Author Topic: Frame modification diary. Beavertail, trigger guard, magwell, flush slide stop, undercut  (Read 25102 times)

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Offline Underwhere

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Back at it.
I shoeshined some. More of the trigger guard. I think it's pretty much there. There is a really tiny dot on the inside of the guard. Not sure it's worth trying to fix.

The beavertail still has some depressions as well as pits but it's getting closer. I'm going to bring it back for rewelding a 3rd time. Hopefully that's it.



I believe the plating shop will polish the gun to an almost mirror shine since hard chrome won't fill in scratches or bridge tiny voids.
That's my hope. Media blast the rounds and polish the flats.

Offline rhart

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I believe the plating shop will polish the gun to an almost mirror shine since hard chrome won't fill in scratches or bridge tiny voids.
[/quote]That's my hope. Media blast the rounds and polish the flats.
[/quote]

Do you know where you're going to have it plated?
Musashi:
- In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance. (situational awareness).
- You can only fight the way you practice.
- If you do not control the enemy, the enemy will control you.

Offline Underwhere

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Do you know where you're going to have it plated?
Fords down in Florida.
I called them a few months ago and asked what sort of prep needed to be done. The told me to just send it.

Offline rhart

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Do you know where you're going to have it plated?
Fords down in Florida.
I called them a few months ago and asked what sort of prep needed to be done. The told me to just send it.

Are you going to have the barrel plated or just the frame and slide?
Musashi:
- In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance. (situational awareness).
- You can only fight the way you practice.
- If you do not control the enemy, the enemy will control you.

Offline Underwhere

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Do you know where you're going to have it plated?
Fords down in Florida.
I called them a few months ago and asked what sort of prep needed to be done. The told me to just send it.

Are you going to have the barrel plated or just the frame and slide?
My original intent was the barrel, frame, slide, 2 mag bodies with baseplates

Offline Underwhere

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Do you know where you're going to have it plated?
Fords down in Florida.
I called them a few months ago and asked what sort of prep needed to be done. The told me to just send it.

Excellent choice.

Note however, that per Ford's themselves, they typically only apply hard chrome to the exterior (i.e. the "seen") areas of the gun. The internals do not get plated, nor the inside of the frame. If this is important to you, than you should discuss it with them, or alternatively choose another plater that does 100% coverage.
That's a good question. I didn't see any of that mentioned by them. I'll give them a ring when I get the gun ready.

Offline rhart

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Any updates? Did you get all the pits ironed out?
Musashi:
- In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance. (situational awareness).
- You can only fight the way you practice.
- If you do not control the enemy, the enemy will control you.

Offline Underwhere

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Any updates? Did you get all the pits ironed out?
No updates yet. A lot going on with work and home I haven't been able to see the welder or tinker with my welding setup.

Hopefully soon.

Offline Underwhere

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So I think I made some major progress tonight.

Was putting my snowblower away to my shed and brushed by the welding gas line to the torch. I saw the compression fitting on the welder wiggle. Turns out I did have a gas leak and thats why none of my welds turned out well.

I tightened and got an ugly piece of mild steel. A ton more control and no contamination and popping. I'll try it on a few more pieces of similar metal just to make sure. Hopefully no more trips to the welder and I can make progress on a nightly basis now instead of weekly.

It pays to check your equipment. I should have.

Offline rhart

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So I think I made some major progress tonight.

Was putting my snowblower away to my shed and brushed by the welding gas line to the torch. I saw the compression fitting on the welder wiggle. Turns out I did have a gas leak and thats why none of my welds turned out well.

I tightened and got an ugly piece of mild steel. A ton more control and no contamination and popping. I'll try it on a few more pieces of similar metal just to make sure. Hopefully no more trips to the welder and I can make progress on a nightly basis now instead of weekly.

It pays to check your equipment. I should have.

Things happen. Glad you found the issue.
Musashi:
- In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance. (situational awareness).
- You can only fight the way you practice.
- If you do not control the enemy, the enemy will control you.

Offline Underwhere

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Some members have been messaging me with welding tips and they have been very helpful.

I successfully filled the rest of the pits tonight in just a few minutes. I hadn't lost my welding touch. I had just lost my memory regarding all the right settings :)

Some before and after. It's not perfect but if you put the rest of the gun under a microscope you'd find worse imperfections.

Before :

After:



« Last Edit: May 16, 2018, 10:40:48 PM by Underwhere »

Offline Underwhere

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So after this I just need to clean up some of the edges and make sure it's nice and smooth.

Then I'll polish the internals and put in my CGW goodies (without any set screws) so I can send the gun off for hard chrome.

I think I'll do polished flats and matte rounds with 2 mags hard chromed as well.

Offline Underwhere

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I'm pumped.
I welded another beavertail on another gun in a matter of minutes. No issues anymore.

Offline rhart

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I'm pumped.
I welded another beavertail on another gun in a matter of minutes. No issues anymore.

Cool! It's looking really good.
Musashi:
- In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance. (situational awareness).
- You can only fight the way you practice.
- If you do not control the enemy, the enemy will control you.

Offline eastman

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I'm pumped.
I welded another beavertail on another gun in a matter of minutes. No issues anymore.

good to see you got your welding mojo back
I don't look like my avatar!