Checkering my Tisas

[BirdsThaWord]

You can search for keywords. I never pay attention to which thread or forum stuff is in too. Sometimes I want to add something and gosh durned if I can find where it's at. Since we often get completely off track in some conversations it's easy to get lost. Wouldn't change it for the world. So Birds fooling around with other forums too? I'm hurt, right down to the quick. Show me on the kitchen floor curled up in a fatal position.

Lol! We’ve been together so long. I just had to test stepping out a bit to maybe bring a little excitement back into the relationship. I promise it won’t be anything serious.
By the way, I was thinking about your 1911 grips… If you want to move some to generate some xtra fun funds… I put a few sets on there recently that I had lost love for or just did not need. They sold pretty quickly. The only set of stabilized wood one’s I own currently (still looking for a delivery truck to arrive and thinking it will be soon) I had bought from a small grip maker who puts some up on there every now and then.

[BirdsThaWord]

Thanks AB!

It doesn't take me long to find my way around. After looking in vain for Bird's "Starting a new polishing project" a couple of days ago, yesterday I happened upon the 1911 forum (where he placed it). I've posted replies in that thread, and forum before but I don't think I've started a thread in it.

Part of the reason I find it hard to remember where things are is that this board doesn't provide the path to a particular post like some do. So I don't really pay attention to where the posts lie. But since my memory is now refreshed concering the 1911 forum, after I've finished touching up the two stainless Officer 1911's I'm going to open a new thread there with before, during, and finished pictures of both, as well any new jobs I attempt will be put in that thread also. Of course that hinges on whether or not I remember where I put the first two.

I find myself searching the same sometimes as I forget where a certain thread was. Sometimes, if I remember which one of you guys made a certain post, I’ll search under your stuff. (Sppoky! Stalky!)

I think we are a small, tight knit bunch. That and the Colonel does not seem wound to tight like admins on other sights, where if something does not fit exactly into described perimeters then it gets moved, etc. I like that we all can talk back and forth in one anothers posts, sometimes getting off track from the op’s thing he posted about. More organic and fluid to me. Running like that, I think my chi better aligns with my chakra and my zen with my fandango if ya know what I mean.

[dao]

Here's a picture I saved of some good looking skip line checkering. Looking at it now, it's different than I remembered. And I'm not sure that could be done by hand. Colonel?

[BirdsThaWord]

^^^^ This!!! Drool!!!

[BirdsThaWord]

By the way dao, due to what I plan to do to the RIA frame, I’ve been watching a lot of vids on youtube in regards to acid etching, electro etching, lasers, etc. A lot of times those guys use a transfer paper to lay down an image on metal, so they are not free handing everything. Maybe a simple grid can be printed on a sheet and transferred to the front strap. Then, if doing this manually, the jig can be moved accordingly so that areas to be skipped are already mapped out with that grid. Just line up your jig with the next applicable mark on the grid and rock on?!?!

Thinking on this, and looking at that skip lined pic you just posted, about a 1/4” wide checkering file would be needed. Is there such a thing? I’ve not researched files, and you obviously have.

[Bawanna]

Here's a picture I saved of some good looking skip line checkering. Looking at it now, it's different than I remembered. And I'm not sure that could be done by hand. Colonel?

Yes that could absolutely be done. You'd need a double wide cutter, imagine somebody must make one. In wood since you cut one line at a time you just just 2 or 3 singles in say 20LPI, then you cut one line 10LPI. Just do that both directions and you got skipline. Since that in the photo had 3 lines in between the skips, it must take a narrower file. Not sure how many lines your file cuts.

[BirdsThaWord]

it must take a narrower file.

That’s my thoughts, hence my asking about a 1/4” wide file.
Here’s a new thought… What if I bought checkering files and (slowly, carefully, methodically) removed one or two lines (dremel/file them away, to below the lowest points of the neighboring rows) so that the remaining lines could do their work and not be interfered with by the area where the removed lines were? I think this would work. As one of you guys said, necessity is the mother of invention and I love working things out. I’ve got a lot on my project plate, but may just try this one day. What have I got to lose? A $30 file?

[BirdsThaWord]

Yes that could absolutely be done. You'd need a double wide cutter, imagine somebody must make one. In wood since you cut one line at a time you just just 2 or 3 singles in say 20LPI, then you cut one line 10LPI. Just do that both directions and you got skipline. Since that in the photo had 3 lines in between the skips, it must take a narrower file. Not sure how many lines your file cuts.

I just re-read this. Now I completely understand what you are saying.

[dao]

By the way dao, due to what I plan to do to the RIA frame, I’ve been watching a lot of vids on youtube in regards to acid etching, electro etching, lasers, etc. A lot of times those guys use a transfer paper to lay down an image on metal, so they are not free handing everything. Maybe a simple grid can be printed on a sheet and transferred to the front strap. Then, if doing this manually, the jig can be moved accordingly so that areas to be skipped are already mapped out with that grid. Just line up your jig with the next applicable mark on the grid and rock on?!?!

Thinking on this, and looking at that skip lined pic you just posted, about a 1/4” wide checkering file would be needed. Is there such a thing? I’ve not researched files, and you obviously have.

I don't know. I haven't seen one, but then I stopped looking when I found the two I needed to do what I had in mind.

Yes that could absolutely be done. You'd need a double wide cutter, imagine somebody must make one. In wood since you cut one line at a time you just just 2 or 3 singles in say 20LPI, then you cut one line 10LPI. Just do that both directions and you got skipline. Since that in the photo had 3 lines in between the skips, it must take a narrower file. Not sure how many lines your file cuts.

My 25lpi file is about 3/8" wide. My 30lpi file is about 5/8" wide. Not sure why the difference, but to Bird's point it would not surprise me if there are both narrower and wider files out there. Though given that the idea is to remove metal while cutting grooves in hard steel I doubt that there would be much wider files. I have no idea what widths are available for machine checkering. Wouldn't be surpised though if there are mills that do the entire length of the frontstrap that gets checkered, for the horizontal cuts.Wouldn't need anything wider than a half inch or so to do the verticals by machine I would think. Unless they make a cutter that's radiused to match the typical 1911 frame's front.

[Bawanna]

3/8's wide might be ok, the larger diamonds would be spaced further apart than you photo maybe. I don't know how you would accomplish the wider spacing without a file made to do so, unless maybe you rig up a jig of some sort.

And two demerits for Bird. Not wound too tight? Hmmm. I'm hurt! And remember there's higher ups than me, I actually don't have a clue why they let me stay so "unwound".