Matting?

[Lloyd]

Wayne Novak (Noted Gunsmith) has a process to finish the fronstraps of Autos that he calls
matting, it apparently kind of "roughens" the finish to make it easier to hold on to. Does anyone know how this is done? I would like to try it on knives without scales, but, don't have a clue.

TIA

 

[Rob Simonich]

I think what you are talking about there is a form of stippling. Ive done it on many a handgun, its simple to do. All you need is a small diamiter center punc, with the point ground to a trianguar edge. You hol the punch at a slight angle to the surface being treated and give it a sharp rap, this will turn up a small burr that really is good for grip. You may have to tone it down some with some sandpaper though. I have quit the stippling on the guns and just cut a piece of "stair nosing" tape to fit the part I want good grip on. This is the tape that looks like shiny very coarse sandpaper. That way, there is no damage done if a person dont like it. Should work on knives too, you could cut it in different patterns/shapes to get the desired effect and if you didnt like it, take it off! Matting in very permanent. Hope this helps.