VintageGunGrips

[stressed]

If I could get a mold made somehow I would have quality ones made. Obviously the mold they have is worthless IMO.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by stressed

If I could get a mold made somehow I would have quality ones made. Obviously the mold they have is worthless IMO.

They mold directly from old worn grips. Here are two sets of their grips (from their site) for the FN1900 .32 auto...Besides the air holes, they even left in the gouges, scratches, and worn checkering...

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

They mold directly from old worn grips. Here are two sets of their grips (from [url=http://vintagegungrips.net/nsearch.html]

Yes, this is correct. I worked with the owner lady a couple of years ago, and they blended a new color to mimic the "red Swiss" grips. The first set they sent had air holes and was the thick, coarse style that appears on many of the Mauser Swiss variations. I sanded them down to get rid of the rough pattern--which also eliminated the offending air holes--and re-contoured them to get rid of the relatively hard corners, then re-checkered, as practice, in 20 lpi. The result is comfy shooter grips for my Mauser 29/70 9mm 6". The one failing I found is that the 70's Mauser grips' steel locating pins on the back will be reproduced in urethane, and they will snap off if you're not careful in fitting them! I wound up having to run a line of epoxy to line things up with the frame, one one side. Urethane has its limitations, seeming to be soft and brittle at the same time, but I think OK for sacrificial shooter grips.

Unfortunately, their stock of available molds is taken from examples sent in, and obviously the repros can be no better than the examples from which they were molded. The best case would be to find some excellent grips and have them copied for free.

The policy of the enterprise is to make a set of grips for free, for anyone who sends them a set of grips for which they don't already have a mold. I did this next, also in Swiss red, with the Mauser's original wood grips, which are the thinner, more comfortable style. I'd imagine that they would swap a pair of free grips for a the loan of any pair in better condition than what they may already have.

My next planned move is to send the urethane grips I re-checkered to have an extra pair, in exchange for giving them access to the new/different pattern to mold. This will also come in handy for making a set of Erma KGP69 grips based on a pair from which I have removed the thumb rest, filled the front and back in solid with epoxy putty, and plan to re-checker in borderless full pattern 20 lpi--something that will help the Erma mimic a P.08 a bit better.

Scott, was heat polishing tried, to re-establish the finish on the sanded areas?

[rolandtg]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

They mold directly from old worn grips. Here are two sets of their grips (from their site) for the FN1900 .32 auto...Besides the air holes, they even left in the gouges, scratches, and worn checkering...

Yeah, I got a repro set for my FN Vest Pocket .25 that looked just like that.
I only needed one side and it'll have to do until I find something better.