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Resin-Ivory+S™ grips blanks

13K views 40 replies 19 participants last post by  MarkInTx 
#1 · (Edited)
Just fit a couple of slabs up to a gun today for a one piece grip, built with a spacer of the same material.
Thread fitting the grips.

https://www.coltforum.com/forums/single-action-army/342815-quick-photo-essay-fitting-grips.html

Here are my impressions of the actual Resin-Ivory-S material I used.

https://guitarpartsandmore.com/mainCategory.php?Resin-Ivory-trade-Gun-Grip-Blanks-58

Resin S is virtually the same weight as real ivory to the gram. I put the R-S blanks and a pair of similar sized elephant ivory blanks on a postal scale to find that out. One of my many dislikes about the old Tru-Ivory. Tru-Ivory was too light by comparison to real ivory.

Resin S feels like ivory given the same final finish. I can't tell the difference and I think of myself as a real Elephant ivory snob when it comes to hand gun grips. The RS is really good. Really, really good for a comparable feel to actual Elephant ivory.

R-S gets tacky like real ivory when wet. It feels warm in your hand. RS didn't get hot setting out today in bright sunlight. RS stayed comfortable in the hand.

Down side...it might just feel too good in the hand....softer feel than ivory. Silky almost. Seller says it works like ivory. I found it exceptionally soft grinding on a wheel or a Dremel. Much softer than ivory. Not a huge deal, but no question in my mind, softer. Easy enough to saw, carve, shape, sand, and finish.

Durability? It aint gonna be ivory, which is almost as tough as bone, horn or antler. But I'd bet it is stronger than Tru-Ivory which I found to be rather brittle and would easily chip. The R-S will chip but not like the Tru-Ivory did. I used a rough blade in a jib saw to cut out these grip panels. The edges chipped much like good hard wood would have using that same blade but the actual blank body did not chip. Tru-Ivory would have never made it that far with a jig saw.

I am really curious to see how the Gorilla glue holds up keeping the grip panels in place. (edit) A month of hard use and a dropped gun shows both Resin-Ivory and the Gorilla glue both up to the task.

Advantage? R-S is likely tougher than Tru-Ivory. And R-S is easily available and really cheap! Better yet you can own it every where in the USA ...just like Tupper ware.

Most anyone is gonna be really hard pressed to tell the difference between real ivory and R-S. Like really hard pressed :) On actual elephant ivory the Shreger lines form a herringbone or diamond patterning. On the Resin-Ivory+S™ (R-S) the same grain features are clearly present. Strikingly so.

With RS you have the same weight as real Elephant ivory. I am guessing here, but likely more durability that Tru-Ivory. (edit: proven that to myself now after 30+ days on the gun) Fact now, more durable/less brittle that True Ivory. The same grain look and virtually the same feel as real Elephant ivory. The stuff is very easy to work, cheap to buy and tough. What is not to like?


you can dbl click for larger photos.


 
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#3 ·
> Why do you think they will not be to durable?

It is plastic. Not as durable as real ivory. More durable than Tru-Ivory from what I have seen/experienced so far.

> Could that material be carved with a steer head etc?

yes, easy stuff to carve

>Does it feel like ivory?

Think I answered that like six times...but who's counting :)
 
#5 ·
Great job on the resin-ivory stocks. You should send an image to David Warther, he could use it in his advertising. This stuff is very nice and the color is as close as you can get to the real thing. Another advantage, since they are synthetic they shouldn't expand and contract like ivory. this means your perfect fit will never be proud or shy and the glue on the center block will hold. I just received my second Randall with a Resin-Ivory handle.

 
#6 · (Edited)
I am really curious to see how the Gorilla glue holds up keeping the grip panels in place. And interested in feed back from any one else that has glued this stuff together?
I make a lot of grips... Gorilla glue is my preferred glue, the amber expansion type. Insanely strong. It does need pores to expand into, which the resin panels may not have. You can obviously create some texture there for the glue to bond to. I also set a couple 1/8 brass rods in the spacer block and grips when I do 1 pcs.
 
#10 ·
I wished I had the skills and the tools to pull that type of craftsmanship off...

Anyone know where I can find someone skilled enough to make me a set from the Resin-Ivory+S blanks I'm willing to buy for my Colt 3rd Gen SAA...!?

$$$ I got...skills and tools to craft grips like Yahoody...never.


Seriously.... ( PM me only...)
.
 
#11 ·
I would love to have a set of these resin-ivory blanks made into stocks for a revolver I just bought, but the bluing on the BS & TG is super high quality. I don't know if it is properly called rust blue or just a premium blue job. At any rate, I am very hesitant to have someone fit stocks to this gun and then re-blue the grip parts and it not longer matched the bluing on the cylinder and barrel. Anyone know a grip maker that does a good job fitting (two piece stocks are acceptable if they fit right) without needing to do a re-blue?

Dave
 
#15 ·
Couple of additional thoughts from my limited experience to date having done 3 pairs of one piece SAA grips in Resin Ivory.

FWIW not a huge amount of difference cosmetically between the resin-S+
and the regular resin-s for the price. $25 verses $60. The 9/16 material
will give a true SAA Colt profile if you aren't too aggressive in your first
contouring but you need to save every bit of the overall thickness to do so.

If you rough cut the grips out using one of the corners to locate the
grips on the frame (easiest way to get a good fit) there is plenty of
material left (enough to do at least one space in a single panel) on
what its left over to make a spacer. I used white Gorilla glue, but
you need to leave 1/32" or so for the glue to expand between the
pieces and make sure all four surfaces are roughed up prior to glue.

I've not shot mine enough and it would seem David, the maker, doesn't
have enough of the material in use on guns that actually get shot to
know what glue will be the most durable as of yet. My first pick
was the White GG. But when I pulled my first pair off to re- blue
the back strap and frame I added super glue all around to the edges
for some added strength.

If anyone finds a glue that actually does make a super solid seam
on this stuff please let me know. Seller's first suggestion was wood glue.
I'm going to try a few different glues with the scrap pieces I have left
over and test to failure.
 
#17 ·
Others have asked about "ageing" Resin Ivory + S? My results? Love the material just as much now but you had better like it "white" :)

Photos from the start...and from 6+ hrs later after soaking in a tea coffee mix, hot warm and boiled in a microwave until the stuff became very, very pliable (easily bent in any direction) to the touch.

Color at the start attempting to age the Resin Ivory +S



And after a 6+ hour soak and eventually a boil. No noticeable change in color.



 
#19 ·
Rick Bowles said:
It's plastic not pourous but it sure looks like ivory doesn't it!
It does indeed. Feels like it too. Without seeing your knife you posted some time back Rick I'd have never tried it. Wonderful stuff. I wondered how tough it would be in actual use till I dropped by 44 this afternoon and tried to grab it only to flip it higher in the air. It came down hard in some rough gravel. And grips still look great! Not a scratch. Seems the glue seams and the material is stronger, more resilient than I first would have thought.
 
#23 ·
saintclair said:
Great information on this material! I will look forward to your adhesive/glue evaluation.
Here is what I have to date :)

"I wondered how tough Resin-Ivory would be in actual use. Don't so much now. I dropped by 44 this afternoon while fumbling around with ammo and gun in hand reloading. Tried to grab the gun mid air only to flip it higher and the resulting crash back even harder than needed. Gun came down hard in some rough road bed gravel. The grips still look great! Not a scratch or chip on them. The gorilla glue seams and the material is stronger, more resilient than I first would have thought. My past experience with True-Ivory was a similar ground impact would have likely chipped of broken the grips. Resin-Ivory isn't nearly as brittle as True-Ivory in my experience."
 
#25 ·
maybe dumb question here, why bother with glueing the grips on and not using a single screw in the middle ? Is it just cosmetics because you don't like the screw in the middle of the grips, or is there another reason ? How would you remove the glued grips to clean the gun or replace the main spring ?

I only ask because I like this idea and even though my SAA is still 7 days away (10 day Calif. waiting period) I am going to order some of this stuff. But I like to shoot black powder in my SAA clones and likely will in my Colt, I remove the grips, strip down to nothing and ultra-sonic clean all the parts every few outings just to make sure I get all the BP residue out on my clones. If you glue the grips on, then you can't do that.
 
#26 ·
3M makes a product called 5200. This is a marine adhesive that they warn you not to use on anything you may want to take apart or off. My first experience with 5200 was a friend who screwed and glued a 6 inch st/st cleat pointing the wrong way. The only way I could break the bond was very thin shim stock forced between the cleat and the fiberglass. I have some resin-ivory and will try my hand at making one piece grips as soon as I get my old scrool saw down to Fl. I will also experiment with some 100% waterproof adhesives. Sam
 
#27 ·
mikeyr said:
maybe dumb question here, why bother with glueing the grips on and not using a single screw in the middle ?
The original SAA grips were one piece wood. Uberti still uses the same method. Using glue to add a spacer on ivory (traditionally built with a wood spacer as well) or the fake ivory makes a similar on piece grip. If done right the result is a stronger better fitting grip than a two piece grip that requires a screw and a pin in the frame to hold them in place. One piece grips are easy to remove. You just pull off the back strap by removing the three screws holding it to the frame .
 
#30 ·
The original SAA grips were one piece wood. Uberti still uses the same method. Using glue to add a spacer on ivory (traditionally built with a wood spacer as well)...snip.... .
Thank You, DUH, I feel really stupid and I was right I asked a dumb question. I kept thinking you were gluing the grips to the gun to avoid the visible screw in the middle, duh...I even own a Uberti with the one piece grips and I have no excuse for my stupidity. Let's call it a brain fart and move on.

I should have my Resin-Ivory+S parts early next week, about same time i pick up my SAA.
 
#28 ·
SamHamburger said:
3M makes a product called 5200. This is a marine adhesive that they warn you not to use on anything you may want to take apart or off....

The trip to adhesives around guns is you have to have a release agent so you don't glue the gun together. In the case of grips built for a SAA you don't want to glue the back strap or trigger guard to the grips. Bad move there. Water activated Gorilla glue works fine and is plenty strong with the Resin-Ivory.
 
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