Stippling or Checkering an Aluminum Handle

M

me2

Joined
Oct 11, 2003
Messages
5,143
I have a nearly new Kershaw Iridium. I like the blade shape, I’m eager to try the D2 steel, and have switched the clip to lefty carry. However I can’t get past the slick handle. Has anyone stippled or checkered an aluminum handle for better grip? Is it something worth a DIY try or better left to someone with practice?
 
I would give Way of Knife a call and see what they would charge for that service. Deep laser etching should work.
 
I have checkered, stippled and hand engraved aluminum handles.
The easiest way to stipple is to get an electric engraving pencil, draw out a border on your handle, and start buzzing it with the engraver.
If you aren't up for it, I can help you.
 
Hadn’t thought of that. I was just going to go at it with a punch.
 
Or a Dremel. But be careful if you're trying for a clean pattern. Alternately you could try granular tape first.
 
Rotary tools like Dremels are much harder to control than the electric pencil.
Most are also adjustable. You can make the stroke long or short. Once you get the hang of controlling it loosely in hand and letting it bounce some nice, deep patterns will emerge. Or, you can shorten the stroke and use fine control. I have matte finished the entire tops of pistol slides with this method.
 
Last edited:
The electric engravers are fairly reasonable. My daughter can is it too. If they’re easier to use I may go that route. I have some spare aluminum I can practice on, though it’s almost certainly not the same grade. It’ll be close enough for my purposes.
 
I tried stippling on a scrap piece of aluminum. It seems like it will take a while but it also seems straight forward enough to do it myself. I used a large drill bit and light taps from a 12 oz hammer. It makes small short lines with a larger dimple in the center. A true punch would leave round dimples so I might see how that looks too.
 
I stippled a steel 1911 front strap before. You hold a pointed prick punch in a way that when you hit it, it hits the metal and then bounces back. It raises a little burr on the metal and has a slight gouge as well, which makes an uneven texture. Other people put the punch (round or triangular or diamond shaped) against the metal and tap it a few times to make a more precise, structured stippling. The bounce method gives a more random stippling that feels like sandpaper or sharkskin; it's very find and overlapping, but gives a good grip without being painful.
 
I have a regular marking punch but I’ll have to find it. It’s what I use to stake my rifle castle nuts, so dimpling some aluminum should be in its wheelhouse.
 
I tried some more with the drill bit. I can get a more even pattern now and fill in missed spots. The point punch will still need a chance. Hopefully it will be a bit easier to control.
 
You are making a pattern one dot at a time, with the wrong tools. Of course, you can do it that way, but the electric pencil does 10+ dots per second.
What is your time worth?
 
This thread got me curious. I don't recall ever doing any stippling. So I went out to my shop and gave it a try on a piece of aluminum (1" x 2"). I used an engraving tool in my dremel. I don't know what size the engraving tool is, it came with the dremel set I bought 25 years ago.

Some of the burrs on the edges of the divots broke off from me rubbing it with my thumb, but even after that it's still plenty grippy. A night-and-day difference from the smooth portion of the aluminum.

P1050897.JPG
P1050896.JPG
P1050902.JPG
 
Last edited:
That's just dimpling it and removing material, like a golf ball texture. Stippling pushes material out and up from the main piece to create texture and new points.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
You are making a pattern one dot at a time, with the wrong tools. Of course, you can do it that way, but the electric pencil does 10+ dots per second.
What is your time worth?
Click to expand...
Well at this point I’m just tinkering to see which looks better and requires the least practice. However, you make a good point. I’ll swing by the local Ace and see if they have them. Their website said they did.
 
As you saw, the golfball type texture does give more grip! Most of the times, the dimples overlap a hair.

This is my favorite gun grip texturing, the pattern is call Chaos. I am not sure if it's made anymore? Basically a 1/16" milling cutting doing a "random" worm groove around the entire grip. Your hand sinks into the little tracks, but there are no sharp points sticking up anywhere. Super grippy.
20140911_161010_resized.jpg
 
Checkering files might be a quicker way to add grip texture to an aluminum knife.
 
Well, I did want to try "stippling", so, take two-


First I tried a light hammer strike, just a tap, with a pointed punch struck at an angle (left). Then I tried a heavy hammer strike (right), hard as I dare hit, same pointed punch, same angle.

Untitled.jpg


a stippling 3.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top