Repairing Swiss Grips?

mrerick · 11-25-2014, 08:15 PM

Is there anyone on the board that has a way to repair the early Red 1906/29 Swiss Plastic grips?

I recently acquired one, and it has a chip out of the left grip near the base:

What material are these grips made out of?

Thanks, Marc

Michael Zeleny · 11-25-2014, 08:36 PM

Google "Bakelite repair".

G.T. · 11-25-2014, 10:30 PM

Unfortunately, there is no real good Bakelite repair.... the method of fabrication make this a tough nut to crack... the best is probably epoxy painted... Check some of the web sites concerning old radio repairs.. these guy can do the best with what available today... best to you, til...lat'r...GT...

mrerick · 11-25-2014, 10:38 PM

I know that the later (post 1938) Swiss grips were bakelite, but I don't think that these are.

They look more like some kind of dense plastic.

Looks like it's called Canevasit Resin or Canvasit Resin or Canevasite Resin.

ithacaartist · 11-25-2014, 11:16 PM

I think a tinted epoxy would probably work out best. Mohawk Chemicals makes a variety kit of powdered tinting pigments. It will take a little patience to experimenting to get a good match. Then build up the material again, work down to proper shape, and blend in the checkered pattern. I wouldn't shoot with them.

You may remember the Red Swiss grips I made a while ago by modifying and re-checkering a cast urethane pair which were originally molded from a pair of those extra-thick and extra-coarse grips Mauser applied to a lot of the 70s' production of Swiss frame guns. I sent a sampling of pics of Red Swiss grips to the grip casting company, and I was impressed how close they came in matching the color.

mrerick · 11-25-2014, 11:23 PM

David, do you have a link to Mohawk Chemicals' offering?

Thanks for the reference! I may try this...

Sergio Natali · 11-26-2014, 05:11 AM

What you called red plastic grips really was "CANEVASIT" some sort of extremely fragile vulcanized red rubber with the same hardness of bakelite used for early Mod 06/29 for grips and magazines bottoms.

Real "Bakelite" came only a few yars after (1938/1939) with the new brown grips, and around 1942 for black grips.

So those W+F BERN 06/29 Red Grips lugers in practice were only a big mistake made by W+F Bern in 1933, and nowadays we collectors are dribbling after these beautiful "wrong" Lugers.
C'est la vie.

Sergio

alanint · 11-26-2014, 06:36 AM

Or, if you want to spend the money

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Luger-Swiss-...item3a7f4742f4

Another option would be to rfough mold the missing part out of JB Weld or similar compound and then sand/file to fit.

ithacaartist · 11-26-2014, 10:21 AM

Here's a link to Mohawk powder pigments. http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/cata...asp?ictNbr=130 The one you're after is the 12-color kit, which may seem a little pricey at $93.26, but these pigments should last a lifetime unless you're going into massive production. These will tint or color just about anything. I've desired this set since I worked with it in the 79s when I had a job as a furniture service guy at Louis Shanks of Austin. Louis was a genuine Texas "good ol' boy" and had stories of LBJ, with whom he had grown up.

These pigments would likely work with JBWeld. The disadvantage to painting the repair is that the color would soon be worn from the patch. If the entire volume of the patch is colored, this problem would be solved.

Your repair will need to be opaque, so I'd blend in a solid white base of some sort to accomplish this, then adjust the hue and intensity of the color.

mrerick · 11-26-2014, 11:32 AM

Many thanks! Now time to get to work on this...

I do have another Swiss with a complete left grip. Is there a way to make a mold from it that could be used to form the epoxy repair?

ithacaartist · 11-26-2014, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrerick

Many thanks! Now time to get to work on this...

I do have another Swiss with a complete left grip. Is there a way to make a mold from it that could be used to form the epoxy repair?

If the checkered pattern lines up exactly, this might work--but I suspect they won't line up. Consider sending the good grips to the urethane casting place. Their policy is to provide a set of grips for free if you send in a set they don't already have a mold for. Specify the Red Swiss color they developed for me, and you'll be all set. Here's another more comprehensive powdered pigment set http://shop.kremerpigments.com/en/pr...ml?info=491005 Less powder per container, but more overall volume and many more colors from which to start...

11-25-2014, 08:15 PM	#1
mrerick Super Moderator - Patron LugerForum Life Patron Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Eastern North Carolina, USA Posts: 3,907 Thanks: 1,374 Thanked 3,108 Times in 1,509 Posts	Repairing Swiss Grips? Is there anyone on the board that has a way to repair the early Red 1906/29 Swiss Plastic grips? I recently acquired one, and it has a chip out of the left grip near the base: What material are these grips made out of? Thanks, Marc Attached Thumbnails __________________ Igitur si vis pacem, para bellum - - Therefore if you want peace, prepare for war.

11-25-2014, 08:36 PM	#2
Michael Zeleny Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 525 Thanks: 129 Thanked 139 Times in 76 Posts	Google "Bakelite repair". __________________ Michael Zeleny@post.harvard.edu -- http://larvatus.livejournal.com/ -- 7576 Willow Glen Road, Los Angeles, CA 90046 -- 323.363.1860 All of old. Nothing else ever. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett

11-25-2014, 10:30 PM	#3
G.T. Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Chandler Arizona Posts: 3,502 Thanks: 1,318 Thanked 3,639 Times in 1,001 Posts	bakelite repair.... Unfortunately, there is no real good Bakelite repair.... the method of fabrication make this a tough nut to crack... the best is probably epoxy painted... Check some of the web sites concerning old radio repairs.. these guy can do the best with what available today... best to you, til...lat'r...GT...

11-25-2014, 10:38 PM	#4
mrerick Super Moderator - Patron LugerForum Life Patron Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Eastern North Carolina, USA Posts: 3,907 Thanks: 1,374 Thanked 3,108 Times in 1,509 Posts	I know that the later (post 1938) Swiss grips were bakelite, but I don't think that these are. They look more like some kind of dense plastic. Looks like it's called Canevasit Resin or Canvasit Resin or Canevasite Resin. __________________ Igitur si vis pacem, para bellum - - Therefore if you want peace, prepare for war.

11-25-2014, 11:16 PM	#5
ithacaartist Twice a Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Atop the highest hill in Schuyler County NY Posts: 3,329 Thanks: 7,227 Thanked 2,548 Times in 1,355 Posts	I think a tinted epoxy would probably work out best. Mohawk Chemicals makes a variety kit of powdered tinting pigments. It will take a little patience to experimenting to get a good match. Then build up the material again, work down to proper shape, and blend in the checkered pattern. I wouldn't shoot with them. You may remember the Red Swiss grips I made a while ago by modifying and re-checkering a cast urethane pair which were originally molded from a pair of those extra-thick and extra-coarse grips Mauser applied to a lot of the 70s' production of Swiss frame guns. I sent a sampling of pics of Red Swiss grips to the grip casting company, and I was impressed how close they came in matching the color. __________________ "... Liberty is the seed and soil, the air and light, the dew and rain of progress, love and joy."-- Robert Greene Ingersoll 1894

11-25-2014, 11:23 PM	#6
mrerick Super Moderator - Patron LugerForum Life Patron Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Eastern North Carolina, USA Posts: 3,907 Thanks: 1,374 Thanked 3,108 Times in 1,509 Posts	David, do you have a link to Mohawk Chemicals' offering? Thanks for the reference! I may try this... __________________ Igitur si vis pacem, para bellum - - Therefore if you want peace, prepare for war.

11-26-2014, 05:11 AM	#7
Sergio Natali User Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Somewhere in Northern Italy Posts: 2,646 Thanks: 1,082 Thanked 1,783 Times in 1,007 Posts	What you called red plastic grips really was "CANEVASIT" some sort of extremely fragile vulcanized red rubber with the same hardness of bakelite used for early Mod 06/29 for grips and magazines bottoms. Real "Bakelite" came only a few yars after (1938/1939) with the new brown grips, and around 1942 for black grips. So those W+F BERN 06/29 Red Grips lugers in practice were only a big mistake made by W+F Bern in 1933, and nowadays we collectors are dribbling after these beautiful "wrong" Lugers. C'est la vie. Sergio __________________ "Originality can't be restored and should be at the top of any collector's priority list.

11-26-2014, 06:36 AM	#8
alanint User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Marco Island, Florida Posts: 4,867 Thanks: 1,685 Thanked 1,916 Times in 1,192 Posts	Or, if you want to spend the money http://www.ebay.com/itm/Luger-Swiss-...item3a7f4742f4 Another option would be to rfough mold the missing part out of JB Weld or similar compound and then sand/file to fit.

11-26-2014, 10:21 AM	#9
ithacaartist Twice a Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Atop the highest hill in Schuyler County NY Posts: 3,329 Thanks: 7,227 Thanked 2,548 Times in 1,355 Posts	Here's a link to Mohawk powder pigments. http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/cata...asp?ictNbr=130 The one you're after is the 12-color kit, which may seem a little pricey at $93.26, but these pigments should last a lifetime unless you're going into massive production. These will tint or color just about anything. I've desired this set since I worked with it in the 79s when I had a job as a furniture service guy at Louis Shanks of Austin. Louis was a genuine Texas "good ol' boy" and had stories of LBJ, with whom he had grown up. These pigments would likely work with JBWeld. The disadvantage to painting the repair is that the color would soon be worn from the patch. If the entire volume of the patch is colored, this problem would be solved. Your repair will need to be opaque, so I'd blend in a solid white base of some sort to accomplish this, then adjust the hue and intensity of the color. __________________ "... Liberty is the seed and soil, the air and light, the dew and rain of progress, love and joy."-- Robert Greene Ingersoll 1894

11-26-2014, 11:32 AM	#10
mrerick Super Moderator - Patron LugerForum Life Patron Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Eastern North Carolina, USA Posts: 3,907 Thanks: 1,374 Thanked 3,108 Times in 1,509 Posts	Many thanks! Now time to get to work on this... I do have another Swiss with a complete left grip. Is there a way to make a mold from it that could be used to form the epoxy repair? __________________ Igitur si vis pacem, para bellum - - Therefore if you want peace, prepare for war.