Inlaying something into grips

[David LaPell]

I want to inlay something into a pair of aftermarket wood grips on one of my revolvers (A Mercury dime for the year of the gun's manufacture on either side). Would this be hard to do? Any ideas?

 

[MAG-NUM]

Shouldn't be too difficult a job but will require a little expense and a few items to do it right.
You will have to buy a Forstner type drill bit that is sized according to the dime. Forstner bits drill a flat bottomed hole. ***do not try to use a spade bit****
Mount the bit in a drill press,(you could use a hand drill but will be very difficult to hold square with the grip face and control the depth. Apply and rub down a piece of green or blue painters tape on the area where you want to locate the dime and mark the center or at very least draw around the dime to mark the outline. Make sure the centers are located in the same place on each grip on the flattest area of the stock since the diameter of the dime is so large.
Make sure the grip panel is level and drill the hole just a hair deeper than the thickness of the dime.
You could rough up the back of the dime with some fine sandpaper to ensure a good bond and then clean it well with Alcohol or Acetone. Use a toothpick to dab the bottom of the hole with clear 5 minute epoxy to glue the dimes into place and wipe off any excess glue immediately. Just make sure they are aligned properly before pressing them into the holes.
Let us see some pictures of the finished grips.
Good luck with your project. Bob

 

[guitar1580]

If you don't have the proper tools / ability, you may look for a guitar luthier / builder. They cut and inlay all types of pearl & abalone shapes, letters, logos, etc. into fingerboards and headstocks. I'd think a dime wouldn't be difficult for them.

Josh P

 

[LoadedRound]

David

If you move forward with your project, I have found these guys to be a great source for forstner bits. Hard to beat these prices and they have fractional and metric available....I almost forgot $1 shipping.

Forstner Bits

Good luck.

 

[3T'sX3]

I have done a great deal of shell inlay work. Luthiers and inlay artists use a dremel tool mounted in a plunge type router base to rout cavities to within .001 of depth. I use the Stewart McDonald pictured here; YouTube - Precision Router Base

 

[n4zov]

I have done a great deal of shell inlay work. Luthiers and inlay artists use a dremel tool mounted in a plunge type router base to rout cavities to within .001 of depth. I use the Stewart McDonald pictured here; YouTube - Precision Router Base

That router base for the Dremel tool is the neatest thing I have seen in a long time! Thanks for point it out, and here is a link to Stewart-MacDonald who sells it:

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