I didn't want to use the standard brass escutcheons that are available commercially so I made some out of sterling silver...this was the hardest part of the job.
I used 20 ga sterling sheet to make the side where the screw head sits. Once the tube was made from the 20 ga sheet (the hard part) I soldered a 14 ga base to it so that the screw head would have some substantial material to rest against. For the side where the screw threads into I used mild steel and soldered a piece of 14 ga to the end that is visible when the grips were complete. I ground the steel down so that only sterling was above the surface of the wood. That was a bit tricky too as I didn't want to go past the sterling and expose the steel.
The ebony worked nicely (the first grips I ever made using ebony) but at the thin edges where the grips taper down to the frame cloth would get stuck when rubbing against the grain. I lessened this effect by slightly breaking the sharp edges with 600 grit paper. Hope that might help anyone who might use some ebony in similar applications.
Sanded to 600 grit and finished with a coat of Renaissance wax...Hope you like them, I do.
I used 20 ga sterling sheet to make the side where the screw head sits. Once the tube was made from the 20 ga sheet (the hard part) I soldered a 14 ga base to it so that the screw head would have some substantial material to rest against. For the side where the screw threads into I used mild steel and soldered a piece of 14 ga to the end that is visible when the grips were complete. I ground the steel down so that only sterling was above the surface of the wood. That was a bit tricky too as I didn't want to go past the sterling and expose the steel.
The ebony worked nicely (the first grips I ever made using ebony) but at the thin edges where the grips taper down to the frame cloth would get stuck when rubbing against the grain. I lessened this effect by slightly breaking the sharp edges with 600 grit paper. Hope that might help anyone who might use some ebony in similar applications.
Sanded to 600 grit and finished with a coat of Renaissance wax...Hope you like them, I do.
