Stippling Steel

Stippling refers to an art form that uses single points or dots to create an image rather than drawing a continuous line. A stippled drawing takes extreme patience and precision to produce and can have hundreds of thousands of individual dots. Translated to the firearms world, the use of soldering irons to melt the plastic in order to add texture to a handgun is also called stippling.

From basic grip panels of dots, stippling in the firearms world has evolved into its own world in and of itself, with true craftsman turning Glock or similar plastic-frame pistols into functional works of art. But what about steel-frame pistols? A soldering iron will barely scratch metal and surely does not get hot enough to melt steel. Checkering has long been away to add grip texture to metal-frame pistols, is an art form in its own right, and certainly looks classy when done properly.

However, checkering is very tedious and requires specialized tooling and jigs unless you are surgically precise. In the words of Jedi Master Yoda, "There is another." Enter the Foredom H.15 Hammer Handpiece (Foredom.net/product/h-15-handpiece-hammer). Instead of rotational action traditionally found on rotary tools, this handpiece transitions the rotational force into a reciprocating action, rather like a miniature jackhammer.

Combined with a carbide tip, this makes for the perfect tool to make thousands of tiny pin-prick marks in steel. Foredom’s directions say to limit speed to no more than 5,000 RPM, which is more than fast enough to quickly add texture. To stipple a pistol, strip it down to the bare frame and use a marker Here are the author’s Sig P365 and P320 XCompact with two styles of stippling. or scribe to draw where you want to add texture in a similar fashion to how one would stipple a plastic-frame pistol.

At this point, you may also want to put 15 Hammer Handpiece, which is essentially a handheld jackhammer.

The serial number of this Hi-Power is on the front strap, so I left a straight-line box to not obscure it. The magazine well bevel is also shown. Far the pistol down and practice stippling on apiece of steel pipe or scrap steel before jackhammering your customer’s prized pistol. Regardless of your initial scrap steel victim, start in the middle of your desired stippling area to get a feel for how the tool works. It will sound like a tattoo gun, as it sort of works the same way, but without the ink.

Vary the downward pressure into the workpiece and speed on the foot pedal. Keep the tip moving in small circles and overlap the same area several times. The harder you press, the deeper the stylus strikes, which results in a "grippier" texture. Since we are dealing with metal frame pistols, sharp metal bits would not be optimum under a sharp recoil action. We are more aiming for a surface that is reasonably rough, about a 220 grit or so sandpaper feel.

Eventually, all the smaller areas will join to form one swath of textured area. Change the direction and technique frequently to avoid patterns in your texture, unless a defined pattern is your end goal. To achieve a uniform look, hold the pistol at varying angles and use different techniques and patterns to link small sections together, and then overlap sections with each other to blend. Also, by this time, you should have a good enough feel for the technique to work on your borders. How they look is up to you.

I typically choose to make one solid line of stipple and smoothness. You may opt instead to carve a channel with around file or to shade the stippling from dense to sparse. Take some artistic license with your design. My example Hi-Power shown here has the serial number on the front strap, so I left a straight-line box to not obscure it. Once I was satisfied with the texture and overall feel of the stipple job, I rubbed some 320 sandpaper over the area to remove a few sharp spots.

This may or may not be necessary for your project. Finishing was completed by sandblasting and painting with KG Gun Kote (KGcoatings.com, in OD Green. Bear in mind that if a spray-on paint is used it’s important to vary the application angle on the stippled portion of each grip panel to ensure full paint coverage of the micro-texture. The Hi-Power illustrated also wears G10 scales which combined with stippling feels great in the hand.

The extended beavertail addition also adds a great deal of comfort and style while also helping to prevent a painful slide bite. Combined with a flared magwell and some additional file work, this allows the pistol to melt into the shooter’s hand for an improved fit and better shooting. These additional modifications merit their own article, however. Stippling is a great service any gunsmith can add to their shop’s offerings.

The cost to get started is reasonable and the results can be both functional and attractive. AG Far