1911 grips

kiwibird1

If I wanted to inlay a metal emblem in a set of wood grips, what would be the best adheasive to use?

kiwibird1

I'm getting a new 45, my first one actually. It has smooth plain wood grips.

Are smooth grips okay, or does a checkered wood grip help when shooting?

lovethemcolts

I really like that Gorilla glue. Easy to use and bonds like cement.

Only thing is.... I don't think your emblems will ever come out in case you wanted to change them.

dgac

I would use the gorilla glue to but make sure you wet the emblem because it has to be damp and dont use a lot because it "foams" up when its drying. Also if you dont clamp it well it will move on you alot.

dgac

COLT

...Two part epoxy, a glue you can control. Use a tooth pick and apply a small amount of epoxy to the edges (carefully) of the hole and the bottom of the hole; no need to apply any to the med, just asking for a screw up of getting glue where you don't want it.

...I always (when possible) drill the hole a tad smaller than the diameter of the med being inlayed, then tap it into place with a short length of wooden dowel.

...If it is a Colt medallion, the majority have a post/brad post on the back. Delta Elite/Bronze Custom Shop, are two meds that are flat backed. The post should extend into the hole you drill a tad and give some more "grip".

...A Forstner, or brad point bit will give you just about the correct size hole, correctly centered, for the med post to fit into...[;)]

Wolf.

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I agree with Colt!!!

--Use a 2-part epoxy. Clean up with white vinegar instead of acetone to ensure no damage to grips' surface. Follow with water.
--Use a bit that makes a square-bottomed hole such as a Forstner bit.

Gorilla Glue is GREAT STUFF for a lot of different uses and it may even be better than epoxy for some applications. However, as noted, it is too uncontrollable for applications where a nice finished look is critical. The stuff foams up and expands and there's no foolproof (not that you're a fool[:D]) way to ensure that it won't foam up and displace the medallion out of its hole and get all over the grip surface and mess it up.

md1634

I strongly agree with Wolf. Ther's plenty of adhesives that will do the job without expanding. It may just be me, but gorilla glue always expands and does it very slowly so I have a hard time geting a clean joint with the stuff.