1858 Remington, custom grips, pics

[Stacey Lee]

Heres my work on the 58, with Curley Maple from Blank.

Cheers, Stacey Lee

[Long Johns Wolf]

Well done eye pleaser, Stacey Lee.
Bootsie

[Wolfgang]

Them is nice . . . . 

[Oldelm]

Stacey Lee,...nice work!

Those are beautiful looking grips, ..I love tiger/curly maple.

Did ya have to screw them to a jig, or fixture, in order to shape them?

[Stacey Lee]

Thanks for the compliments guys, and Oldelm, no I don't use jigs, I just fit the top part of the grip, the round part first prior to any shaping, then I drill the stud hole for the bottom of the grip fram and keep pulling them off and on till they are perfect. I drill the Eschutsen holes for the grips last when they are nearly all shaped. NEVER do I touch a file, moto-tool, belt sander to the grips when they are on the gun, I don't need to.

Thanks again, I appreciate the praise, my ego is now bigger today, just kidding, I like my work to be acknowledged once in awhile, not me .
Thank you, Sincerely, Stacey Lee

[Oldelm]

Stacey Lee,....thanks for the details of your gripmaking procedure,...well described. I've made a few '58 Rem grips, and I approach it pretty much the same way you do. That fitting of the round part (upper) first is crucial, and drilling the little stud hole at the bottom of the frame. If I drill that little stud hole just a tad to the OUTSIDE of  it's marked position (directly opposite the round part at the top), ....then it helps to keep the upper round part snug up to the curvature of the concave of the adjoining metal frame,...ifin ya catch my drift.

It's fun making the grips, and very satisfying, ...as I'm sure you know.
Keep up the good work!

Here's some in figured cherry I made for a '58 Rem Conversion......

http://i1.tinypic.com/x2jjx0.jpg

________________________

[Stacey Lee]

Old Elm,
now those are some pretty grips of Cherry you did, wow !! Nice work indeed, my praise if its worth anything goes out to you on those.

And yes, I get your drift on drilling that hole slightly off its final destination, good call !!!
Funny how great minds think alike, I do that too, but just didn't post all my trade secrets, but now the words out !!! Ha ah aha ha...I had to learn that the hard way myself, as these few Remingtons I have done are my first Remingtons, and I only had tons of experience on Colt grips prior to these and of course modern guns too, but the Colts are WAY easier to produce. I also find that the grip frame on the Remington has much more reverse concave slopes to it than Colts on the grip frame itself, and that makes shaping the grips alot harder for me, especially on that Old Silver Model , as I went with oversized grips slightly to fit me better. Mission accomplished though. Like a glove !!!!

I wanted to ask you is that conversion you did on a Stainless model or is it that really cool White Steel-Alloy framed Pietta that Fall Creek Suttlery sells ? Beautiful gun by the way, not just the grips, you did nicely on the conversion too.

Cheers, Stacey Lee, hats off on your work, it is premium my friend

[Oldelm]

Howdy Stacey Lee,

I'm just gettin back to the computer,......the wife & I spent some time today lifting lids on honeybee hives and giving them pollen patties to help 'em out with the coming spring buildup. The beeswax from them comes in handy for a cap & ball lube pill ingredient,...hehe,.... but I just love keepin the bees aside from any of the side benefits they provide.
Anyway, thanks  for your very kind words about my grips, and it's a pleasure talking to someone like yourself about it that's done the same thing, and have put their mind & skills to work at it. You've certainly done alot more grips than I have (this was my 2nd pair on the Remingtons), and I may just ask you for some advice should I ever try to do some Colt grips. I bought a nice piece of Elk horn from a pard that goes off into the wilds of Idaho(?) to find Elk horn that's been shed. I'd like to make some stag grips for a SAA sometime if life ever slows down.

And yes, I get your drift on drilling that hole slightly off its final destination, good call !!!
Funny how great minds think alike, I do that too, but just didn't post all my trade secrets, but now the words out !!! Ha ah aha ha...I had to learn that the hard way myself

.....LOL!!!......that's a good way to express that.  I remember messin up on one try of drilling that stud hole,...I did it the WRONG way and the grip pulled  away from the top curve when placed on the metal stud of the frame,...Ha Ha!.....my bad.....so I had to let in a little patch of wood and drill it again. I learn quicker from my mistakes,...I guess like we all do.   It would be frustrating, though,  if I wasn't a cabinetmaker by trade.

You asked about the Remington,....

http://i2.tinypic.com/sovc4i.jpg

.......it's actually a nickel plated conversion done by Ken Howell , 5-shot, chambered in .44-40,...one of a handfull of Remington conversions he's done, compared with over 300 Colt conversion reproductions. The nickel is very maintenence free, but I'd prefer one in the blue, or antiqued finish. I was going to de-plate it, but only deplated the brass trigger guard when I decided I'd live with the nickel for awhile,...as it's easier to keep clean & rustfree, and I've sort of become fond of the nickel finish.
  With your gunsmithing, ...have you ever done, or thought about doing a conversion? I'll bet you could make a nice one, given your skillls ifin ya had the right equipment.   

...well I better get going,...drank too much coffee,...hehe

Thanks again for your nice feedback,.....
oldelm

[Cincinnati Slim]

Howdy All,

Very nice work folks ! Nothin' dresses up a shootin' Iron like purdy custom grips !

Regards the nickle finish...It does look sorta gaudy but it's a stone fact that "back in the day" a whole bunch of original black powder pistols were nickle plated. They really are easier to keep clean; the soot and fouling is easier to see and wipes off with less effort.

Good job y'all.

Cincinnati Slim

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Those look great. Thanks for sharing the pics. I really like 'em.