Colt 1911 Stainless..........not too friendly

FANCYGUN

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Thought you might like to see where I am at engraving a Colt Stainless 45 Govt model. I have engraved Colt stainless in the past and have had no problem with them BUT..the deadly BUT...this bad boy is cutting real hard and breaking tips like there is no tomorrow. So now that I am stuck with it and have t get it finished I am finding it is necessary to change my technique in order to engrave the battle scenes.
It seems the best way to preserve my graver tips to some extent is to use spretty much straight lines in various overlays and cross hatching. When I get into curves...bye bye tip. Small dots are pretty much useless. So here for your viewing amusement is where I am at with this present project.
WAR IS HELL

IMG_2102.jpg IMG_2108.jpg IMG_2109.jpg IMG_2110.jpg
 

jerrywh

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Marty.
I realize I am probably not qualified to give advise to an old hand like you. I just want to tell you something I discovered lately. I see that the gun is mounted in leather vise jaws. I have been engraving Weatherby rifles lately and was constantly breaking tips no matter what type engraver I used. I thought it might be a vibration problem. So I made a block to put under the part so that there was no space between the vise base and the part I was working on. Then tightened the vise. I was surprised that I could engrave for hours without having to sharpen. It works better when the part is setting solidly on the vise base. I was also using leather vise jaws. Later I was engraving a scope base that was fairly soft. It was only 1/4" thick so I never bothered to put anything under it. Again I started chipping gravers just as before but not quite so often because it was softer. Go Figure. That work has to be solid. Might not solve your problem but may be worth a try.
PS your work is always great. I have lots of your castings to study.
 
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fegarex

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Well, broken tips or not it looks awesome as usual. I just think you are becoming a weak little girly man and can't cut "real" metal anymore. Too used to those dead soft lever guns!!
 

JJ Roberts

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Marty,I made lead jaws for my vise and hadn't any vibration problems or graver tip breakage.1911 looking good.:thumbsup: J.J.
 

John B.

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Looks great Marty. Sorry you had such a problem. Was it a recently made gun?
Like you, I have engraved a lot of Colt 1911 stainless with no problem in the past.
But I did a brand new stainless one last year and point breakages drove me nuts.
My own fault......didn't do my usual test cuts on the inside of the slide before starting.
Seems to me that Colt has changed their stainless mix or heat treating of their new 1911's.
 

FANCYGUN

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John i think you are right about the colt stainless. It is a recent made gun. But as frustrating as it is, in compensating with my straightish lines in the figures i am playing more with varying the line depth and character a bit to sort of fake the details to the eye a bit more interestingly. So not a total loss.
So now you see the truth Rex i am not engraving with a limp wrist its not just me his lordship john b has the same problem
 

fegarex

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The difference is you blame the hard stainless and still do a killer job. I blame the hard stainless when I do a nasty job!
I still think that mountain air is getting to you and you've lost that NY tough!! :)
 

Dave London

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Marty
If you want some 1/4 inch thick lead plates for the vise jaws send me the width and height. I will make them up and send them to you no fees
 

FANCYGUN

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There is a definate lack of oxygen living at 7,213 feet above the ocean Maybe i am just hallucinating about the stainless
 

John B.

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There is a definate lack of oxygen living at 7,213 feet above the ocean Maybe i am just hallucinating about the stainless

No Marty, Don't let Mr. Rex blame it on your Colorado living or the altitude.
I live at about sea level and that last stainless Colt kicked my b+*t.
Must have frustrated the H out of you! But anyway, you nailed it.
 

Dave London

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OK Marty
I will send them out this week
Take care
PM your address to me
 
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fegarex

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They actually must vary from gun to gun. I did one many years ago and it was hard enough I won't do any more. Trying to do the work you are doing on this Marty, it would drive me nuts.
 

John B.

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They actually must vary from gun to gun. I did one many years ago and it was hard enough I won't do any more. Trying to do the work you are doing on this Marty, it would drive me nuts.

You could be right about them varying Mr. Rex. But the only stainless one that I found hard to cut was the one that was made recently.
Maybe I have just been lucky and will be sure to make test cuts on any in the future.
Marty has my sympathy if his stainless 1911 was as hard as the last one I cut.
 

Southern Custom

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I'll offer up my tip to alleviate vibration. I clamp with credit cards. The plastic is hard enough that it locks solid yet soft enough to bite. And I have no use for credit cards anyway. This was I'm making money with them rather than spending it!
 

Southern Custom

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And Stellar Work by the way. You know I love your stuff Marty and this is why. You don't just engrave a scene. You capture a moment.
 

FANCYGUN

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Credit cards huh? Hhmmm would gift cards for walmart work?

As an i teresting tidbit...while screwing around with graver points for the scenes,, i seem to feel the a 90 degree vtool with a 55 face angle works if i put a heel on it using a 105 geometry with a 15 degree lift Sounds wierd It doesnt give me a parrallel heel but more like the old style heel Cant figure it but at least it slows breaking down a bit :thinking:
 

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