What's the Best Filler for Grip Reduction?

[Ghost Tracker]

After researching what all the "pros" do (good AND bad), I've been carefully doing small mods to my G19 frame; rounding off the front hook & high-cutting underneath the trigger guard, removing material along the right side to shorten trigger reach, removing all the "seam flash" from inside the trigger guard, etc. Nothing too radical but just a few touches to personalize the pistol and make it more comfortable for my short fingers & broad palm.

Now I want to remove the finger grooves, fill and remove the backstrap hump, straighten the grip angle, do a full grip reduction (think Browning Hi-Power), and stipple the front & rear of the grip. Just like the rest of y'all, I've seen Grip Reduction jobs that cost $150-200 and were uglier than home-made soap. My plan is to use a color-matched filler of some sort so I don't have to recoat the grip following the reduction with bed liner. My question is...

What's the best filler to use that most closely matches the GLOCK factory polymer in both color & consistancy. And by "consistancy" I mean melting temperature, durometer (hardness), grindability (new word!), etc. I ask because I want my mods to appear very uniform. I've even considered melting down some Glock factory magazines (10 rounders of course) & pouring that molten plastic into to backstrap void.

Yes, I've read Brownell's instructions on the subject, and others posted on the web as well. Yes, I am an experienced craftsman. Yes, I know the risks I'm taking. No, I'm not a rookie (been messin' with guns for almost 40 years). If I totally screw the pooch, I'll buy one of those new metal GLOCK frames and destroy ALL the evidence of my stupidity. If it works out well, I'll post pictures & how-to. Any suggestions?

[Custom Glock Racing]

Marinetex

[kimberguy2004]

I picked up a small pack of Marine Tex today to try an experiment. I have a G21 coming that was a PD trade in. They used metal stamps to "engrave" inventory information on the slide. Since I'm going to refinish the slide anyway, I'm thinking of blasting the finish off of the slide, degrease it and fill the punched letters with the Marine Tex, then stone the side of the slide down smooth then airbrush it with GunCoat. My local smith seems to think it will stick to the clean steel. It's really hard stuff. When it cures, you can sand, drill & tap, almost anything you can do to metal.
I'm also thinking of using it for a grip filler. My question is, when it cures, are you able to stipple it with a soldering iron like you would be able to do to plastic? That's a concern to me, because I don't want to cover the grip with truck bed liner like Brownells says to do, because I'm also going to refinish the slide in DuraKote and I want it to stick. That way, I don't have to figure out how to color the filler material.
Another possibility is casting resin, the type that you get at the hobby or crafts store. It comes with a hardener that you mix in a certain ratio. I'm going to mix a test batch of that and see how it works after it's cured..

If anyone has any tried and proven tips or tricks pertaining to grip reduction and finishing, I'm sure there are a lot of us here that would really appreaciate it.

[Ghost Tracker]

Thanks for the Marinetex answer. By the way, I'm a big fan of your trigger-work. Got the chance to run one of your full Racegun set-ups and was completely amazed by the crispness & reset. WHOA!

Which of the Marinetex products do you suggest? Is there any way to dye the uncured Marinetex black (when the batch is being mixed) or must it be coated after curing to match the GLOCK frame color? Does cured Marinetex melt at approximately the same temperature & rate as the GLOCK frame when heat stippling?

Come on GLOCKers. I don't expect the folks who make their living doing this to provide "trade secrets". But I KNOW enough of us brave do-it-yourselfers are on this site who can share their insight.

[kimberguy2004]

The West Marine Store where I picked up the Marine Tex had some kind of coloring agent next to the fillers. I didn't look at it too closely because I'm going to DuraCoat the frame, but it might be a possibility. It looks like Duracoat might be a better solution than trying tomatch the frame color. If you don't have a compressor and air brush, it's available in spray can, as well as the kits that come with an air brush and propellant and everything else you need for around $50. I'm guessing that from a cost standpoint, time being money, that the commercial places that do this are using Duracoat and refinishing the frame. It would be less time involved than trying to match colors unless the person doingthe matching was very proficient at it. I think any type ofplastic filler material would work. I would stay away from the epoxy materials because of the high heat givn off during the curing process. I'm hoping some of the other Glockers will also chime in here..
Check out this site. They have a very large variety of plastic repair/filler type products.

http://www.evercoat.com/

3-M also makes a 2 part filler used on fiberglass repairs that may be available in small quantities..It's should be available at the marine stores also. It mixes into a putty, so it would be a little easier to work with..

Update: The Marine Tex instructions recommend using Evercoat tint to color it. We may be making progress here..

[Ghost Tracker]

Coloring tint, now you're talkin'! I'm not worried about the filling technique. There's enought been written by a number of folks who've successfully used a variety of filling & shaping techniques. I'm looking to find out...

(1.) The best filler that can be TINTED to match the GLOCK frame color so, when the shaping & stippling is done, I don't have to recoat the frame to match the colors. I know it's possible because there's a couple of the Grip Reduction Pros who specifically state that their reductions don't require a coating.

(2.) The filler that, when cured, most closely duplicates the GLOCK frame with regards to melt temperature, stippling characteristics, etc. to make my modifications as consistant as possible at all spots on the grip.

[kimberguy2004]

I've got a small batch of Marine Tex mixed and curing. I want to see if it can be stipled with a small tip soldering iron.
When you think about it, the guys that advertise no refinishing have two things going. They have a material that is sensitive to heat(stippling) and it can be colored. Sounds pretty logical that they would be using some readily available off the shelf, non-gun related material to do this. I wouldn't think the manufacturers of these materials would be interested in developing a product for a very small, select, specific market, such as gunsmiths. It's a matter of elimination, and since I ran across the recommendation to color Marine Tex with Evercoat pigments, that's really looking like the material of choice. What I'm curious about is the stippling technique. Too bad there aren't videos out on how to do this stuff.
Which brings me to the next thought. Why havn't one of the custom guys marketed a video on how to do it. I don't know what their volume is for this particular process, but if it's in the hundreds, that means there are more people interested who just don't want to part with the bucks to get it done. They could market a How-To video for $20 a pop and reach 10's of thousands of Glock owners and have both markets.

[PzGren]

To fill in engraving on the slide, I'd take J.B. Weld.

For the frame Marinetex is very good product.
I have not tried it but Marinetex probably can be died black just as easily as any O.D. Glock frame.

I don't find stippling to work so well on Marinetex, it will give a different appearance than the polymer frame, I'd take the roll-on truck bed liner and use a sponge, once it starts to set, tack it with the sponge for a rougher surface, or add some quarz sand to it.

[Ghost Tracker]

kimberguy2004,
now you understand what I'm trying to figure out. I'm particularly interested in our "yet-unnamed filler" showing the same melt temperature & texture (when cured) as heat-stippled GLOCK polymer. I have the capability to create a custom soldering iron tip that would melt a fish-scale or snake-skin impression into the GLOCK frame. Not only would the LOOK be interesting, but with the "smooth-one-way, rough-the-other" nature of raised scale patterns...the non-slip would be impressive without being overly abrasive.

That's what's behind my inquiry. And yeah, I would be glad to do an instructional video when I get the process down pat.

PzGren,
Is the O.D. Green GLOCK frame dyed after it's cured black or is it molded green all the way through? I REALLY want to stay away from the bed-liner technique as, in my opinion, most of those grip reductions end up looking like...uh, well, no offense to anybody...truck beds.

[Lowrider 49]

Gnetlemen,

I gotta tell you that I just finished my G21 reduction using Marine Tex and I would not use it again. It is very thick and non-drip in consistancy and difficult to "pour" spoon or push into the grip cavity. As a result, I had two spots that left bubbles in the grip that I needed to fix once I began removing material. SOme acetone cleanup and a tooth pick allowed me to fill the holes left by the bubbles. It actually turned out just fine, but was a lot of extra work that I did not find necessary when using Locktite epoxy on my G22 reduction.

Stippling on the Marine Tex was completely different than the Glock plastic frame. I tried twice to match the frame stipple and was not able to match it. I used a 35 watt Craftsman wood burner which works very well on the plastic frame. I used matt black plastic paint on the reduction area and it looks ...well....OK.

Bottom line is the G21 fits me a lot better than it did before the reduction. This is my 3rd try and I'm still learning, but I did not find Marine Tex very user friendly in this application...it is too thick to get into the hole....maybe it need hair!!

[kimberguy2004]

I havn't checked my test batch yet but I was thinking the same thing when I was mixing it. It looked pretty stiff. I had kinda written it off thinking the bottle was cold from sitting out or something..At this point, I'm more concerned how the filler material is going to stipple, since I'm going to airbrush the frame anyway.
What about you guys who have actually used Acruglas as recommended by Brownells?

[Ghost Tracker]

I can't believe no one has told me how STUPID it would be to melt down a couple of 10 rd. GLOCK mags and pour the molten plastic into the back-strap void (while, of course, blocking the flow above the pin). The 10 rd. mags are throw-away cheap (why would anybody in a "Free-State" want it?). One mag might be enough to fill the required area, two surely would be.

Does anyone know if the frame polymer and the mag polymer are the same material? If they ARE, then it would seem like a simple process to prep the void like prepping for an epoxy fill (putty-cram the upper area, rough the inside, drill the cross-holes, etc.) and then pour the molten plastic into the hole. More care would be required not to burn the the hell out of yourself, but no more care than say...welding. The color would match perfectly, the surface would stipple identically, and there would (should?) be no "parting line" between the original frame & new plastic.

Someone needs to stop me before I spend BIG BUCKS ($15?) to melt down an empty mag body, pour it into another empty mag body & then grind & stipple all over the result. If they recycle the scrap of the frame (mag?) molding process, then I CAN'T BELIEVE no one has thought of this idea before now! Is it revolutionary or retarded?

[PzGren]

I had bought a Glock 23 that somebody had done a lousy stippling job on, he fried through the grip at the bottom. I melted a baseplate with my soldering iron and filled small portions in.

The problem that you will experience is that polymer melts at relatively high temps and too high a temp will harden the polymer and make it brittle. Pouring it without airbubbles will be hard, too. It is usually injection molded.
Any polymer or semi liquid stuff, Marinetex or whatever, needs to be filled in with relatively high pressure.

To be honest,I'd rather try Bondo than melted mags and dye it with bumper paint.

But use just a baseplate and see how it lquifies (around 400f, I think) and how it will pour into a cavity, don't try it on your gun right away.

[kimberguy2004]

I tried a practice stippling on dried chunk of marine tex, and I wasn't impressed with the results. Maybe something to do with the technique also, since I'm inexperienced. I've been told by a couple of people that Marine Tex is the material of choice. I'm still searching and researching.
A friend at STI is going to do some slide machining for me, so I'm going to check to see if he has access to any polymar frames that have been junked out and are going to the scrap barrel. The idea of melting something down and pouring it in the cavity seems pretty doable to me.. The frame and magazine material looks to be the same stuff..

[Lowrider 49]

Melting mags is an interesting idea...I considred it and threw out the idea since I was scared I might get a "melt-thru" when I poured the molten plastic into the grip cavity. Also, plastic has a tendency to burn very close to it's melting point which scared me too!!

If you try it.... please report back!!

[Ghost Tracker]

The Bad News is that trying to melt GLOCK mags into a pourable grip void filler won't work for a variety of reasons including; the required extreme temperature, the thin margin between melting & burning, trapped air, etc. Like so many other things...it looked good in theory but in reality it didn't make the grade.

The Good News is that there's an e-bay seller of castable resins. Yesterday I spoke to "Gerald" who seemed to be the Mack Daddy Guru of Product Application. When I explained what I was trying to do & he gave me the name (Max Bond, Medium Viscosity) and product number (270077788793). He said to e-mail him personally when I ordered the 32 oz. kit (that's the smallest available) and he would color-tint the resin to match the GLOCK frame. We could be onto something here. I'm gonna' get some & give it a try. Expect a report as news becomes available.

I would give everyone a link but I'm an old guy who's new to all this website jazz so I don't know how! Just search e-bay for "casting resin" and you should find it.

[Lowrider 49]

Great work Ghost!!

Can't wait for the report!!

[JoeSnuffy]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Epoxy-Resin-Glue-Structural-Strength-Adhesive-32-oz-kit_W0QQitemZ270077788793QQcmdZViewItem

I am guessing that this is the same resin you are talking about?

Looks very interesting.

[Lowrider 49]

I wonder how it stipples and can it be turned the same black as a Glock frame?

[JoeSnuffy]

The stippling sure is an issue...as is color
most of this stuff comes with dye so color should be an easy solution?

A lot of places will send you a sample to mix up and test
so at least a person could get an idea before committing
to the final solution..

[Ghost Tracker]

If you go back to my last post you'll see that "Gerald" (The guy suggesting & selling "Max Bond") said he would tint the material to match the GLOCK frame. When I order his stuff (maybe next weekend) I'm sending along a GLOCK mag base, that'll give him the right shade of GLOCK gray/black to shoot for. The company specializes in a wide variety of epoxy-based applications and he talked like color-matching was a common and relatively simple proceedure.

But I can almost assure you that, while the color may match the GLOCK frame perfectly, the HEAT stipple characteristics will NOT be identical. The chances for the Glock polymer and ANY epoxy product to melt at the same temperature & rate are almost nill. That "may" be why Bowie Tactical says he uses a high-speed rotary tool rather than a low-wattage soldering iron to re-texture the GLOCK grip. It's easier to match a "removal" stipple-job (Dremel) over unlike materials than a "displacement" (Heat) stipple-job. When you take a close-up look at some of the Professional Grip Reductions (Bowie, Robar, etc.) it's obvious that they're grinding (not melting) the non-slip grip surface back onto the frame after reduction. That may be how they assure such consistancy of appearance over both the polymer frame & the epoxy filler.

[2Timer]

Ghost-I don't mean to start a pissin match, but I have to disagree with you comment on how the big boys are stippling. I have had two pistol done (grip reductions). The first was my G19, and while it was getting done, I fell into the dark hole deeper and bought a G26. As soon as the 19 was in my hand, and I wasn't too pleased with it, I sent my 26 out to another vendor. I'm at work or I would post pictures. The 19 was sent back to me with deep sanding marks in areas that the gunsmith thought needed reducing but did not stipple, so I bought a hobby wood burning tool ($16) and did my own work on the 19. After receiving my G26, ( night and day difference), I added more magazines to my collection and I put the pearce extensions on and surprised myself by matching the stippling done on the other 26 magazines. The 19 has a completely different style of stippling compared to the 26 but all of the stippling was melted into the plastic not sanded or grinded in. I will try and post pictures tonight when I get home. Eric

[2Timer]

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i92/223223/Glock023.jpg
My stippling is on the mag and above the trigger and in the next pict- high in the back strap
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i92/223223/Glock024.jpg
Next are the 26 mags, the one on the left was done with the gun, the other three are mine.
Next is the 26
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i92/223223/Glock017.jpg
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i92/223223/Glock031.jpg
All done with melting the plastic, and some say not worth anything once its done??? Couldn't buy mine!!!!

[2Timer]

Sorry lost the mags.
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i92/223223/Glock021.jpg

[kimberguy2004]

So you melted the backstrap and "compressed" it down to the contour, or lack of contour that you wanted? I've wondered if that was possible. Maybe make a wooden plug with the desired shape inserted into the rear cavity and the backstrap heated enough to soften it, then press it against the form and when it cools, remove the form. You could then do the final shaping, stipple it and remove the plug..

[2Timer]

Kimber-There is some type of filler in each backstrap hole and then its sanded down, and then stippled with ? I used a hobby wood burning tool, to do my stippling. You can see how different the filler is on the 19. On my 26, you can't tell what original and what is the filler.

[Ghost Tracker]

2Timer, no pissing match here. I'm guessing about how the best pros accomplish a well-executed grip-reduction. I know that some use heat stippling while others use rotary tools. I know that some recoat the entire GLOCK frame to match the color inconsistancy between the filler and the polymer, yet others use a filler that matches the frame color so closely that re-coating isn't necessary. Yours look nice & I admire your willingness to experiment. There's NOTHING wrong with heat stippling.

I just happen to already have a HIGH speed (1/2 MILLION rpm) air turbine (20x faster than a Dremmel!). My goal is to find a filler that (when dry) matches the factory GLOCK frame color so closely that a re-coat isn't necessary.

Often, the polymer of a GLOCK frame doesn't respond to the heat at the same rate & temperature as the epoxy filler. When these "melt characteristics" aren't the same...it's VERY DIFFICULT to match the consistancy of the stippling over both materials. It IS, however, easier to consistantly match the pattern of the stippling when a spinning bit is REMOVING the material, rather than a hot point moving the material around. For example, I can rotary stipple; wood, plastic & metal to almost the exact same pattern consistancy. I don't think you can say that using a wood burner or soldering iron.

I'm just trying to confirm or disprove as many of my "guesses" as possible BEFORE I irrevocably alter my GLOCK frame.

[Lowrider 49]

Ghost,

Our goals are the same.

I have tried the rotary bit in the dremel type tool and was not satisfied with the results since it turned out to be too smooth where the heat stipple has sharp points that make for a really nice "grippy" or "sticky" feel on the grip. I think I am convinced that epoxy can not be made to look like heat stipple regardless of which type you use. I don't like the truck bed liner look or feel, so the search goes on!

I know the big guys consider their technique to be a "trade secret" and I certainly don't blame them, but as soon as we figure this out it will be public info anyway.

Any other ideas?

[kimberguy2004]

I've tried casting rein, so scatch that off the list..

[stopsign94]

Well I'll throw another suggestion into the ring here. I heard, so automatically don't take my word for it, that some of the leaders in grip reductions cut what sounds like a pie sliced wedge out of the backstrap. They then heat up the grip to the point of softening and squeeze it back together. This seems like it would make sense, but I don't know how you would go about heating the grip enough to become flexible, but not melting it. I also don't know how you would go about blending the seem where it would meet. I'm going to attempt to do it using this method soon, I already did the stippling myself, so I don't have much to lose. I think it came out well, opinions?

[Lowrider 49]

Now that is an interesting idea!! If you could successfully put the edges back together again the technique would allow the entire reduced area to be stippled just like the rest of the frame since it IS the frame.

On my guns I have ground a fairly flat area on the bottom right side of the rear of the grip to fit my sorta fat hand. It would seem that one could make a wooden mandrel, heat the frame and form the frame material against the wooden shape to form the back of the grip.

Sure wish I had a dozen frames to play with until I figured out this whole thing. Any donars?

[Bowie Tactical]

Ghost Tracker: I do not grind my stippling in. I use a method that is, to my knowledge propriatary to my shop for grip reductions. Robar uses an apoxy of some sort to make his texturing applied over the grip.
Kimberguy: The reason I have not done a video, and I have been opproached about it, is once my method is out the video goes to a freind then another friend then gets posted here and I don't sell many but many profit from my hard work and no profit to me. I know this sounds rude and maybe selfish but I do have a company to support and by doing the only true grip reductions that are truly stippled I need to guard that.
I have spent alot of years working at doing the best work I can for me and my customers. Plus I have seen some try to use methods they did not fully understand and really trash a gun. So the other problem with videos is who is using the info.
CHECK 360 David Bowie

[2Timer]

Bowie-You do very nice work, if you need someone to test one of your G19's don't be shy!!:notworthy:

[stopsign94]

I've never had any work done by you, but your stippling is what got me started down this long road of grip modification. I read an article a couple years back that featured a couple of your guns, forget what mag though. Excellent work, If I had the dough I'd have you do one of mine.

[Bowie Tactical]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I have beat my head against the wall and spent MANY sleepless nights trying to get it right. I just try to never let good anough be just that. I am always looking to improve.

CHECK 360
David Bowie

[InlineSpeeder]

Good better best never let it rest until the good is better and the better is best:)

[Ghost Tracker]

Bowie Tactical (David)- Thanks for the heads-up about not grinding your stipple work. Like I said in my previous posts, I was (am!) just guessing. And please don't misunderstand, I have NOTHING but COMPLETE respect for both your "trade secrets" and your time it took to develope them. You're the Mack Daddy Guru of Grip Reduction and I admire your work greatly! I'm just one of those GLOCK fans who likes to tweak-around with my own pistols. I have NO INTEREST in messing with anyone ELSE'S gun. There's MORE THAN ENOUGH self-proclaimed pros turning nice GLOCK pistols into snow-cone gripped, bed-liner soaked, burn victims.

I could never make a dime doing this stuff for other folks because I; read everyone's opinion, experiment extensively, practice techniques on old (10 rd.) mags, approach all mods thoughtfully, go VERY slowly & conveniently destroy all my mistakes.

Honestly David, I must thank you for all the ideas I've gathered (swiped!) looking at your work. The latest, dishing-out behind the mag release, REALLY helps my reload confidence. I also admire your giving your Father the Model #1 of your new Signature G19 Series. Dad's are like cigars...there's nothing worse than a BAD one & nothing better than a GOOD one!

Regards,
Ghost Tracker

[Ghost Tracker]

stopsign94, what stipple technique did YOU use? It looks good! My concern about the "split, heat, fold & seam" idea for grip reduction is that the heat would be hard to localize only at the back-strap. The rear, flat wall of the mag funnel (just inside the back-strap) would have to be carefully maintained during the heating & inward folding process. Any "warp" there could cause a mag insersion interference or a feed-lip mis-alignment.

Here's an idea...why don't we all just get together & ask David (above) to give us a group discount on grip reductions. If a dozen or so of us all commit to ship our pistols to arrive at Bowie Tactical on the same day, maybe he'll consider a reduced rate. Whatta' ya' say David? Group/Forum Discount? Anybody interested?

[stopsign94]

Well if memory serves me correctly, I think the last thing he would want is a ton of pistols showing up on the same day. I think I recal quite a wait time for some of the grip reductions. Anyway, I used the 30 watt soldering iron technique, going very slowly and melting small dots into frame, first melting down all texture originally there. This was done on a 2nd gen so no finger grooves to remove. Also ground down the trigger hook and stippled that to match the grip. Thanks for the kind words also. Onto your thoughts on the melting. It definitely would be very tricky to do properly. I would think a nice perfectly fit wood block in the mag well, then cut out the pizza pie slice from the back of the grip. Then using a heat gun fairly close to the backstrap I would squeeze it down by hand, causing the 2 sides to meet. I would then use the soldering iron to "weld" the plastic back together. Now I just have to get the guts up to try it....;)

[kimberguy2004]

The idea of cutting a "wedge" out of the backstrap and heating and bending it to get the edges to meet and then do some final shaping does have merit, although I don't have the kahunas to be the first to try it. A standard heat gun set on the low setting would allow you to apply a controlled amount of heat to the grip. You could tell when enough is enough by pressing on the plastic and feeling when it starts to move. Remove the heat source then. Duh!!
If you made a "filler plug" that would insert into the back space. you could bend both sides of the grip against the plug to get an approximate shape. Once the edges meet, it's easy enough to melt them together with your iron and stipple the seam to match everything else.
The more I think about it, why bother to cut the frame at all. Back to the idea of using a filler plug to shape the grip, why not just heat the backstrap as is to get the it to form against the plug. Then you have no seam to fill, the color is unchanged and you don't have a need to refinish. Pull the plug, shape it, stipple, fill the cavity with an epoxy such as Loctite, smooth the bottom of the but and walla..

I'm wondering if maybe David should compensate all of us for the entertainment we're providing him, because I'm willing to bet he's laughing his ass off reading this thread...:rofl:

[stopsign94]

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: You're probably right, he's thinking"hahaha they're gonna melt their grips, hahahaha":rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Ghost Tracker]

kimberguy2004, I would think David is a busy businessman with little time and less inclination to suffer foolishly theoretical, totally uneducated guesses about how best to do what he does better than anyone! It would be like Picasso watching us paint-by-numbers. Or, more accurately, Picasso listening to us talk about & plan the BEST WAY to paint-by-numbers. If I were Mr. Bowie...I would BLOCK us!

stopsign94, forgive my badgering questions. But does the explaination of your stippling technique mean that you melt the plastic surface with the sharp tip of a low-wattage soldering iron until the plastic "puddles" around the tip and then pull the tip away, allowing the still molten material to then come back together to form a consistant raised dot? I ask because on some of the practice "trial runs" I've done on 10 rd. mag bodies (they're cheap) my stippling has been dimples melted "into" the grip surface, not dots "standing away" from the grip surface. I think I like your way better. Please advise or direct me to some instructions!

[2Timer]

My last coments are-before you send your gun out for the GR, make sure its to Bowie or Wendell. I speak from experience, look at my ugly G19? I paid the same for the reductions on both of my pistols and had to clean up the G19 before I was satisfied. Very disappointed with that work. The only thing I did with the 26 was add more magazines and I stippled the mag extensions. I'm looking for a OD G26 and will have the big boys do another one for me. :thumbsup: Eric

[Bowie Tactical]

Ok guys I am not laughing at your planning... well maybe a giggle.. but truely, thinking outside the box is how progress is made. I'm flattered that my work and designes have over the years been copied so much and caused such a stir.
Thanks for the kind words. I will try to keep living up to them.
CHECK 360
David Bowie

[gunplumber]

Originally posted by Lowrider 49
Gnetlemen,

I gotta tell you that I just finished my G21 reduction using Marine Tex and I would not use it again. It is very thick and non-drip in consistancy and difficult to "pour" spoon or push into the grip cavity. As a result, I had two spots that left bubbles in the grip that I needed to fix once I began removing material. SOme acetone cleanup and a tooth pick allowed me to fill the holes left by the bubbles. It actually turned out just fine, but was a lot of extra work that I did not find necessary when using Locktite epoxy on my G22 reduction.

Stippling on the Marine Tex was completely different than the Glock plastic frame. I tried twice to match the frame stipple and was not able to match it. I used a 35 watt Craftsman wood burner which works very well on the plastic frame. I used matt black plastic paint on the reduction area and it looks ...well....OK.

Bottom line is the G21 fits me a lot better than it did before the reduction. This is my 3rd try and I'm still learning, but I did not find Marine Tex very user friendly in this application...it is too thick to get into the hole....maybe it need hair!!

There is a whole lot more to working with marintex then you will figure out in couple of tries. I've done close to a thousand grip reductions and am still finding ways to improve my technique.

But then I bed and stippled a hundred McMillan rifle stocks with it before developing the grip reduction with it.


Many factors affect the consistency of MT, temperature, humidity, subtle changes in your catayst mix, etc. You can microwave it to make it runny, but then it cures faster (not always good). And like any resin, you can't doa pour unless there is a place for the air bubbles to go.

Its a very versitile material, but it takes a lot of practice to really get it bending to your will.

[Lowrider 49]

Gunplumber,

Thanks for the support!!

I'm certain you have a lot more experience than most anyone with marinetex and I appreciate you sharing your experiences. I was just relaying one experience I had using it and I certainly was not happy with the results I had. It's nice to hear that it can successfully be used for grip reductions with proper techniques.

I shot my G21 last week in an IDPA match and it was wonderful with the reduction. It feels better and I'm able to handle it a lot better with the grip reduction and stippling.....especially during reloads....I just wish it looked better.

I'm going to play around with some other techniques with marinetex and see if I can improve my effots. I still have other unmodified Glock.

Thanks for the confidence!!

[jaybird840]

Hey All,
For those of you that have been following this thread for awhile. I can finally report back on the top-secret work I've been doing with a polymer company. I had them send me 9 samples of their pourable polymers to examine as good candidates for grip filler. Unfortunately, none of them would stipple like the original glock material. So, back to searching.... As another thought, you all have me considering the "shrinking" and "wedge" theories for my next projects. Attached is a photo of my latest project. G22 cut down to take G23 mags. Backstrap reduced using MY "proprietary" :rofl: method. It was also my first attempt at rounding the trigger guard, and using the "bark" type finish. I'm pretty pleased with the results (as I was with my first project). Unfortunately, it didn't stay in the gunsafe very long. My ex-Marine son in law who is a police cadet was 10-ringing with it at 20 yards like it was cool. I guess he thought it made a pretty good early graduation gift:supergrin: Here's a pic.
http://home.austin.rr.com/theprimavera/Glock22.jpg

[coverdog]

The picture is so fuzzy we can't tell the quality of the job at all. :dunno:

[lane478]

What's your technique to make the tree bark cuts?

[6clicks]

There's a guy on diyguns.com that has a kit to make a backstrap beavertail on Glocks that is molded on and looks pretty slick. I don't know how he matches the color or if it will stipple properly but it seems to be the stuff to fill with. Check it out.

[Col. Kurtz]

Lots of info here...Thanks to All
Keep it coming