A 1911 “Samarai Sword” Grip Design

 

     Model 1911 grips are difficult to design custom carvings for because there is just not much wood to work with.   They are very thin.   Here is a new grip carving design that gives a solid hold on the firearm and has a bit of style.   Call it the “Katana grip” modeled after the Japanese Samurai Sword, sometimes called a “Katana”.

     It’s carved to copy the grip of a Samurai sword like the one above.   The braided cord area on the grip is carved to show the individual braided cords in the swords grip.  The diamond areas in the middle are in lower relief and stippled to copy the stingray skin used underneth the cording on the sword’s grip.    The grip of your sidearm should make it feel like it’s an extention of your hand,  just like a Samurai’s sword was an extention of his.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

       If you would like a carving like this on your 1911′s grips, or on any other sidearm grips,  contact me.    I liked the feel of this design so much, I carved one for my own .38 Super model 1911.

 

Thanks for stoppin’ by…

Lance Larson

The Case of the Custom Carved Elk – Part II

 

     I finished the Presentation Pistol Case that I wrote about a few months back and wanted to bring you up to date.   This case was originally built by by the client in his  high school shop class and he wanted to give it to his father as a gift.   The size of this Poplar wood case is about 24″ x 15″.      

     The center oval relief area took a fair amount of time to bring down to the correct depth.   The Poplar wood was 3/4″ thick and I wanted to carve it down to at least half that depth.    The pine boughs and pine cones were carved in an inlaid style and closer to the original wood surface.   

     There was quite a bit of variation in carving depth needed with the mountains in the background, the trees to the sides and the log and the rock in front of the elk.  It took some time to work out the depth of the carving.

     Poplar wood is a softer wood so it won’t hold the carving detail that a wood like Walnut or Maple will, but it worked quite well in this project.   Once I got the depth of each area carved down to where I wanted it, the time consuming work of texturing the trees and the meadow started.   The elk was really the last thing that I worked the detail into.   This was a gift to a Father from his son so I also carved the Father’s initials in the front of the case 

     After completing the carving, I started on the staining by covering all carved areas with a pre-stain conditioner.   Then I stained all the areas with a light walnut base coat.  After that it was just a case of using diluted oil paints as stains and staining the individual carved areas to the correct hue.

     I finished the Presentaion Pistol Case with serveral coats of Minwax Tung Oil Finish.    I can tell you, the client’s father was very surprised and delighted with the gift.   It currently holds two of his father’s favorite handguns. 

 

 

    

     If you have a case that you may want to personalize, drop me a line and we can work on you design ideas together.

 

 

Thanks For Stoppin’ by….

Lance Larson

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Handcarved Basketweave on a Pocket Pistol grip

 

      This is a Jennings J-22 pistol and is a very small pistol in .22 long rifle caliber.   Small pistols like this have historicly been used for protection from various varmints – the four legged,  the two legged, and the slithering snake type.   That is still true in the year 2012.

     This pistol originally had a set of plastic grips by a wooden grip set was purchased at a gun show.   Although I’m not positive, I think the grips are made from a type of Rosewood.    They were smooth but on a pocket pistol, a good grip is required for control of recoil – even in a .22 pistol.   No matter what the size of the pistol, you need to be able to hit what you aim at…..numerous times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     What is a Pocket Pistol?

     The typical usage of a pocket pistol is for close range self-defense, often serving as a deep concealment backup gun to a larger handgun. Pocket holsters are highly recommended for the safe carry of pocket pistols, with standard practice being to carry the holster (sometimes with a second magazine sub-pocket stitched into the holster) in a front or rear trouser pocket with nothing else carried in the pocket that could snag on the gun when drawn. The most popular pocket holster designs are typically made of form-fitted leather, with a heavy layer of leather worn outward from the body to prevent printing of the gun outline on tight clothing.

     Pocket pistol caliber size is typically .22 LR, .25 ACP, .32 ACP, and .380 ACP .   Pocket pistol users include both concealed handgun licensed private citizens and police officers, desiring a self-defense gun, or desiring to carry a backup gun.

 

      There’s been a huge surge in the number of states allowing concealed carry of firearms.   The number of people who are gaining firsthand knowledge of what it’s like to carry a firearm regularly has increased dramaticly.   They are exercising their 2nd Amendment Right to protect themselves and their families.   Many of the newer firearms are lightweight polymar or alloy framed with built-in or plastic grips, but some still sport wooden grips.   This allows you the option of adding your own style as well as function to your firearm.

     I used a simple basketweave pattern on these small grips.   The basketweave design offers a very positive gripping surface for recoil control.  Since this firearm is so small that it only can be gripped by two fingers, with one of those being on the trigger and not really holding the pistol, being able to have a good grip is important.

 

     If you have a pistol grip you would like to personalize, large or small, drop me an email and we can discuss your options. 

 

 

 Thanks for stoppin’ by …..

Lance Larson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hand Carved Birthday Present

 

 

  “Happy Birthday Dad !”  

 

    My Dad has loved and collected knives for his entire life and always had a pocket knife of some sort with him.   I wanted to give him a nice, hand carved knife that was a little fancy but something he would still carry and use.   The classic Stockman style pocket knife above was my starting point. 

     The side scales on the knife are of white bone.   I started by adding jeweling to the bolsters at each end.  They were shiny brass but this always dulls up and gets scratched in your pocket. 

     I used a small round carbide burr in my air-driven Paragraver tool and just tapped the brass lightly to produce small carved dots in a random pattern until the entire area was filled in.   Brass is a soft metal so it takes a light touch.   The key is to do carve these little dots randomly or you will notice lines through the jeweled metal.       

     I drew out the leaves and the wording on pattern material and applied the pattern to the knife scales.   I then etched it in the bone with a very fine point burr.   This is done in Scrimshaw style so I  just scratched the outline into the bone.  

     Then I rubbed a little “burnt sienna” oil paint (directly out of the tube) on the bone with my finger to get it in all the etched areas.   It doesn’t take much paint.   Then I wiped off the excess, buffed the bone with a paper towel, and let is sit and dry for 24 hours.  

     I also got a Bonus!   By buffing the oil paint into the bone, it had the added effect of making the bone look like actual aged Ivory knife scales.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     This knife is on the way to him as I write this.   I hope he likes it, carries it often, and that he actually uses it, even if it’s just to cut an apple.

 

     Personalized Knives like this make great Birthday or Graduation presents, Gifts for Father’s Day, and Groomsmen Gifts.   If I can help, contact me and we can talk about your ideas.

 

 

 

Thanks for stoppin’ by ……

Lance Larson

 

 

 

Thunder’s Hand Carved Memorial

 

       You never know when or how it will happen – when that special dog  – your dog of a lifetime, will come into you life.   It seems like just a couple years ago when I adopted that Big Blue Weimaraner from the rescue here in Phoenix, but it was actually 12 years ago on January 2nd of this year – it was back in 2000.    He was a three year old “puppy” at the time and 85 pounds of dog with a quiet and goofy personality.     Weimaraners tend to be puppies for the first five years of their life.   I swear, if I had known what his personality was going to grow into, I would have named him Scooby Doo !!  

 

       We renamed him Thunder because there was some abuse in his past and we didn’t want the old name to cause problems (he sometimes crindged or cowered when you said his old name).   He caught on quick to his new name and after an obedience class, he  was a well mannered companion that would always stay with me.   He slept on the bed and was on the couch with me when I sat down.    When he first came home and got used to me, he would slowly creep up on the couch like I couldn’t see him, or feel his 90 pounds (he gained a little weight) slipping up by me to put his head on my lap.   As he got more relaxed in our home he must have thought he was a 15 pound lap dog because he was always climbing in my lap, even when I was in a chair!

 

      Thunder was my shadow.   He was up and with me no matter where I was going.   I say he was my shadow because he always seemed to stand directly behind me.    We went to the Dog Park every weekend and each time there was a point I’d be looking for him and he was standing directly behind me.     Even when he was playing, hunting, or just looking around, he never was over 20 yards from me.  

 

     When he was about seven years old, I had the opportunity to take him with me and go help at a Youth Pheasant Hunt.   Thunder seemed to love kids so I thought he would be a “Goodwill Ambassador ” even if he was not a trained hunter.    Yes, he was a great ambassador, but I found out he was also a hunting dog.   The first time he saw a pheasant flying and then get knocked down, he was tugging at the leash to get it.    We put him on some birds that day and he pointed and retrieved.   He was never trained – it was all instinct.    One problem – he would point for about 5 seconds and if the bird didn’t fly, he leaped in a grabbed it and brought it to me.   Either he wanted to help me save ammo, or he knew I was a bad shot with a shotgun.   Since he would grab the birds, we made him official retriever of birds that were wounded and running.   The Youth Pheasant Hunt became a yearly trip for us.

 

   After that, I started bringing him with me dove hunting and he would stay by me (sometimes) and when, and if I got a dove, he retrieved perfectly.   They were given to me pre-chewed some times, but always given to me.    If I was missing them, he had no problem retriving any birds my hunting buddies shot.  Thunder would just go over and sit next to them for a spell and get their birds – the traitor!   But, He always was back in a few minutes to his friend that couldn’t shoot straight.   I did one of my very early carvings of Thunder on my own 16 ga. Ithaca shotgun.   It was just his head carved in the lower right area of the buttstock.   He’s still with me on every bird hunt.

 

     He caught a bad case of Valley Fever when he was about nine years old but was lucky and beat it.   It left him with bone growths in both his knees which lead to arthritus.   He was never much of a runner after that.  We still hunted but he just walked everywhere.   He was a real world class couch potato his last fews years and I didn’t mind at all.  Quality time spent together on the couch are fond memories I enjoy.   It was on old leather couch and when people came over I told them that it was his couch and they had to ask him if they could sit there.   He would get off his couch with no problem, but I didn’t ask him to do that very often.

 

       I lost Thunder the day after Christmas - he had been with me one week shy of 12 years.   I laid him to rest on a friend’s land just a mile from my home, and just a few yards from a dry creek bed that a large Gambel’s Quail covey follow every morning and evening.   I thought he would have liked it because he and I had enjoyed exploring there many times.   The marker is a 2×12 I cut in the shape of an old western headstone.   I took a torch to it to bring out the wood grain and then carved it with his name, a dog pointing, and an epitath.    I stained the carving and finished it with several coats of outdoor semigloss spar urethane.   I also built a small bench for the site with carved oak leaves and pheasants that I put near him for visits. 

 

      Thunder’s epitath was simple -     “Good Dog”

 

     I heard once that   “Dogs don’t live as long as we do because we can bear their loss, but they couldn’t bear losing us”.    I’m not so sure … 

 

     I miss ya boy, we’ll enjoy walking and huntin’ together again……..

 

 

Lance Larson

and thanks for stoppin by and reading this.