by Hawkeye » Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:13 pm
I started three LW build late summer into fall, what I did was build three at the same time. This way I can concentrate on custom work on them. One is all most complete (Young Wolf) just waiting on a new shoe, so I continued on with #2, here is where I'm at with this build.
I did etching when I did serial number and frame mods planning while I worked on Young Wolf.
Here I just finished up polishing the blemished slide sitting back taking a look to see if it needs any changes.
Here is something I am trying out to see if I can give a custom look to stock LW magazine release.
Freedom Wolf has a hump in front of the release that doesn't match up with the release, so I tried to reshape it so even with a taper it looks like it matches the frame.
Here are some of the frame nods I did on this build
1) this is a JB Weld fix for a Glock 19 magazine extension that does not fit a LW. It looks like it would just break off if hit. I thought so too, so to test it I used it like a hammer hitting my work bench over and over without breaking it or cracking.
2)This is the same cut I used on Young Wolf, I like the feel so much I am putting it on this build too. Really this gives you a better grip and if you have short fingers like mine, it makes it easier to reach the trigger.
3) These are trigger guard mods that I really like the feel of, first is and index finger extended undercut along with a knuckle release side cut. You have to try these mods, the feel is just amazing. Then I just narrowed the rest of the trigger guard.
So here we are, all I need to do now is more sanding and polishing before I get ready for paint.
All the masking will be stippling, the plan is a two-tone style. On the sides and back strap will have the look of old armor like Night's Watch wear in Game of Thorns, I had to make my own tip for this style. The rest will be just a small random style. One thing I am not sure about is the index finger rest shape. In my first layout I had this in more of an ovel to match all the curves with the rest of the frame but when I put the slide on and took a long look it just didn't match up with the window cuts in the slide. I thought I would bring the shape of the window cuts into the frame by using the same style rectangle as those in the slide window cuts. I have talked about this before, I call it a flow, that's how the eye flows from the front to back on a build. Everything should flow together so your eye moves along and does not stop because there is something off just a bit. I know geek stuff but this kind of stuff bugs me when I build, and I think this is why I over think a lot of builds I do.
Here is something I am not too sure about, stippling down and around the trigger guard. I saw this on a build a while back and thought I would give it a try, but I am not sure if it is too much. SO, what do you think??
Should I leave it or make two small stipple spots instead of one long stipple spot??????
by RAMjetta » Wed Jan 04, 2023 8:30 pm
Hawkeye wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 6:21 pmWE4PONXYZ wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 5:01 pmAnd I think this build deserves a good torch/light (WML), after all it does belong to a Nights Watchmen. “Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the (SWORD) in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the (FIRE) that burns against the cold, the (LIGHT) that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.” You just might be right on this one. I need a good light to tie the whole build together so keep watch for a good deal on a light and remember I am on a fixed income now. Hum I have a b-day coming so maybe I can ask for cash to get a better light then what I have. If you were on a cheap budget what would be the light, you would go with? If you decide to go with an olight then use JMD10 to get 10% off any non sale item. Please use the affiliate link https://bit.ly/OlightSaleJMD PL-3 Valkyrie - $79.99 PL Mini Valkyrie - $89.99 Baldr S (green or blue laser) - $129.95 Baldr Mini (green laser) - $124.95
JettaMan OUT!
by WE4PONXYZ » Wed Jan 04, 2023 7:06 pm
Olight or Streamlight Dude a StreamLight TLR-7A would look amazing on this build and should be a nice flush fit to boot. They are 42% off right now on Optics Planet $139.49 normally $239 not including their little spin to win discount wich I just tried and got an additional 10% off on top of that. https://www.opticsplanet.com/streamligh ... light.html Edit: If you’re not seeing the same price make sure you sign up for their free VIP program.
by Hawkeye » Wed Jan 04, 2023 6:21 pm WE4PONXYZ wrote: ↑Wed Jan 04, 2023 5:01 pmAnd I think this build deserves a good torch/light (WML), after all it does belong to a Nights Watchmen. “Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the (SWORD) in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the (FIRE) that burns against the cold, the (LIGHT) that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.”
You just might be right on this one. I need a good light to tie the whole build together so keep watch for a good deal on a light and remember I am on a fixed income now. Hum I have a b-day coming so maybe I can ask for cash to get a better light then what I have. If you were on a cheap budget what would be the light, you would go with?
by RAMjetta » Wed Jan 04, 2023 5:45 pm
Killin it
JettaMan OUT!
by WE4PONXYZ » Wed Jan 04, 2023 5:01 pm
And I think this build deserves a good torch/light (WML), after all it does belong to a Nights Watchmen. “Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the (SWORD) in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the (FIRE) that burns against the cold, the (LIGHT) that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.”
by WE4PONXYZ » Wed Jan 04, 2023 4:54 pm
God damn brother this thing is shaping up to be a beaut! Can’t wait to see it all stippled up…
by Hawkeye » Wed Jan 04, 2023 12:48 pm
Here is where I am at on this build.
My paint turned out great and I must say the etching paint came out all most perfect, but it does have a little over spray.
The painting process went smoothly
I have learned that the whole key to getting a good paint job is in the prep work, after sanding and then buffing and polishing, I cleaned with a damp clean cotton rag with acetone making sure I get all the oils off. Remember your fingers will put oil marks on the pistol so don't touch after you clean it. If you do it will show up in the paint.
First, I masked off the area that I wanted to be a stainless steel, like around the shield and sword. The grip is masked off because of the stippling that will be done after painting. After all the masking, I put a coat of flat gray on the rest of the frame and slide. Then I cured it in the oven for 11/2 hours, this way when masking the next step, it does not pull paint off when removing masking.
Second. I masked off for what I wanted to be flat gray stripping. Then paint everything with a flat black leaving the masking on I cured for another 11/2 hours in the cure oven.
Third, I removed all the masking and cleaned up any masking residue. This is where I give the build a solid smooth feel. I have a sponge with a very soft texture to it, this I use to go over all the painted area. I do this to smooth out the two colors of paint. If you run your finger over the black and gray paint, you can feel a small step where the two paints meet because the gray is just one layer of paint, and the black is gray with black over it giving it just a little step, by fine sanding you can sooth out this so you can hardly tell it is there.
Fourth, now this is something I try to do on my builds when I can, that is use a clear coat. In this case I used a flat clear coat. What this does is give the pistol a smooth feel and now you can't feel that step between the two-color paint. Another reason I like to use a clear coat is protection from scratches. If you should get a scratch, it may not be seen because your scratch is on the clear coat and not the color in the paint.
I use KG GunKote just because I have a lot of it to use up. I started out with GunKote because I don't have to thin it and it has a long shelf life and being a beginner at painting, I was looking for the easiest way to go but now it looks like Cerakote is the go-to for most firearm painting. I also use an additive to my paint to speed up cure time and drop temps for curing. It is called 180 additive, just a few drops in your paint mix and you can cure at 180 degrees, but I cure at 225 degrees. This cuts cure time down from 21/2-31/2 hours down to 11/2-21/2 hours. The lower cure temp I think helps to keep warping of the frame or other plastic parts that you may want to paint from melting. I like to use an air brush for my painting, I feel I can control the amount of paint used and I have the ability to control the spray to a finer spray if I need to do detail fine spray work.
Next step with this build is stippling, I'll post the stippling in Stippl-Tastic
So far, I am pleased with how this is turning out
by Hawkeye » Tue Jan 03, 2023 10:28 am
Ancient Order wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 11:11 pmI think it depends on the stipple pattern you use. Whether or not you can make it easily flow around the front radius of the trigger guard. I would most certainly dork that up. I kept the long stippling pattern down the trigger guard and plan on using a small random pattern here. I got it all painted this weekend and MAN!!! it looks good. I'll post so pictures later today before I start stippling.
by Ancient Order » Wed Dec 28, 2022 11:11 pm
I think it depends on the stipple pattern you use. Whether or not you can make it easily flow around the front radius of the trigger guard. I would most certainly dork that up.