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- Alfred Mendoza
- June 1, 2023
So you are in a shooting competition, and it was a blazing hot afternoon. You are almost at the last stage, and you are pulling your gun out. You aimed for the target, but your hands were too slippery, and you lost control.
Tension and sweat can cost you your game, but you will have a better handgun grip if your gun is stippled. Learn how to stipple a gun here.
Table of Contents
5 Steps to Follow When Stippling a Gun
1. Prepare All The Materials
You have two options on what to use. Either you stipple with a soldering iron, or you use a wood-burning tool. Make sure you have the pattern you decided to use. Other formations are rather complicated, so be sure to try on a practice sheet before placing those dots on your firearm.
A wood burner is a cheaper option, by the way, and you have more control since the temperature is adjustable. It also has interchangeable tips, which will give you more pattern designs and texture to your weapon.
2. Decide Which Parts of the Grip You Want To Stipple
Before starting with your project, decide whether all the parts of your firearm will have the dots planted on it or just portions of it. The frame is the typical area that gets stippling.
You can easily find a great video that gives you instructions on how to do Glock stippling or on to any polymer gun. This is where you can find ideas about which part of the grip gets some stippling. You can either use a random dot pattern which is very similar to just etching dead skin cells.
3. Heat Up The Soldering Iron
You can easily find these tools in a local hardware store if you do not own one yet. Remember that these are made of plastic so take note of the soldering iron(1) heat. It would be best to start with mild stippling first since the melting point of these guns are not the same.
Placing the soldering iron on max temperature may not be a great idea unless you are confident with your stippling skills. If you decide on a more aggressive design, you may need to remove the finger grooves from your Glock.
4. Solder The Parts
Start soldering the parts you want to personalize. Most designs reach until the trigger guard of the Glock.
You can create a different set of weapons after you stipple the pattern to your handgun. You just need to have a steady hand, or else the holes the hot soldering iron will create will end up uneven.
Some follow straight lines, while others prefer the starburst pattern, which will provide a great result if you practice on a toy handgun first before doing it on a real pistol. You do not want your handgun grip to be bothersome to hold.
5. Let It Cool And Smoothen The Edges
After you finish all the areas, you want to stipple, feel the texture and check if there are areas of the Glock where it feels bothersome. You do not want to remove the dots on the handgun grips on the concealed carry gun, so you can try using 600-800 grade sandpaper in smoothening the edges.
Do not rush on it, or else it will remove the stippling on the guns. It is still vital that it is comfortable to hold whether the gun is for self-defense or something else.
Why Should I Learn How To Do It?
Learning how to stipple a gun is not a must, but because you want your firearm customized, why not do the gun modification yourself? This way, you can be sure that the job is done on the gun perfectly. You can get a tip from videos or people who have tried it on their grips.
You can also pay for someone who can do the stipple job, but why spend so much when you can simply purchase some cheap soldering iron and work on your gun, choosing your personal preference?
Benefits Of Stippling A Gun
Stippling is a permanent modification to your handguns which many shooters are already doing. Any firearm that has a polymer frame or plastic, in general, can have stippling on it.
Some are hesitant, saying that this may affect their gun’s resale value, but that is a different situation. There are several reasons why you should draw a pattern on your weapon.
- It makes the handguns aesthetically pleasing and customizable.
- It gives a better grip on the gun.
- It reduces overall grip size.
- Stippling provides more personalization to the gun.
- It also adds a consistency factor.
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Safety Tips
- Watch out for the heat! – Remember that you will be using tools that may burn your skin. Soldering irons are scalding hot, so make sure it is away from your epidermis.
- Set your focus. – Your mind should be on the task at hand to avoid mistakes and accidents.
- Take your time. – Nothing good will come out of rushing. Patience, they say, is a talent.
- Don’t dwell on mistakes. – If you made one, don’t hang on to it. Learn from that and move on.
- Ask questions.– It does not matter if you are not an expert yet.
FAQS
It actually does not require the help of a professional gunsmith if you want to customize your gun. The value is the only thing that may be affected if this is not done by a professional. They just happen to learn how to stipple ahead of you.
If you have it done by professionals with skills, it will range from $75-$300, depending on the stippling jobs you want to do on your grip. Or, you can do it yourself and spend $8-$15 for some cheap soldering guns and a Dremel tool.
If you do not want to resort to a permanent solution, you can also opt for Talon grips or grip tape, just wear and tear options. These do not last for long, which will end up more costly if you sum up all expenses.
Final Thoughts On Gun Stippling
Sometimes, going out of the ordinary gives a better result. If you have sweaty hands and need more grip on your pistol, then a stipple will give you that firm grip you are looking for. Stippling is no longer just a fad. Instead, stippling can make your shooting experience a lot safer and more comfortable.
Having your grip done solely depends on you, as this is not really for everyone. If you are unsure about doing it to your Glock grips, you can watch some videos where you can get a tip or two on how to do the thing called stippling.
References:
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/soldering-iron
