stippling

Iggie · Jun 16, 2012

So I found a use for this extra soildering iron I got for christmas. Its just been sitting around in its package not being used. So I ordered a couple of large backstraps for my m&p. When they got to the house I fired up the iron and went to town on a few household items like the soildering iron base and a knife sharpener and who knows what else... Then I went after the grips and this is the result.

This one I put 85 rounds through and am very happy with its result..and I like the tan on a black gun... her it is..

More to come just gotta sneak the kitchen knives out without getting caught.

Julie Sanford · Jun 16, 2012

Looks great! Stone has been messing with ours & he's stipples every "toy" firearm in the house. Have almost decided to let him have a real one. Question. Did your iron come with the flat tool? Yours had a great look with both textures mixed! Wonder if I can get the flat attachment separately? JS

drmitchgibson · Jun 17, 2012

You can buy a large number of tips and attachments for a soldering iron. You just need to know where to look. You should start by looking for a brand, like Weller, and then accessories for their products. Electronics supply houses tend to have a limited supply, but distributors of tooling for repairing electronics will have a comprehensive offering. Newark Electronics (Newark In One) would be any easy place for a beginner to start looking at soldering equipment. Newark also has other business entities, like MCM, that offer deeply discounted rates.

The Antichrome · Jun 17, 2012

Most of the Weller wood burning/soldering irons have a threaded attachment for tips.
Buy a few screws that fit, and grind their tips to the desired shape. You can also use all-thread rod.
Most of the ones I've seen use a #8x32...buy a pack and experiment.

Iggie · Jun 17, 2012

Julie Sanford said:
Looks great! Stone has been messing with ours & he's stipples every "toy" firearm in the house. Have almost decided to let him have a real one. Question. Did your iron come with the flat tool? Yours had a great look with both textures mixed! Wonder if I can get the flat attachment separately? JS

My soildering iron was bought at harbor freight (super cheap) and has the slip in head.. I have yet to look for other heads but what I did do is fill the tip to a sharp point because before it had a bit of a flat point. I thing harbor freight sells other heads but I think they might be the screw in heads... on the side you don't see on the tan one I actuly put vertical lines but I didn't like them so I smoothed the out and re stippled the.. I think that only worked as well as it did because these grips are relitively soft and rubbery. I will check at harbor freight today as I'm going back to town with the family in a few hours.

I alos have a set of taps and dies so I bet you could thread a bar with those... but its not needed in my case.

Julie Sanford · Jun 17, 2012

Thanks, Guys. Great advice! You've given me some things to look for & most importantly "where" to look. JS

KeithCross · Jul 14, 2012

I did the same thing Iggie! I got the bug a few months ago and have been stippling anything thats plastic in the house including our kitchen knives (well, the cheaper set anyway...). My favorite was my Surefire flashlight - it turned out great!

...I just don't have the guts yet to try it on a real gun...

Iggie · Jul 14, 2012

Keith Cross said:
I did the same thing Iggie! I got the bug a few months ago and have been stippling anything thats plastic in the house including our kitchen knives (well, the cheaper set anyway...). My favorite was my Surefire flashlight - it turned out great!

...I just don't have the guts yet to try it on a real gun...

Start with gun parts like removable grips or ar15 grips stuff you can get for cheap like these were a couple of dollars a peice so I ordered a few as to not mess up the originals. Heck I tried to make nice lines on the left side of the tan one which didn't work out so I smoothed it back out and stippled it. And it still turned out pretty good.... if all else fails get you a high point or a cheap plastic shotgun lol

KeithCross · Jul 14, 2012

Yeah, I have and M&P and I did one of the extra backstraps for it...I do have a cheap plastic shotgun that I'll probably start on soon, but things have been crazy busy for me lately and I just haven't had time to mess with it.