Buckey08
Member
I have this 27-2 8"3/8s in the safe that I kinda think would look good with Ebony grips. Could someone post some pictures of their S&Ws with Ebony grips and tell me how they like the wood for the use as grips? Thanks a bunch.
Ebony grips
- Thread starter Buckey08
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Craig Spegel seems to be the only one that I'm aware of who does ebony, but I'm no expert. Here's a link to his work.
Craig Spegel - Custom Pistol Grips
Craig Spegel - Custom Pistol Grips
Buckey, see these threads:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...kurac-ebony-629-5-classic-just-fantastic.html
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1961-1980/161008-kbrown-grips-ebony.html
Both Kurac (John Culina) and Keith Brown are members of this forum and have worked with ebony. Spegel is another top-notch grip-maker.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...kurac-ebony-629-5-classic-just-fantastic.html
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-revolvers-1961-1980/161008-kbrown-grips-ebony.html
Both Kurac (John Culina) and Keith Brown are members of this forum and have worked with ebony. Spegel is another top-notch grip-maker.
JCS&W
US Veteran
OK, since you twisted my arm, here is my M27-2 with ebony stocks from Kurac, John Culina. I have no idea how they would hold up while shooting. I do not use Kurac stocks when I am shooting any of my Smiths.
rburg
Member
Ebony is a difficult wood to work with. I have a friend who spent his working life as a cabinet maker and he branched out into boxes. Lots of inlays and things. From him I learned that real ebony is both expensive and hard to get. He paid a fortune for two "sticks" that weren't even big enough to make a grip for a J frame. And they were ugly ebony. More brown than black. I watched him sand one of the sticks, just to square it up. Instead of sanding and turning into dust, it was more like rubber. It just smeared its way off, but left a rubbery ribbon. It was easy to pull it off, but not what I expected.
Long ago, we had a gun show right down the road/up the river. It was a CADA show held at our small in inefficient convention center. Only time, too.
I liked being able to walk to the gun show from home. But anyway among the guns being shown were 2 pair of dueling pistols. One was ebony, and it would have cost a fortune just for the wood. The other was elephant ivory, and again a fortune in material. I have no idea where they were made, but both were large old cap and ball guns, leading me to believe 1800s.
Its just sad I can't heat up and melt my scrap ivory to cast it into revolver blanks. Same for Ebony, except I don't have any.
Long ago, we had a gun show right down the road/up the river. It was a CADA show held at our small in inefficient convention center. Only time, too.
I liked being able to walk to the gun show from home. But anyway among the guns being shown were 2 pair of dueling pistols. One was ebony, and it would have cost a fortune just for the wood. The other was elephant ivory, and again a fortune in material. I have no idea where they were made, but both were large old cap and ball guns, leading me to believe 1800s.Its just sad I can't heat up and melt my scrap ivory to cast it into revolver blanks. Same for Ebony, except I don't have any.
DeathGrip
US Veteran
I've never had a pair but it would seem to be a great wood for smooth grips, I think checkering would be hard to do with ebony.
I base these thoughts on my experience with guitars. It is my favorite fretboard material. It feels good and wears better than rosewood.
I base these thoughts on my experience with guitars. It is my favorite fretboard material. It feels good and wears better than rosewood.
Thank You Very Much! I'm thinking ebony grips might well be some of the best looking grips around and might be more then just high priced and hard to come by. Might just need a little help picking something that will be more affordable and still make my blued 27-2 stand out in a crowd. Feel free to tell me what you think.
i have kurac ebony on a 29 and a 53. will see if i can get some pics in the next day or two. i have about 10 prs of kuracs and i shoot every one of them. they fit my hand just right. pretty too. have at least one pair in about all the woods he offers except the osage orange. he told me this was the first pair of k frame ebony he has done.
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Texas Star
US Veteran
Skeeter Skelton had ebonies on a Colt New Service, I think. He said they looked so like rubber or plastic grios that no one realized they were expensive ebony.
Ebony also has a rep for splitting and cracking. I think it's a substance that Randall Made Knives stopped using for that reason.
I'd use dark rosewood.
Ebony also has a rep for splitting and cracking. I think it's a substance that Randall Made Knives stopped using for that reason.
I'd use dark rosewood.
Maximumbob54
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Blued steel and ebony is a specific taste. I wanted a set for a nickel plated gun I was looking for and still haven't found. I wanted to know what it looked like on my blued steel 29-5 and didn't care for it. There is a guy here with a 27 shorty and his for whatever reason seems like a better fit. Maybe I'm crazy.
And no, at a distance you don't get the joy of ebony. The joy is much more personal. It's when you look closer in the right light and see the deep rich grain hidden in all that darkness. Mine are the Gaboon ebony and I love them and can't wait for just the right gun for them someday.
And no, at a distance you don't get the joy of ebony. The joy is much more personal. It's when you look closer in the right light and see the deep rich grain hidden in all that darkness. Mine are the Gaboon ebony and I love them and can't wait for just the right gun for them someday.
Cooter Brown
Member
Go to the 2nd link in db's post above--Stephen Hughes has a couple of pictures of ebony handled Smiths done by Keith Brown--amazing! One is beautifully checkered.
With luck Mr. Hughes (SDH) will weigh in.
Like rburg said, ebony is interesting to work with--it acts almost more like a polymer than a wood. I've done inlays and made knobs and handles out of it.
As far as toughness, in my experience it's pretty tough, hard and fined grained. I've seen a good number of well used old pocket knives with ebony scales that were still in great shape. A pocket knife takes a lot of abuse, but of course they have less hard edges than many grip designs do.
I think a lot of the wood being called ebony now is actually African Blackwood, which is a different genus but very similar in appearance. It's actually a little harder and heavier than real ebony.
With luck Mr. Hughes (SDH) will weigh in.
Like rburg said, ebony is interesting to work with--it acts almost more like a polymer than a wood. I've done inlays and made knobs and handles out of it.
As far as toughness, in my experience it's pretty tough, hard and fined grained. I've seen a good number of well used old pocket knives with ebony scales that were still in great shape. A pocket knife takes a lot of abuse, but of course they have less hard edges than many grip designs do.
I think a lot of the wood being called ebony now is actually African Blackwood, which is a different genus but very similar in appearance. It's actually a little harder and heavier than real ebony.
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DeathGrip
US Veteran
"Beautifully checkered". I looked at that. Wow. Understatement.
Now I'm interested. From what I understand ebony is tough on tools.
Cooter Brown
Member
From what I understand ebony is tough on tools.[/QUOTE said:
Believe it or not, most Ebony comes from Persimmon trees, not the kind we eat though. I guess Ebony has kind of become a generic word though, kind of like Rosewood.
Yes its hard, very dry and it makes more of a powder than shavings, the stuff sticks to the oil on your skin, even gets behind your ears. The good news is that it washes off easy and doesn't stain your skin. The only type I have delt with that has any oils in it is Macassar Ebony. All Ebony getting hard to find and quite pricey lately, these days it usually runs $100-$150 per board foot. If someone is selling African Blackwood as Ebony, they are cutting themself short because I hear blackwood goes for slightly more than the top end of Ebony.
The most difficult wood I have worked with so far has been Snakewood, I am still a little gun shy of that one, maybe I will touch it again next year.
Yes its hard, very dry and it makes more of a powder than shavings, the stuff sticks to the oil on your skin, even gets behind your ears. The good news is that it washes off easy and doesn't stain your skin. The only type I have delt with that has any oils in it is Macassar Ebony. All Ebony getting hard to find and quite pricey lately, these days it usually runs $100-$150 per board foot. If someone is selling African Blackwood as Ebony, they are cutting themself short because I hear blackwood goes for slightly more than the top end of Ebony.
The most difficult wood I have worked with so far has been Snakewood, I am still a little gun shy of that one, maybe I will touch it again next year.
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Cooter Brown
Member
Interesting--looked it up--both persimmon and ebony are Diospyros. Didn't know that!
The reason I was given (by my lumber dealer) for the African Blackwood being more available than the ebony was that where it comes from is more stable politically--the African ebony, anyway. They are both very expensive and I hoard even the smallest pieces. It's getting harder to get bubinga as well--I've used it quite a bit.
Your grips are stunning, by the way...
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ebony grips
here are a few pics of my ebony grips from kurac. he said the k frame ones were the first of that frame size he has done. in answer to an earlier post,i shoot all of mine and have shot these two guns numerous times. well, for some reason the site won't let the pics to be posted. if someone has better luck than me doing that,i can send them to you for posting.
here are a few pics of my ebony grips from kurac. he said the k frame ones were the first of that frame size he has done. in answer to an earlier post,i shoot all of mine and have shot these two guns numerous times. well, for some reason the site won't let the pics to be posted. if someone has better luck than me doing that,i can send them to you for posting.
woods from madagascar are now highly regulated due to all the illegal logging the past several years. this includes ebony and rosewood from that island. most of both of these go to china to make solid wood furniture for the rich chinese. it is quite a status symbol.
jwh32
Member
I have ebony grips on my mod 342, from Eagle Grips, all black with all diamonds intact. cost was approx $110.00 IIRR. very happy.. so much so i soon ordered another pair. It arrived from Eagle with over 15 broken diamonds on the left grip, and about a dozen on the right grip. called and was told broken diamonds on ebony was normal. no s..t . no offer to replace.
john
john
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