Come Into Bawanna's Famous Grip Emporium

[dustnchips]

The cactus juice is the cheapest part of the first batch. Looks to me like the first batch costs 4-5 hundred bucks.

[Bawanna]

True. Depends on the pump. My wife and daughter got me a really good pump which was where most of my apprehension came from, I didn't want to mess it up. Easily 500 to start.
But being able to take really pretty otherwise unusable wood and make something with it is a pretty cool thing.

I love the wood I get once in awhile from WSSI a stabilizing outfit. But at 30 to 50 bucks for a piece for one grip set, too pricey. Course one could get a lot of pieces for the 500 start price I guess.

Sort of like paying 40 grand for a car that gets 25 miles to the gallon, buy a lot of gas for your paid off 10 mile per gallon model.

[dustnchips]

It's a hobby, so cost doesn't matter. Just try to justify the cost of all of your guns or the ammo you shoot up. There are no pockets in a coffin so you might as well enjoy it.

[Bawanna]

I'm taking all my guns with me, saving up for a crane to pick up the box.

[GROTMAN]

i'm pleased with the look and it added a bunch of stability. Unlike the good stabilized wood i've gotten in the past which i believe is an epoxy based resin, this stuff does not fill voids. In this case that's fine as there were no voids and i picked wood accordingly.
The epoxy based stuff will not take oil or anything, all you do is buff it on a polishing wheel. Doesn't seem to work with this stuff. It took oil which really brought out the colors.
That is fine by me if they are durable and not brittle.
Again i think this next batch of wood will be different. Might be a whole new scenario if i'm finally doing it exactly right. I know i didn't sweat as much doing it today but the day ain't over yet.

To be continued.

i love the looks of those grips. They look kind of arizona( y ) ,ajbert you better get them before greg does... Just sayin.

[Bawanna]

Merged this stabilizing thread into the grip emporium.

Great news. I made a second set of the green camo wood which starts out blue and somehow turns green??? Go figure.
The good news is checkering it doesn't take away from the grain and color of the wood.

Here's how this set looked starting out. Just about gave up, didn't see much hope in these pieces.


One side checkered and oiled.


One set checkered, the other smooth.


And made a pen and pencil, the pen is the same wood, the pencil is similar wood. It spins good and didn't blow up on the lathe which is another good sign.


Been kind of whoopin it, think I'll go hit the recliner and some Rifleman and Wagon Train for a little break.

[dao]

You're on to something there Colonel. Those grips look fantastic. They kind of remind me of the coloring you see on very old maps. Distinctive any way you look at em.

[AJBert]

Glad you sent me over here, I was waiting on an update in the other thread. Both sets look great!

[CharlieW]

Fantastic looking grips - just beautiful!

[Bawanna]

Thanks Charlie.