiffen the grip any? I seem to be crushing my grip on my pistol on mag changes during a match, because they drop free when I'm just testing them.

[LoganbillJ]

You should have checked mine out Saturday. I had the same issue and don't have any problem with mags dropping anymore.

[billdozer]

I will check it out at the state match. My new build has a metal grip. I've got a 40 that i shoot uspsa with. That's the one giving me problems. I'm avoiding the urge to put the metal grip on my 40, because i haven't gathered all the parts for my new 9mm build yet.