Making Custom Leather Pistol Grips for a 1911 - WeCreat Vision 40W
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- Опубликовано: 16 сен 2024
- Special thanks to WeCreat for sending me one of their "Vision" 40 watt laser engraver and cutters for me to review! I used it to scratch-build custom leather grip panels from wood and leather for my Rock Island Armory 1911.
Unfortunately, I only had one stingray hide to make a grip panel with. I'll need to buy another. I WAS able to make a complete set of the tooled veg-tan leather grips -- which was my original intent anyway, along with a matching tooled holster. Stay tuned for that video!
Anyway, my honest opinion is the WeCreat Vision is an excellent laser. I think of it as a more compact, diode version of my xTool P2. If you're doing leather work for a business or side hustle and need a machine to increase your production (or just the precision of your cuts) I would definitely recommend it! I'll be keeping this one tucked in a corner of my shop.... It's getting crowded in there! btw, I especially like the smoke/fume extractor; I'll be using it on every machine I run from here out. 
Хобби
As a gunsmith I usually shape grips by hand with a file but that jig you came up with is rather ingenious. Definitely going to make some for myself now
Go for it! Thanks for watching!
My brother made some out of hippo leather, it's awesome and super grippy so I made myself a small wallet out of the rest
This is a brilliant idea, and you never fail to impress and inspire. I’m also super-jealous of your ability to get the best sponsors. You’re doing it right!
ha! Thanks for subscribing. I get a lot of offers for collaboration with laser manufacturers, I never knew there was so many selling them! I try to pick and choose carefully.
@@RoadAgentLeather I've decided to pick one of these lasers up - do you have a referral link I should use?
It’s a given that anything you make is going to be gorgeous, but this has got to be one of the most original ideas I’ve seen. I’ve seen 1911 grips made from just about every material you can think of, but this one takes the cake. Beautiful!!! (Great, now I need some…..)
Thank you! It's not my idea though. I've seen leather grips sold at the shows for years.
You never cease to amaze me. Not only do you come up with great tutorials, but there are such a wide range of projects that everybody can find something they want to try. Once again, great attention to detail. One problem though. You will soon have to get a bigger shop to have room for all your new toys.
👍👍👍
Thanks for the kind words. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! Yeah; I'm in a 2-car garage sharing space with household storage and bicycles.
Like the idea of matching grips. Makes everything look complete.
Been a 1911 user/Fan for decades, Those look great, From A real craftsman.
Thank you!
The grip texture of stingray is genius. The recent stingray holster was also great. 👍
Thanks! I'll eventually make the second panel for a full set.
These are absolutely gorgeous and amazing work.... with the glaring, hideous, eye-searing exception of those shiny silver Torx grip screws. Please, for the love of all things aesthetically pleasing, get some blued steel slotted screws, and clock them.
My usual comment still works…absolutely stunning craftsmanship! Can’t wait for the holster video.
Coming soon! Thanks for watching this one.
The pistol and the holster together are absolutely beautiful. Well done.
Thanks!
@RoadAgentLeather where? I was wondering if you could do a holster for me.
You've just given me the final reason to go out and get a 1911! Thanks!
You don't already have a 1911?! Dude . . .
@@RoadAgentLeather sorry. My bad. Lol
Take the plunge and get a Kimber, it’s worth it.
Outstanding! I always find your videos encouraging and enlightening.
As always, thanks for subscribing!
Makes everything look complete.
Love the look of the grips too by the way
Thanks!
Well this is going into the bucket list builds. There's a long list of projects that I want to do.
Beautiful job. Customize grips for a customized holster. Love it. Looking forward to the holster build. And, thanks for exercising proper gun safety. People will learn a lot by that simple , but pessary practice. Something tells me you are a serious gun enthusiast.😄😄😄👍 Thanks for the video and please keep them coming.😎
As another commented said, "This is the way...." Thanks for subscribing!!
Just WOW... I'd absolutely LOVE a Pair of These Basket Stamp 1911 Grips for my New Alchemy !
shoot me an email.
That looks amazing. Nice 1911
Thanks 👍
Nice job on both projects 👍
Thanks 👍
Love the stingray.
Me too. I need to buy another hide to complete the set.
Very cool ideal! Thanks for sharing your talent knowledge!👍
My pleasure! And thanks for subscribing!
Excellent work as usual. I can see this process allowing a lot of customization and personalization. I like your choice of 1911. I also have an RIA that I use for Wild Bunch matches. Very reliable and in my opinion highly underrated. Looking forward to the holster video.
Yes! Now that I have the digital files and jigs made, It'll be easy to throw together grips from any interesting leather or wood I come across.
dadgum, that is a sexy combo with the matching holster. Kudos!!
I recently came across your channel, you do outstanding work. Thanks for sharing your methodology, I usually repeat the same techniques that always worked for me in the past I don’t have time for a bunch of trial and error, so I love to watch how others in the industry work. I often pickup something new to make me more efficient with my work. I recognize and appreciate all the hard work that goes into making a video like this. Thank you!
❤❤❤❤❤love it beautiful fine work you do keep them coming sir 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😊😊😊😊
More to come! Thanks for watching and for all the emojis!!!!
I have made several sets of wood grips for 1911's, I never considered leather grips. Once again thanks for the great idea and the great videos. You have provided great inspiration. After your weighted coaster videos, I had the idea to add a wireless cell phone charger in place of the inserts. They make great and unique chargers.
Ngl, never would have thought of leather grips, and they turned out amazing!
Admittedly, it's not my idea. I've seen them sold at the shows for years.
Thank you for this video and the time you spent making it! This really sparked my creative side! I really appreciate your work. Please keep it up.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Beautiful! I have admit I was hoping to see the stingray grip as well.
I can't seem to get rid of the burnt leather smell even after dying or finishing with oils or wax.
It's cool seeing you use a 3D printer and laser in your projects. Greg
Thanks! What kind of leather are you working with? Are you sanding off the scorched edges?
I have been using veg tan . Yes, I have sanded the edges, but if I burn a logo or design into the surface, it definitely leaves a burnt smell....
In a few of your videos, I see you burn in a design before tooling it and always wonder how you work with the soot smell. Greg
OMG! absolutely gorgeous!
Thank you! And thanks for subscribing!
Super unique grips.
Tremendous work! I enjoy your videos and the skill you possess to make such precision pieces. Thank you for sharing with us and setting the bar so high !
Thanks MASTER!!! 😍
First Comment!! Thanks for subscribing!
Amazing work Sir, I would love to have a pair of those grips for my 1911, and the matching Holster!!
Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!!
You can sell the grips complete for sure, but maybe sell the wooden panels separate? Easy enough to make. Would sure benefit those of us who don’t have a laser a heck of a lot too.
Leather and steel bad idea because leather absorbs moisture but the leather wood combo is a great idea. Found out that my dad when I was younger gave my mom a pistol and she didn’t know that keeping it in the holster would rust the metal.
It's a complicated issue. It really depends on the leather, the steel & surface finish used on the gun, and the environmental conditions stored in. I've had tools flash-rust sitting on my workbench overnight when it's been raining outside and the humidity was high in my garage. Conversely, I've had my Italian black powder revolvers stored in leather holsters sitting in the same garage for years that show no signs of rust.
Those grips came out beautiful.
Thanks for watching!
Super cool! I have never seen such a thing.
Awesome grips
🤙
Outstanding. I have a new project now.
Go for it! Check your bushings first. I had to buy the low-profile kind because the grips came out too thin for standard bushings.
Thanks for the tip.
Very cool I’ll have figure out the laymen’s way and maybe use some beaver tail
Excellent holster also!
Nice work!
Thanks!
Amazing work man!
The leather ones were beautiful, don't get me wrong, but you need to get another stingray hide ASAP because that rayskin grip was TOPS.
I know!!! Ray skins are kinda expensive for what you get (they're small and have just one "sweet spot" -- the white diamond in the center). They DO come indifferent colors . . . maybe burgundy or blue?
Beautiful work!
Thank you very much!
Always amazed at ur work
Thanks again for watching!
A person I follow on Instagram just developed 1911 3D printed grips to use for the base of adding leather to them. I know Sam Andrews also does exotic leather covered 1911 grips as well. But i don't remember what he uses as a base for them. This is a project I have wanted to do for a long time!
Wonder what glue they're using? I tested a bunch of them as I had a lot of different ones left over from my knife sheath video where I needed to glue a diamond stone to Kydex.
Sam uses the wood glue from Lowes called Titebond on his exotic skin pistol grips.
@@rolltide5586 Ah. That's exactly what I ended up using! I had a lot of different glues from my video where I needed to attach a sharpening stone to Kydex. There were some two-part epoxies that tested very well too. However, the Titebond was much more user-friendly and didn't stick to the PLA of my glue jig.
fantastic
Thanks! Now i gotta try this for my new 1911😂
Go for it!
wow,that thing must be like a Gazillion $$$ .It's way outta my league but a great video in the less.Thank you
The WeCreat laser? Nah. I would categorize it as "mid-price" machine. There's cheaper ones; but also a lot more expensive.
Beautiful job. I've made custom wood grips for my 1911s. I love the 3d printed fixture for sanding the profile. I usually end up with my fingerprints sanded away lol. If you ever decide to make a fixture to sell i would be happy to buy the first one, since I don't have access to a printer. Also if you'd like to see some of the wood grips I'll send you a couple pics.
Oh, I've done the ol' "grind your fingertip off" before!
Beautiful job!
Thank you!
Outstanding work. My dad was a leather craftsman and I make kydex hybrid holsters. I'm not even close to your level (not needed for what i do), but I appreciate the effort and skill that goes into your pieces.
Is that the original finish on the RIA? Parkerized? Whatever it is, I really like it.
Sweet grips
Lot of work for a bit of leather! Thanks for watching!
@@RoadAgentLeather after watching your video, I am considering making a set of grips with a tanned rattlesnake skin that I've had for 30+ years.
This is the way
This is the way...
If you put painter tape on the back of the leather before tooling, it helps prevent deformation and stretching.
I've done that in previous videos. The tape doesn't work as well as putting it in a frame like this. I've still had the leather deform when doing a large swath of tooling like this using tape. Plus you have to pull the tape off afterwards, which can further stretch the leather and leave residue. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!!
Amazing work as always! Your videos always inspire 😎 Would you ever consider selling either the sanding jig itself for those without a 3D printer?
It's an idea. Shoot me an email.
🎉🎉🎉 Freaking awesome work brother!
Thanks a bunch!
How awesome ✨✨
thanks!
Wow, Very nice
Thanks!
Beauty!
Parabéns seu trabalho e sensacional 👏👏👏 Manoel Brasil.🇧🇷
Thanks for watching!
Wheew! Nice!
Thanks!!!
Very nice
Thanks!
Nice 👍
Dope AF results, @RoadAgentLeather!
Thanks!!
Are you a gunsmith and a master leather worker? Do you just do the grips and beautiful holsters, or work on the guns too? That would be almost too much talent in one person, if you are doing both!
ha! No: This is the max extent I would personally feel comfortable modifying a gun.
Wow that looks great 👌🏻i started leathercraft 3 years ago as a challenge for me to find a hobby, and i just love it, but my reumatism stops me alot, any tips how to get sponsor to get a laser , it sure would help me alot , best regards Jonas
thanks for watching!
Beautiful work! The music is one of my most despised pieces that I keep hearing people use. Turned off the sound so I could enjoy your process.
Thanks for watching anyway!
@@RoadAgentLeather No insult intended. I enjoyed your work very much!
I'd like to do the same thing to my 1859 revolver
1911 grips are just so easy though: Simple, flat panels. Just need to get the screw holes right.
Parabéns seu trabalho e sensacional 👏👏👏
Thank you!!
Perfeitamente incrível.
Thanks for subscribing!
очень хорошо . спасибо .
Thanks!
Too bad those grip jigs aren’t available. Those would be awesome.
Shoot me an email
Beautiful work. How much do you charge for a pair? Because I have a few 1911's that desire a nice set of new grops!!!
I really want to see your magnetic retention holster build! But on that , it looks like you left zero clearance on the front strap to get a full grip before the draw. Mistake, or intentional? Also, I see you left the left grip short to avoid cutting clearance for the spring tube. What did you do for the left-handed thumb safety clearance?
Thanks! While fully functional, it's meant to be more of a "BBQ gun" holster. An interesting showpiece for a higher-end gun than the Rock Island I'm using here. Not a self-defense carry holster. I used the stock grips that came with the gun to make the pattern.
oooo you took off the bushings, the 1911 crowd isn't going to like that. Hope you didn't mess up the staking, not sure if RIA does that to their bushings
They weren't staked. In fact, half of them unscrewed just using my fingers.
Very nice work. Any chance you will have the 3d and illustrator files available for sale?
shoot me an email
@@RoadAgentLeather Will do, thanks.
How much for the basket weave grips?
A great look and possibly my first choice.
I'm working on figuring out how to retail these. I'm getting more requests for the sanding and gluing jigs I designed and printed! Shoot me an email.
When spraying Resolene how do you clean the sprayer? On dyes I use alcohol. What about Resolene? Don’t want to gunk up or have to disassemble every time.
Water or rubbing alcohol works.
Did your leather grip slim the overall grip girth incompared to the original or stock grips? Also, what's the MSRP on the laser ?
I've got a couple different sets of grips. They're thinner than all of them (hence, I had to replace the bushings). The base-level 40W machine is $1,600. There's a 20W version that's a few hundred less. WeCreat is working on getting me a discount code for my viewers. That will end up in the video description or pinned to the top of the comments when I get it.
Nice job! But on me, yellow (brass) or black screws were be better match...
I have been wanting to make exotic grips and was looking for a jig to hold them in place. Is there any possibility I could purchase one of the jigs to hold the leather in place on the grips and leather aligned
Shoot me an email.
I want a pair for My 1911, Black Basketweave. How can i order?
can the machine checker the wood?
Never tried. Interesting idea. It can certainly score and engrave wood. May have to look into it.
whats to keep the leather from peeling from the wood? I know contact cement has a strong bond but i'd be concerned with them separating over time.
Time well tell I suppose! :) But seriously, as I mention in the beginning people have been making leather grips like this for years now (particularly for the 1911.) It's a whole thing: I'm not claiming it's some original idea of mine in any way. The glue I'm using is very strong and waterproof. I made up swatches to test about 10 different glue types before committing to one (I had a bunch from another video). It's the same glue other, more professional shops use for this. The wood is sanded rough to create a good surface for the glue to bite onto. If you think about it, it literally just has to hold onto a thin piece of leather that's a few grams in weight.
@@RoadAgentLeather thanks for responding. i use Barge for bonding leather to leather frequently, but i've never tried bonding it to wood. could you have skived the edges of the leather thin and wrapped it around the edge of the wood? that may work with veg tan, but obviously would be a PITA with the stingray (if even possible). regardless, beautiful work. I use your videos for inspiration frequently.
How can I contact you to request a leather strap detail?
Hi. I am wondering if I could commission you to make a complicated belt for me. Let me know either way.
Thanks
Binibinta poba yan
How much do you charge?
hi i would like to by a pair. best regards jeppe jensen
shoot me an email
$3,000.
Checked their website. Looks like that's for the top-tier package with all the other accessories. Seems you can buy just the laser for about $1,600 (about the price of a mid-range 1911 in today's market :p )