One piece Ivory?

[Kinda Sudden]

Need some wisdom from my pards here. Thinking about one piece ivories. My understanding is that most are not true one piece but have a separate block bonded to both sides. I am wondering if this setup will hold together over time (and recoil) Any opinions or experience with this? Any pro's or cons other then no screw holes and they look nicer? What about loosening up over time? Any fit issues? We are talking about the Colt SAA of course.

                                                          Thanks
                                                           K.S.

[Doc Shapiro]

That's true.  They aren't true one-piece grips.  To my knowledge, no one makes a true 1-piece grip.  It's frightfully time consuming.  I've tried it a few times and gave up.  Much easier (and much more cost effective for the customer) to make them as 3 pieces and glue them up.  This system is very effective and will hold up.  Colt has been doing them this way since they started making the SAA.

[Kinda Sudden]

Colt has been doing them this way since they started making the SAA.

Since 1873? I always thought the original wood grips were true one piece. I did not think they had high strength glue back then. Are vintage grips seen that have separated from the effects of time?

[Doc Shapiro]

Not that I know of.  The joint doesn't take much stress.  Most of the stress is taken by the frame.

No, they didn't have the glues that we do.  But if you use dowel pins, you get a pretty darned strong joint.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Howdy Doc.

           I'm not shure about this, but 40 years ago I made a couple of walnut ,one piece grips for my Yeager Intercontinental Dakota, which is a clone of the Colt 1873, I got the wood for these from Arvo Ojava, they were blocks of walnut that had been routed down the middle, and everything else was square, which left me with a lot of wood to remove, the routing was wright on for the contour of the back strap,and grip frame,and the width, which made that part of it a lot easer , I don't think these were in three pieces, I don't think there was anything to gain at this point , to glue them in three pieces, and if they did , they did an amazing job of it, I think these grips came out real well they fit tight and there is no warpage, and this is after 41 years of use, I finished these with true oil, and rubbed them out with rotten stone and linseed oil , then rotten stone and rubbing oil. I don't think there too bad for there age.