Stippling: Checkering’s Ugly Cousin

For many, the expense of checkering on gripping areas of an arm is not justified because of the intended use of the firearm, as in the case of a rough-and-tumble field shotgun or a daily-carry handgun. Others, such as myself, don’t like cheesylooking alternatives like sandpaper or skateboard tape. Well, meet the process called stippling. It provides a secure gripping surface, takes far less time to produce, requires vastly less experience and much cheaper tools. What’s not to like?

Well, some might call it ugly, and, true, its appearance isn’t for everyone. But if function is more important than esthetics, your customer will definitely like stippling. Just what is stippling, anyway? It’s a process of creating a roughened surface to improve gripping qualities using shaped punches instead of checkering files. The punches raise small burrs on the surface in whatever fashion is desired, be it random or carefully spaced, and anywhere from deep and sharp to a light dusting of marks.

Stippling can be done on wood, synthetics, or metal. It is (naturally enough) far more durable when done on metal, but will provide perfectly acceptable results on other surfaces. I’m addressing metal stippling in this article, but most of this applies to nonmetallic substances as well. You’ll need a vise with padded jaws, a small 4- or 6-ounce ball-peen hammer, and one or more stippling punches. Metal-stippling punches can be easily fabricated from a prick punch or a 1/8- to 5/32-inch starting punch.

The punch tip is carefully filed to the desired shape. (Don’t use a grinder or belt sander or you’re likely to soften the punch’s tip such that it will not hold its point.) The most common shapes are round, linear (chisel), and triangular. I’ve also seen some square punch points, but I was not impressed with their results. In my experience, the triangular point gives the sharpest stippling.

You can buy wood-stippling punches from Brownells (080-061- 012, -016, -020 for 12, 16, and 20 lineper-inch punches, respectively). These punches are used to create "impressed checkering" patterns similar to those found on some less-expensive long arms. You can also use metal-stippling punches to create your designs in wood, but you must be careful to avoid splintering. The process of stippling is fairly simple, but requires a bit of patience and practice.

It’s a good idea to do some practicing on various shaped surfaces before trying it on something valuable. I learned by practicing on pieces of unserviceable firearms which had been destroyed, and then graduating to some of my own firearms. I also recommend experimenting with various surfaces, because different material yield differing results. Softer metals require less power to raise burrs than harder metals, and both are quite different from wood or plastic.

To change the amount of "grip" the stippled surface provides, change the depth of the impact dimples and/ or the angle the punch is applied to the surface. The closer to 90 degrees This was done with a triangular punch, which gives the most aggressive texture.

The chisel punch can be used for witness marks as well. the punch is applied to the surface, the sharper and higher the resulting burrs will be. By the way, it’s imperative that the punch’s cutting point or edge be kept sharp to prevent the punch from failing to "bite" and just skipping across the textured area. This will often leave a large and visible scar on a surface which you did not intend to mark’ usually far deeper than the stippling marks you’re trying to make.

When your stippled surface is finished to the desired level, you need to address any refinishing necessary. A dollop of cold blue, a spritz of paint, a dab of touch-up plating, or whatever other care needs to be exercised to preserve the raw material exposed by the stippling is now in order. A bit of advice from experience: Target and match guns that are not carried concealed under clothing can have any degree of stippling desired on the gripping surfaces.

Carry pistols, police and duty pistols, and hardkicking firearms will definitely be much easier to deal with if the stippling is not as sharp or is applied sparingly. Should your stippled surface be too sharp, the easiest way to correct it is a very gentle peening with the same hammer used on the stippling punch. It takes only a light touch. Over-sharp stippling on pistols that are regularly carried can catch on clothing, destroy upholstery and furniture, and can scratch holes in your customer’s skin. I