oddjob Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 Been toying with the idea to do it myself. What stuff do I need & is it really worth it or just send it out & have it done. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 This is one of those things that I just won't even attempt It's relatively easy to use the tools - the tough part is to keep the lines arrow straight, and to get the diamonds uniform and sharp. You need, at a minimum, a checkering file in the right pattern (20lpi, 25lpi, 30lpi), a couple of small needle files (to clean up and sharpen the diamonds), and probably some sort of jig to help you make straight lines and a good layout. Blindhogg has a good tutorial at http://blindhogg.com/gunsmith/checkering.html - he has specs on the page for round stock that you can purchase to practice on that is roughly the same size as a 1911 front strap. If you decide to do it yourself, it would probably be a great idea to practice on several worthless pieces of scrap metal first, before you attack the gun... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrguar Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 I am with XRe on this....for my money skateboard tape is cheaper and safer then filing on your frame, I am sure there are others that here have seen checkering jobs where you can see daylight thru the front strap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cjblackmon Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 I am sure there are others that here have seen checkering jobs where you can see daylight thru the front strap Ouch! That's one I haven't heard of... That job does seem a bit too tedious and easy to mar the aestetics of the gun. I would venture to guess it would be a lot less time consuming and fiscally sensible to have the gun sent off to have the checkering done than to buy the needed tools to perform the job correctly as well as risk messing up the frame and you'll probably want to refinish the gun afterwards as well. That's just me, you may be a better metal worker than I for all I know. Good luck in what you decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpolans Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 (edited) Is it worth it? If you want it to look perfect, probably not. If you want the satisfaction of knowing you did the job yourself, then yes. I've done one frame and while it wasn't perfect, but I was happy. You can get a guide, a checkering file and a bent triangular file to touch up the points from www.brownells.com . I recommend you get a hold of some scrap bar stock and practice before you do your frame. Here's what I'd do if (when) I do another one. 1. Use a dremel tool to sculpt the top of the frontstrap so I can get a higher grip. 2. Use the checkering guide and checkering file to lay out all of your vertical lines first, but only to about 50-75% of full depth. Go slow, make sure you're filing straight and even, use plenty of chalk and clean out your filings. Don't worry about the lines going to high up toward the trigger guard, as you'll dremel them away after you're done. 3. Now, use the checkering file and the guide to lay out your horizontal lines. Again, take your time, file evenly, use plenty of chalk and clean out your filings. Again, go only to about 50-75% depth. 4. Finish up your vertical and horizontal lines to full depth with the bent triangular file until you have nice diamonds. 5. You'll probably have some stray lines and incomplete diamonds toward the top of the front strap underneath the triggerguard. Pick the highest row of diamonds you want to keep; use the a dremel tool with one of those rubber wheels to buzz off all the diamonds/lines above it. Edited May 1, 2006 by mpolans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek45 Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 I've done a handfull of them. It's rewarding when you get it done. It's a lot of elbow work. I use a home made jig made from a piece of angel iron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek45 Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 20 Lines per inch.... Here'a Kimber Compact I just finished. ready to be hardchromed... I tried 25LPI this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmoney Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Derek, nice work!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek45 Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Derek, nice work!! Thanks, I used a dremel just like your avatar pic ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwrig Posted May 21, 2006 Share Posted May 21, 2006 Nice job, Derek. What's your mailing address again...for my frames? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gans Posted May 21, 2006 Share Posted May 21, 2006 Been toying with the idea to do it myself. What stuff do I need & is it really worth it or just send it out & have it done.thanks I lay the lines out on a mill then finish up with a single file. 20lpi. Hate to try it anyother way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted May 21, 2006 Share Posted May 21, 2006 I lay the lines out on a mill then finish up with a single file. 20lpi. Hate to try it anyother way. It would be great to see some pictures of that process. Do you do them often? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gans Posted May 21, 2006 Share Posted May 21, 2006 I lay the lines out on a mill then finish up with a single file. 20lpi. Hate to try it anyother way. It would be great to see some pictures of that process. Do you do them often? I will try and remember to take some photos the next time I do a job. It isn't as popular these days as the classy skate board tape rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gans Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 I lay the lines out on a mill then finish up with a single file. 20lpi. Hate to try it anyother way. It would be great to see some pictures of that process. Do you do them often? Here are some pics of the lay up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Very cool, thanks. Is that some sort of rotating jig in the 3rd photo to wrap the horizontal cuts around the frontstrap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gans Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Very cool, thanks. Is that some sort of rotating jig in the 3rd photo to wrap the horizontal cuts around the frontstrap? No, I just free hand it. A rotating jig would be good for a standard 1911, but I don't think it would work very well on a Para frame and some 1911 copies that have different contours. So, I just feed it by hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Sample Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Anderson Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Caspian also sells cut down frames for about $20.00 a piece. Perfect for checkering practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbrussell Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 (edited) Mr. Sample, How do you do the borders on your checkering. Absolutely beautiful work! I wanted to do checkering on the flat side of a frame and slide; seen somewhere you had done something similar. How did you go about it? Thanks Edited December 18, 2006 by cbrussell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Sample Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Thanks for asking. "Like Porcupines make love: Very Carefully"! I started do this about 20 years ago. I paid a lot of dues and have done a lot of this work. This gun is about 10-11-years old and is one of my favorite shooters. It has every kind of cosmetic work that I uesd to do and is what we call a "Demo Gun". I like to border all of the checkering so it stands out and makes for a better feel. It also looks cool. I lean a single line file out to start with and get a place for a small safe sedge file to ride. Then I get rid of the over runs at the edge of the work. the trigger guard is a very tedious job and I am one of the few people that does the 30 LPI wrap. It involved a half a file to get around the curves. I like to use checkering to improve the handling of a 1911 and make it easier to use. I checker the hammer for that reason and the underneath part of the slide stop. I als serrate the top of the hammer strut on guns that I do trigger work on. I remove the checkering on the bottom of the S&A magwell/mainspring housings for a better feel. It is not perfect, but feels good. My skills went out of style with high caps and Pete Single and his big Mill. Hang cut checkering is Ho Hum now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Sample Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 I have this done by a friend over in Clarkdale. It would be hard to do on a mill and that is one of the reasons I like it. Thsi slide is off of the GSP EX 01 that is now involved in a hard use test in GA after being used at Gunsite for 6 months. So far, so good. It runs perfect after about 20,000 rounds. It was at the Shot Show this year and may be at Chip McCormic's booth next year if you want to handle it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Didn't we just have this thread with Skywalker a few months ago? I know we did, so I will refrain from getting anyone's panties in a wad with my comments... Please use the Search function to check before we rehash this one again..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gans Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Something different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Something different. The first two are crosshatch at about 40 lpi...and you are right the last one is something different.....someone turned someone loose with a TIG welder and a Dremel.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 Man that 40 LPI would be un-fun to do by hand. That's where I get out the CNC or some kind of linear knurling tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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