Stippling, the difference between doing it yourself or having it done.

[Eli]

I have stippled my own Glock 19, 17, 34, and 43. I've also just recently had another 17 done (both of the 17s have been chopped to 19 length). While the ones that I did myself function 100% the same as the one that was done professionally, I really wanted something that was better looking that what I could do myself.

The trigger guard had already been worked on by the person that I bought the gun off of. If it had been a virgin frame it would have turned out even cooler looking that it already did......which is pretty freaking cool. The circumference of the grip was also reduced, as well as doing relief cuts on the magwell.

All of the work was done by Zack from Jarvis Tactical.
https://www.facebook.com/Jarvis-tactical-664488353600599/?fref=ts




http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee95/ceelfi/Jarvis%20Glock%20043.jpg

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee95/ceelfi/Jarvis%20Glock%20047.jpg

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee95/ceelfi/Jarvis%20Glock%20066.jpg

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee95/ceelfi/Jarvis%20Glock%20063.jpg

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee95/ceelfi/Jarvis%20Glock%20080.jpg

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee95/ceelfi/Jarvis%20Glock%20071.jpg

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee95/ceelfi/Jarvis%20Glock%20089.jpg

[LSP972]

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee95/ceelfi/Jarvis%20Glock%20089.jpg

Very nicely done; especially the border treatment at the bottom of the grip.

I have several stippled/grip reduction G19s by Dave Bowie which are superb, but not quite as classy-looking at this work shown here.

I also had one of my HK45 Compacts done by a somewhat well-known vendor. The actual work was excellent, but a major problem was that he warped the grip frame a bit and the mags would no longer drop out. I sent it back to him, it came back not fixed. So I fixed it myself. Then I decided to do my two other HK45C's myself, and they came out pretty good. But Lord, that is tedious work. A properly executed job like this is worth what you pay for it, believe me.

.

[Eli]

But Lord, that is tedious work. A properly executed job like this is worth what you pay for it, believe me.


I concur. All of mine were done while listening to archived Rooster Teeth podcast, which run between 1.5 and 2 hours long. Every one of them took multiple podcasts to finish.


http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee95/ceelfi/my%20edc%207.jpg

The Gen4 17 is the one that I paid to have done. The others I did myself. While yes, they work.....they're also ugly as homemade mud! :eek:

[okie john]

I've done a couple. They work as well as the Robar that I used to own, but they're butt-ugly.


Okie John

[LSP972]

A colleague decided to have his G30 done. I suggested he send it to Bowie; he didn't want to wait six months, so he sent it to RoBar. It came back, and I was like... WTF??

Instead of the actual grip area being stippled, it was coated with something that looks suspiciously like truck bed liner. It was over a month of handling/shooting before my pal's hands stopped getting black stuff all over them.

And in less than a year, it started shedding; a chunk here, a chunk there.

I was apalled. I spoke with a retired marine colonel who worked there, a friend of DB's, and he assured me it wasn't truck bed liner. But he wouldn't tell me what it was, either.

I have met Robbie Barrkmann, and always held his firm's work in high regard. But that was simply unacceptable, as far as I'm concerned. My bud was pretty upset, but for reasons of his own declined to send it back and lived with it until he scored a G30SF.

IOW... caveat emptor.

.

[breakingtime91]

A colleague decided to have his G30 done. I suggested he send it to Bowie; he didn't want to wait six months, so he sent it to RoBar. It came back, and I was like... WTF??

Instead of the actual grip area being stippled, it was coated with something that looks suspiciously like truck bed liner. It was over a month of handling/shooting before my pal's hands stopped getting black stuff all over them.

And in less than a year, it started shedding; a chunk here, a chunk there.

I was apalled. I spoke with a retired marine colonel who worked there, a friend of DB's, and he assured me it wasn't truck bed liner. But he wouldn't tell me what it was, either.

I have met Robbie Barrkmann, and always held his firm's work in high regard. But that was simply unacceptable, as far as I'm concerned. My bud was pretty upset, but for reasons of his own declined to send it back and lived with it until he scored a G30SF.

IOW... caveat emptor.

.

I have heard robar is the goto if one messes up their stipple job. They apply that coating to cover up the mess.

[LtDave]

A colleague decided to have his G30 done. I suggested he send it to Bowie; he didn't want to wait six months, so he sent it to RoBar. It came back, and I was like... WTF??

Instead of the actual grip area being stippled, it was coated with something that looks suspiciously like truck bed liner. It was over a month of handling/shooting before my pal's hands stopped getting black stuff all over them.

And in less than a year, it started shedding; a chunk here, a chunk there.

I was apalled. I spoke with a retired marine colonel who worked there, a friend of DB's, and he assured me it wasn't truck bed liner. But he wouldn't tell me what it was, either.

I have met Robbie Barrkmann, and always held his firm's work in high regard. But that was simply unacceptable, as far as I'm concerned. My bud was pretty upset, but for reasons of his own declined to send it back and lived with it until he scored a G30SF.

IOW... caveat emptor.

.
I've got a couple of Robar textured guns. One is a Gen2 G17 I had done a couple of years ago and the other is a Gen2 G21 I snagged off Gunbroker quite reasonably. The texture is holding up fine on both and I've never had any color transfer or flaking off, even in summer time here in AZ. I have one Glock that was professionally stippled before I got it and I much prefer the Robar texture over the stippling. The stippling tends to be a dirt magnet in my experience and is hard to keep clean. I think the same or similar texturing process is available a couple of other places as well. When I had mine done, Robar turned it around in the time promised. I have a couple more Glocks I need to take down there.

[LSP972]

I'm glad you guys are satisfied with yours; but I know what I saw. That was perhaps an anamoly; whatever, it is what it is.

As for the stippling being a dirt magnet; not in my experience. Yes,it gets a bit cruddy- like the rest of the gun does when carried- but simple attention with a clean toothbrush is all that's required.

Here are two examples of "stippling" on polymer frames. The Glock is what I call linear, and was done by David Bowie. This was my first Bowie Signature Special; it has been carried and shot quite a bit. The HK45C is what I call "pinpoint". I did that, after an unsatisfactory experience with a vendor on my spare HK45C. His actual stippling work was good; but he warped the grip frame to the point where the magazines would not drop out. No bueno… at any rate, that is something the DIY fellow must pay very close attention to. IOW, you'd better either have a metal magazine in the well at all times, or tape up a polymer one to ensure that the mag well holds its shape.

But back to the stippling itself. I did mine with a wood-burning tool with a pinpoint tip. As I said earlier, its incredibly tedious. I would bet money that Bowie also used a wood-burning tool, but with a flat screwdriver blade tip. None of these guys will give you the slightest hint about how they accomplish it. While I understand their desire to maintain any proprietary techniques, this isn't nuclear power secrets and there's only so many ways to do it. Whatever; its something you CAN do yourself, as long as you understand and accept the risk.

Anyway; as noted, both of these pistols have been carried extensively. The HK45C is my EDC, and has been for some years now. The stipple job on it is new; I did that several months ago, after getting the red-ass at the afore-mentioned situation with other gun. This shit really works at improving one's grip on a pistol; I mean, it is REALLY worth having, IMO. But mags that don't drop free are a non-starter in my world. I managed to fix it, but it took quite a bit of laborious effort… CAREFUL, laborious effort.

The moral of this convoluted message is: stippling your polymer frame pistol is doable, and generally a real good idea from a utility standpoint (who cares what it LOOKS like??? Its a tool).

Just be VERY careful about who does it… and how.


.

[serialsolver]

I've done two, a rtf and a grip chop. I never was a fan of the aggressive textures. I guess I'm not tuff enough. I always liked the gen1 frame so that is the texture I did. I practiced on an old mag with the wood burning tool. It turned out looking like my cold bore custom. This is the chop and retexture.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee179/serialsolver/P8300571.jpg (http://s233.photobucket.com/user/serialsolver/media/P8300571.jpg.html)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[167]

LSP972, I would guys that guys like Robar are using something like Marine-Tex or Devcon DA290. I have messed around with Marine-Tex on a half dozen pistols or so. Most of them it worked well, one not so well. I have a budy that has used Devcon DA290 and had good results. It is much less tedious than a true stipple, but suspect as you do, not as durable. So far I have only had the one gun that gave me problems, but that doesn't mean that a few more thousand rounds down the road the others might not.

4417

[LSP972]

Thanks for the info. Is this stuff also used for truck bed liner material?

.

[167]

Not to my knowledge. Marine-Tex originally intended for use on boat hulls, but crossed over to the firearms industry a long time ago I think. Brownells advertises it for bedding rifle stocks.

I am not sure where Devcon DA280 comes from, but it looks, feels, and acts like plastic when fully set. Can be stippled with a heat source just like normal plastic.

[Surf]

A big difference in this type of work comes down to the artisanship and the artistic ability that the person has or is willing to invest in the work being done. Let's face it, some people are very artistic and that often translates into their work. I have just enough time, patience and artistic ability to do pretty good work. It functions 100% and looks good, but some guys just take the finish work to another level.

As for the Marine Tex and Devcon, Marine Tex has been my staple for many years doing bedding and texture work on bolt rifles. I like that I can easily color match or dye it. I also used it a lot early on with Glock's will fill's and beavertails. I also chopped and modified quite a few AFG foregrips using Marine Tex, before guys made smaller versions and handstops available. I have also used Devcon and even testing out JB when doing silicone carbide type of texture work.

[LSP972]

Not to my knowledge. Marine-Tex originally intended for use on boat hulls, but crossed over to the firearms industry a long time ago I think. Brownells advertises it for bedding rifle stocks.

I am not sure where Devcon DA280 comes from, but it looks, feels, and acts like plastic when fully set. Can be stippled with a heat source just like normal plastic.

Got it, thanks.

.