Getting a grip! Here’s how to apply stippling to steel-frame pistols.

by Mike Cramer

Subscribe to our free newsletter.
https://americangunsmith.info/newsletter/

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 a way 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.”…

Read more in the April 2023 issue.

Don’t miss a single issue. Subscribe now or renew your subscription.
https://americangunsmith.info/subscribe/

For non-subscribers wanting free access, submit one free article to use on our site and we’ll send you a complete digital copy of any issue of your choice (April 2006 to current).