Handgun question

[bcarter]

Has anyone engraved a Remington model 1911 R1 stainless? I have called Remington and they said this model was available in stainless, not already "blued". Any help would be appreciated. thanks,

 

[monk]

i never cut this one. a general rule of thumb regarding ss, stick a magnet to it. if it sticks good, it will likely engrave. if it barely sticks, or not at all, you're in for a heap of grief. if you already have the gun you could try a test scratch somewhere inside the gun to see what it's like. i'm assuming if it is engraveable, the thing would likely be fairly uniform throughout without hard spots
i've done 3 ss guns. i no longer use magnets--- because i'll never do another one again.

 

[bcarter]

Thanks for the reply Monk, this is a gun that my husband is thinking about buying and I will try to go to the shop with a magnet and check. It is good to know that after doing three SS guns that you won't try another one, that is what I needed to know. My husband is not in love with this particular gun but would like to get one for me to engrave for him. Maybe I should tell him to keep looking. Thanks again, much appreciated advice.

 

[monk]

well, if you do one of these-- make sure you have a powerhone and a way to do repeatable , consistent tool geometry. cause you're gonna become an expert on tool sharpening ! my advice is to steer clear of ss, unless you're absolutely sure of what you're doing.long ago i was about half done on an ss s&w. i couldn't give up, i was totally commited. i ended up talking to lynton mckenzie via phone, i think it was lynton-- he told me to forget doing ss guns. at that time i was using carbide (very brittle ) gravers. i was fortunate to get a 4mm line cut before resharpening. now, fortunately, there are improved graver steels for doing this cranky stuff.

 

[Beathard]

All SS are not created equal. I have done several Bond Arms Derringers. They cut like butter.

 

[Ed Westerly]

There is stainless, and then there is stainless. Some cuts well , some cuts hard , and some doesn't cut :no:. I have found most semiauto slides can be quite hard. Ditto revolver cylinders and barrels. Most frames are O.K. to quite nice. Walther Ppk frames and slides are nice to work on. I would also advise using a magnet, but be aware that some metals work harden very quickly, and trying a second cut or inlay work can be impossible! if you are not very experienced with SS, I would stick with carbon steel guns, get some various SS plates for practice, and do a test cut in a hidden spot when you are ready to try a SS gun. Good luck!

 

[bcarter]

I have worked quite a bit with stainless steel. My husband is a knifemaker (after his full time job) and I have been engraving for him and several other knifemakers. Of course most knifemakers use a 400 series SS. I did engrave one knife where the knifemaker had used a 300 series SS. It was brittle but I designed a pattern without alot of tight scrolls or turns since I was skeptical. I only broke the point twice. I did use a steeper face on the graver.
My husband is leaning towards an automatic but has several different companies (brands) that he likes.
I want to thank all of you that replied, this is the kind of help/advice that I was looking for!