John Frederick Bell
Member
Be ye warned...here there be gunsmithing and history nut ramblings.
***
Once in a blue moon, a project winds up exceeding the expectation. Then again, this one began more as a string of unfortunate incidents, so maybe the expectation wasn't all that high.
I digress...
One of the more interesting phenomena to come out of the Second World War was the development of 'sweetheart grips'. In essence (and according to the internet) this entailed U.S. servicemen replacing the grips of various issue handguns with clear plastic panels, under which could be placed a section of photograph. Surviving examples don't seem to follow any one particular subject - family, girlfriends, and pinups are the most common.
Per the lore, the predominant source seems to be pieces cut from the canopies and windows of downed aircraft. From everything I've read this seems to have occurred predominantly in the Mediterranean and European Theaters). Probably there weren't too many Japanese birds crashing on dry land, if I had to venture a guess.
Sweetheart grips don't appear to be especially rare, but they aren't common. Lately the movie FURY - wherein Brad Pitt carries a 1917 Smith & Wesson with said grips - has prompted a degree of interest in the practice.
Which brings us to the present day.
Not too long ago, sometime back in the summer, I traded a couple of guns I wasn't going to shoot for some that I might. Included in the trade was a 1940-vintage Llama ("Yaah-ma") Extra. Chambered in 9mm Largo, it was nothing I planned on shooting much.
It was however, more or less correct for a World War II 1911/Government Model Colt. It also carried none of the value bestowed by those four letters and the magical prancing pony, so...overall a good candidate for a blank conversion/holster filler.
This particular pistol was my first project for MSC's Production Bluing course. I went with a fairly low degree of polish...max of around 240-grit, which does a fair imitation of a 1918-era 'Black Army' Colt. Mostly it was enough to knock out the pits and get rid of already-faint rollmarks on the slide.
Now when I got the pistol it was wearing a set of imitation pearl grips which didn't actually fit. I figured at this point I'd leave them more or less as-is, save some minor fitting.
Then I learned that imitation pearl tends to explode when it comes in contact with disc-sanding equipment.
So...scratch one grip panel.
When I began casting around for a replacement (good luck) I ran again across the concept of sweetheart grips. Supposing I could lay hands on a decent piece of plexiglass I figured it'd be no great trick; no checkering, no lines, nothing but basic countours and a whole bunch of polishing.
I did the rough shaping last night and spent all of today polishing. The process began with a No. 49 cabinet rasp and ended with 2000-grit sandpaper. Around dinnertime I had a workable imitation of a grip panel that was more or less transparent.
Now...once in a while a picture turns up on the gun boards of somebody's one-off attempt at a modern set of sweetheart grips. Usually somewhat garish and hamfisted, very seldom done well...often an abomination when somebody makes an attempt a 'modern' rendition'.
Screw progress - to the past we go!
Hence, the Spanish copy of a Browning design wearing a picture of Jane Russell you see here.
...I figure she'll do for shooting make-believe Nat-sees.
***
Once in a blue moon, a project winds up exceeding the expectation. Then again, this one began more as a string of unfortunate incidents, so maybe the expectation wasn't all that high.
I digress...
One of the more interesting phenomena to come out of the Second World War was the development of 'sweetheart grips'. In essence (and according to the internet) this entailed U.S. servicemen replacing the grips of various issue handguns with clear plastic panels, under which could be placed a section of photograph. Surviving examples don't seem to follow any one particular subject - family, girlfriends, and pinups are the most common.
Per the lore, the predominant source seems to be pieces cut from the canopies and windows of downed aircraft. From everything I've read this seems to have occurred predominantly in the Mediterranean and European Theaters). Probably there weren't too many Japanese birds crashing on dry land, if I had to venture a guess.
Sweetheart grips don't appear to be especially rare, but they aren't common. Lately the movie FURY - wherein Brad Pitt carries a 1917 Smith & Wesson with said grips - has prompted a degree of interest in the practice.
Which brings us to the present day.
Not too long ago, sometime back in the summer, I traded a couple of guns I wasn't going to shoot for some that I might. Included in the trade was a 1940-vintage Llama ("Yaah-ma") Extra. Chambered in 9mm Largo, it was nothing I planned on shooting much.
It was however, more or less correct for a World War II 1911/Government Model Colt. It also carried none of the value bestowed by those four letters and the magical prancing pony, so...overall a good candidate for a blank conversion/holster filler.
This particular pistol was my first project for MSC's Production Bluing course. I went with a fairly low degree of polish...max of around 240-grit, which does a fair imitation of a 1918-era 'Black Army' Colt. Mostly it was enough to knock out the pits and get rid of already-faint rollmarks on the slide.
Now when I got the pistol it was wearing a set of imitation pearl grips which didn't actually fit. I figured at this point I'd leave them more or less as-is, save some minor fitting.
Then I learned that imitation pearl tends to explode when it comes in contact with disc-sanding equipment.
So...scratch one grip panel.
When I began casting around for a replacement (good luck) I ran again across the concept of sweetheart grips. Supposing I could lay hands on a decent piece of plexiglass I figured it'd be no great trick; no checkering, no lines, nothing but basic countours and a whole bunch of polishing.
I did the rough shaping last night and spent all of today polishing. The process began with a No. 49 cabinet rasp and ended with 2000-grit sandpaper. Around dinnertime I had a workable imitation of a grip panel that was more or less transparent.
Now...once in a while a picture turns up on the gun boards of somebody's one-off attempt at a modern set of sweetheart grips. Usually somewhat garish and hamfisted, very seldom done well...often an abomination when somebody makes an attempt a 'modern' rendition'.
Screw progress - to the past we go!
Hence, the Spanish copy of a Browning design wearing a picture of Jane Russell you see here.
...I figure she'll do for shooting make-believe Nat-sees.
