contender
Ruger Guru
Well, I took the time yesterday to work on the grip panels some more. My first picture,, (#4,) is after a rough cut out & general forming a bit. This was where I really worked down a lot of the excess material, getting closer to a fit thickness wise. And they are still proud of the frame & overall thickness.
Next,, I really went to work on making them fit the grip frame, sanding them using 2 machines. I used my small 1" wide belt sander,, and my drum oscillating sander with a 1" drum. The belt sander also has a 5" flat disc sander on the side. Using all 3 electric sanders,, I removed a lot more material, and carefully contoured things to fit my hands. I wanted to add a palm swell to the right panel for a more custom fit to my hands. As I got very close to the dimensions I was seeking,, I slowly approached the scribe lines I'd made on the wood which was just outside the size of the frame. I knew that when I got to the scribe line,, I was very close to the size I'd need to finalize the fit. When using the sanders you have to apply very light & gentle pressure as you get close to the final shape in all areas. And you check the fit often. I also stayed away from the actual final fit I desired. This was so I could finish the fitting by hand & making sure everything was as I desired. Basically what follows is the finished result of the electric sanding part of this project. the next step will be the hand sanding to smooth & CAREFULLY fit all the little spots that need detailed fitting.
So pictures #5, #6, & #7 show the results of this,, with one panel on the frame & the other one laying beside it. Following that,, is how they look on the grip frame,, and the last picture, #7, shows the palm swell from the rear.
I'm getting closer to having a set of grips.
Next,, I really went to work on making them fit the grip frame, sanding them using 2 machines. I used my small 1" wide belt sander,, and my drum oscillating sander with a 1" drum. The belt sander also has a 5" flat disc sander on the side. Using all 3 electric sanders,, I removed a lot more material, and carefully contoured things to fit my hands. I wanted to add a palm swell to the right panel for a more custom fit to my hands. As I got very close to the dimensions I was seeking,, I slowly approached the scribe lines I'd made on the wood which was just outside the size of the frame. I knew that when I got to the scribe line,, I was very close to the size I'd need to finalize the fit. When using the sanders you have to apply very light & gentle pressure as you get close to the final shape in all areas. And you check the fit often. I also stayed away from the actual final fit I desired. This was so I could finish the fitting by hand & making sure everything was as I desired. Basically what follows is the finished result of the electric sanding part of this project. the next step will be the hand sanding to smooth & CAREFULLY fit all the little spots that need detailed fitting.
So pictures #5, #6, & #7 show the results of this,, with one panel on the frame & the other one laying beside it. Following that,, is how they look on the grip frame,, and the last picture, #7, shows the palm swell from the rear.
I'm getting closer to having a set of grips.
