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It is currently Wed Apr 24, 2024 12:28 am
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dreadi
Site Supporter / FFL Dealer
Location: Tacoma, Washington Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2014 Posts: 8367
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This thread is Not Safe For Zombie66. I used to wonder why 1911 pistols had such a wide range of prices and why some people would pay thousands of dollars. Then I found out how much work it takes to make one. Or at least I thought I did. It wasn't until after I took Bob Rodgers' class, did I gain a better understanding of everything I thought I knew, wasn't everything that I should have learned. Early last year I set out to make a couple 1911 style pistols from 80% frames and on a mill. I'd never used a mill. A combination of sadness from loosing my grandfather to old age, still being pissed about 594 passing, and the blessing that grandpa left for me, drove me to it. I'll tell you what. Pistolsmithing is just as much rewarding as it is frustrating. "Why am I having to file so much?" "Did I just mill that slot at an angle?" "What....this...frame...is.....a tenth of an inch below spec. " Those are just some of the highlights. I've learned some some lessons along the way. Such as: You can beat $175 sights into submission with a brass punch and have punch marks all over them. Heat guns are your friend. Heat guns cost less than a matched pair of Tritium sights. You can remove some brass kisses with WD-40 and 0000 steel wool. If your custom 1911 maker says they have 40hrs into the finished product....it's not really that custom. There are some tools on the market that are truly just gimmicks. A crossing needle file is a magic wand. How to talk your friends and neighbors into helping you move a mill. Again, those are just some of the highlights. This pistol represents 60+ hours of work before it was parkerized. It's a carbon steel 80% roundbutt commander and matching mainspring housing, with a carbon steel Caspian slide. Ed Brown semi custom fit barrel, EGW bushing and plug, with everything else being Wilson Combat. Rasco black walnut grips. Novak rear and 10-8 fiber optic front sight. Having previously thought it was complete, after learning a few things, I'll be doing some more work later on to improve reliability. The outside won't change but, working on the barrel throat and adding clearance between the frame and slide are on the list of things to do. When it was built and ready to shoot, it looked like this. After parkerizing. During the build, I spent so much time assembling, disassemble, and reassembling the gun, by the time it was ready to be parkerized, the small parts looked less than new and I needed to strip and blue the small parts. I did that by immersing them in apple cider vinegar for a half hour and neutralizing with water and then immersion in acetone and letting dry before cold blueing with Casey Birchwood Super Blue. Finally. After many months and delays of adulthood. After 500+ rounds it still maintains a 2.25lb-2.5lb trigger.
_________________BLACK HAMMER ARMSBuy A Suppressor http://www.silencershop.com/blackhammerarmsType 7 Class 2 SOT NFA Dealer 1911 Pistolsmithing Firearm Refinishing GLOCK Certified Armorer CMMG Authorized Dealer NEMO Arms Authorized Dealer http://www.blackhammerarms.comhttp://www.facebook.com/blackhammerarmshttps://www.instagram.com/blackhammerarms/
Last edited by dreadi on Fri Jun 30, 2017 4:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Fri Jun 30, 2017 4:02 pm |
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jukk0u
Site Supporter
Location: Lynnwood and at large Joined: Wed May 1, 2013 Posts: 21291
Real Name: Vick Lagina
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Hi Dana, your pics don't show up on my computer. Were they posted from your phone? Is there a way to get to see them?
_________________ “Finding ‘common ground’ with the thinking of evil men is a fool’s errand” ~ Herschel Smith
"The said Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." ~ Samuel Adams
“A return to First Principles in a Republic is sometimes caused by simple virtues of a single man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example. Before all else, be armed!” ~ Niccolo Machiavelli
Láodòng zhèng zhūwèi zìyóu
FJB
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Fri Jun 30, 2017 4:05 pm |
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dreadi
Site Supporter / FFL Dealer
Location: Tacoma, Washington Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2014 Posts: 8367
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jukk0u wrote: Hi Dana, your pics don't show up on my computer. Were they posted from your phone? Is there a way to get to see them? Click refresh. I typed on from a computer and uploaded pics from my phone.
_________________BLACK HAMMER ARMSBuy A Suppressor http://www.silencershop.com/blackhammerarmsType 7 Class 2 SOT NFA Dealer 1911 Pistolsmithing Firearm Refinishing GLOCK Certified Armorer CMMG Authorized Dealer NEMO Arms Authorized Dealer http://www.blackhammerarms.comhttp://www.facebook.com/blackhammerarmshttps://www.instagram.com/blackhammerarms/
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Fri Jun 30, 2017 4:09 pm |
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Soldier_Citizen
Site Supporter
Location: south 'merca Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2012 Posts: 9738
Real Name: Mike
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That's a beautiful pistol my friend.
_________________"No Quarter, No Mercy" mash_man wrote: #gangbangerlivesmatter
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Fri Jun 30, 2017 4:18 pm |
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jukk0u
Site Supporter
Location: Lynnwood and at large Joined: Wed May 1, 2013 Posts: 21291
Real Name: Vick Lagina
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Sure does look nice. When are you going to start serial numbering them for sale?
_________________ “Finding ‘common ground’ with the thinking of evil men is a fool’s errand” ~ Herschel Smith
"The said Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." ~ Samuel Adams
“A return to First Principles in a Republic is sometimes caused by simple virtues of a single man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example. Before all else, be armed!” ~ Niccolo Machiavelli
Láodòng zhèng zhūwèi zìyóu
FJB
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Fri Jun 30, 2017 4:20 pm |
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Arisaka
Site Supporter
Location: Tacoma Joined: Sat May 4, 2013 Posts: 6216
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You do good work, Dana!
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Fri Jun 30, 2017 4:45 pm |
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PMB
In Memoriam
Joined: Wed Mar 6, 2013 Posts: 12018
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Love it. Looking forward to you running your own business.
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Fri Jun 30, 2017 4:55 pm |
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dreadi
Site Supporter / FFL Dealer
Location: Tacoma, Washington Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2014 Posts: 8367
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jukk0u wrote: Sure does look nice. When are you going to start serial numbering them for sale? I've been thinking about that. How do I get my own branding on a frame? Milling 80's is a process that I'm not really wanting to do on a regular basis. If I did and had them laser engraved at Hyperion Precision, that would be pretty cool and add to the customizing. BUT that would likely put me into needing a manufacturing FFL and that's a can of worms I'm not that hungry for. In addition to the ATF knocking on the door, I'd have a host of other alphabet boys at the door. EPA asking how I'm disposing of X. OSHA wanting to know if I'm wearing safety glasses. Who else? In the meantime, I'm thinking about a makers mark.
_________________BLACK HAMMER ARMSBuy A Suppressor http://www.silencershop.com/blackhammerarmsType 7 Class 2 SOT NFA Dealer 1911 Pistolsmithing Firearm Refinishing GLOCK Certified Armorer CMMG Authorized Dealer NEMO Arms Authorized Dealer http://www.blackhammerarms.comhttp://www.facebook.com/blackhammerarmshttps://www.instagram.com/blackhammerarms/
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Fri Jun 30, 2017 5:12 pm |
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RENCORP
Site Supporter
Location: East of Japan, not by much. Joined: Fri Jun 3, 2011 Posts: 12990
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Sign me up.
_________________ Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Give a man a fishing pole, and he will drink too much beer, get tangled in fish line, hook himself in the nose casting, fall overboard, and either drown, or, go home hungry and wet. Give a man a case of dynamite, and he will feed the whole town for a year!
BE ON NOTICE: PRIVACY NOTICE: Warning - any person and/or institution and/or Agent and/or Agency of any governmental structure including but not limited to the United States Federal Government also using or monitoring/using this website or any of its associated websites, you do NOT have my permission to utilize any of my profile information nor any of the content contained herein including, but not limited to my photos, and/or the comments made about my photos or any other "picture" art posted on my profile.
You are hereby notified that you are strictly prohibited from disclosing, copying, distributing, disseminating, or taking any other action against me with regard to this profile and the contents herein. The foregoing prohibitions also apply to your employee, agent, student or any personnel under your direction or control.
The contents of this profile are PRIVATE and legally privileged and confidential information, and the violation of my personal privacy is punishable by law. UCC 1-103 1-308 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WITHOUT PREJUDICE
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Fri Jun 30, 2017 5:37 pm |
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cruffler
Site Supporter
Location: Bothell Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2014 Posts: 654
Real Name: Tom
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Beautiful job! Now that you've come this far, you really need to learn how to rust blue. It will give a much better finish than cold blue. I think that you'll like the finish better than parkerizing, too. Applying the rust bluing solution on a pistol such as a 1911 can be done easily on a counter top and the parts boiled on a stove.
_________________ accumulator of curios & relics
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Fri Jun 30, 2017 5:38 pm |
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RENCORP
Site Supporter
Location: East of Japan, not by much. Joined: Fri Jun 3, 2011 Posts: 12990
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dreadi wrote: jukk0u wrote: Sure does look nice. When are you going to start serial numbering them for sale? I've been thinking about that. How do I get my own branding on a frame? Milling 80's is a process that I'm not really wanting to do on a regular basis. If I did and had them laser engraved at Hyperion Precision, that would be pretty cool and add to the customizing. BUT that would likely put me into needing a manufacturing FFL and that's a can of worms I'm not that hungry for. In addition to the ATF knocking on the door, I'd have a host of other alphabet boys at the door. EPA asking how I'm disposing of X. OSHA wanting to know if I'm wearing safety glasses. Who else? In the meantime, I'm thinking about a makers mark. Gotta be your portrait in dreads on the receiver. Nobody's got what you got, period.
_________________ Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Give a man a fishing pole, and he will drink too much beer, get tangled in fish line, hook himself in the nose casting, fall overboard, and either drown, or, go home hungry and wet. Give a man a case of dynamite, and he will feed the whole town for a year!
BE ON NOTICE: PRIVACY NOTICE: Warning - any person and/or institution and/or Agent and/or Agency of any governmental structure including but not limited to the United States Federal Government also using or monitoring/using this website or any of its associated websites, you do NOT have my permission to utilize any of my profile information nor any of the content contained herein including, but not limited to my photos, and/or the comments made about my photos or any other "picture" art posted on my profile.
You are hereby notified that you are strictly prohibited from disclosing, copying, distributing, disseminating, or taking any other action against me with regard to this profile and the contents herein. The foregoing prohibitions also apply to your employee, agent, student or any personnel under your direction or control.
The contents of this profile are PRIVATE and legally privileged and confidential information, and the violation of my personal privacy is punishable by law. UCC 1-103 1-308 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WITHOUT PREJUDICE
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Fri Jun 30, 2017 5:39 pm |
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cbass
Site Supporter
Location: S.Hill Puyallup Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2012 Posts: 829
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I'm getting misty over here..... Well done sir! Great looking piece. The joy (and frustation) of doing things with your hands cannot be measured by those that have never experienced it.
_________________ "I don't like little cars, little guns or big women" NRA certified Range Safety Officer Let's Go Brandon!
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Fri Jun 30, 2017 7:58 pm |
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Groundskeeper Willy
Site Supporter
Location: Lynnwood Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2016 Posts: 151
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Hot damn Dreadi, that is beautiful. I built my first 1911 after seeing you post enough times about how you taught yourself to do it. After a ton of work I produced an idiot mark covered laser. This makes me actually think that some day I can make a visually acceptable gun.
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Fri Jun 30, 2017 8:47 pm |
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usrifle
Site Supporter
Location: RENTON Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2011 Posts: 20771
Real Name: John
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Well done dreadi, you do some good work. You need to pass along the knowledge of 1911's you absorbed now, you can call it the 1911 School of dreadi and i'm in.
_________________ Mr. Q wrote: so basically, if you have to smoke some asshole, make sure they become fertilizer and then Bounce? got it.
Guntrader wrote: Huh, maybe I was an asshole.
NRA Member/RSO SAF 5 Year Donor GOA Member
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Fri Jun 30, 2017 11:49 pm |
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Pablo
Site Supporter
Location: Everson, WA Joined: Sun Jan 6, 2013 Posts: 28188
Real Name: Ace Winky
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Awesome. You got skills. I do love to oil up parked steel. Something timeless about that.
_________________ Why does the Penguin in Batman sound like a duck?
Because the eagle sounds like a hawk.
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Sat Jul 01, 2017 6:34 am |
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