How were Colts grips installed on originals?

[sfc rick]

I ask because I have installed about a dozen pairs of simulated ivory or stag grips on my Colt 1873 SAA's or my 1872 Open Tops. I use JB Weld to glue them together with C-Clamps to hold and allow to dry overnight and file, sand, and polish them to fit the grip frames. I'm curious to know what glue was used on the originals grip panels back in the 1800's.

Any thoughts?

[Forty Rod]

Most of the originals that I have seen had actual one piece grips.  The ones that weren't were ivory, MOP, and other non-wood materials.  BTW, most of the imported replicas also use actual one piece wood grips.

I think you can still but walnut blanks from Dixie Gun Works.

[Major 2]

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,44533.0.html


Picture below are from VTI  they are one piece

[St. George]

None.

They were one-piece and got their seamless mating to the straps before final metal finishing.

Scouts Out!

[sfc rick]

Thanks!

[Forty Rod]

You mentioned stag grips.  I honestly don't recall ever seeing stag on any SAA made before WWI and almost all stags after that were two piece with screws and escutcheons.

[St. George]

They didn't reach popularity until the advent of the Western, when the original hard rubber grips broke, and prop men substituted with 'Franzite' plastic stags - then, everyone wanting to emulate their movie hero wanted a pair.

Scouts Out!

[Mogorilla]

Remembering off the cuff here, but were not most of the ivory one piece as well?   Before they were hunted to next to nothing, there were loads of big elephants out there with some monumentally large tusks.   I have seen a Winchester with solid ivory stock and forearm, all one piece.   To me it was as ugly as a shaved goat trained to walk backwards, but I do understand it is best if we do not all want to dance with the same girl.   Either way, ivory used to be much bigger in the 19th century because it had the time to get there.

[Forty Rod]

Remembering off the cuff here, but were not most of the ivory one piece as well?   Before they were hunted to next to nothing, there were loads of big elephants out there with some monumentally large tusks.   I have seen a Winchester with solid ivory stock and forearm, all one piece.   To me it was as ugly as a shaved goat trained to walk backwards, but I do understand it is best if we do not all want to dance with the same girl.   Either way, ivory used to be much bigger in the 19th century because it had the time to get there.

All but two that I've seen were one piece, but a couple (possibly late after-market ivories) were two piece. 

I think the Smithsonian had an ivory-stocked '66 Winchester at one time, but don't hold me to that one.

[Bunk Stagnerg]

Next time i take the gun apart to clean I have an original set of ivory 1860 Army grips on an original trigger guard and back strap. picked up at a gun show years ago that was all the rest of the gun was missing, but it must have been pretty good, the steel parts were not pitted or beat up. I had them hot blued and now carry them on my 1871 open top replica. I think the center piece is wood but I really don't remember' More later
Bunk

[Abilene]

Bunk, did the antique gripframe bolt right up to the Uberti Opentop frame?