Posted: 4/19/2009 3:00:34 PM EDT
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Did some work on this because I was trying to be a nice guy. Regardless of whether it was appreciated or not, it was fun to do.
Front strap and MS housing hand checkered 20 LPI then cropped. I like to knock the tips off so it's easier on the hands, yet still very grippy. Cleaned up all the jacked up lines on the frame (dust cover etc). The machining on the frame was pretty bad, wavy lines that should be straight. Serrated the raised rib 30 LPI. Trigger job. Flushed slide stop pin. Dovetail cut and FO sight installed. Magwell opened up. Matte black parkarized. 
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How picky are you when you mow your grass? I do a pattern, usually a different pattern each time. I keep the inside of the front wheel on the line of the previous cut, and make sure if I'm doing a straight pass, it's a STRAIGHT pass. If a curve is needed (which it is in my yard), the arc stays constant even thought the radius increases with each pass. I bag too, doesn't make much sense to mow nice lines in the grass only to leave dying blades of grass behind to turn brown. After I'm done, and it's cool, I hose off the mower and let dry before putting it back into the garage.
What am I talking about? Checkering takes patience and the ability to maintain concentration. Not to mention a keen eye. It's not hard to do, but it is hard to do well. Brownells has a nice jig that will get you started. You don't "need" it, but it does make things go a bit faster. I use the jig for the cross cuts, but for the horizontals (long cuts) I just use a guide for the first set of lines. After that, I just keep the file in the grooves. If you plan on doing ONE frame, pay some else to do it. The (good) jig is expensive and it's not fool proof. Checkering is like meditation for me. Taken at 2 hour intervals. Nothing pisses me off more than excessive phone calls or door bells while I've got the file in my hand. |
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Quoted:
How picky are you when you mow your grass? I do a pattern, usually a different pattern each time. I keep the inside of the front wheel on the line of the previous cut, and make sure if I'm doing a straight pass, it's a STRAIGHT pass. If a curve is needed (which it is in my yard), the arc stays constant even thought the radius increases with each pass. I bag too, doesn't make much sense to mow nice lines in the grass only to leave dying blades of grass behind to turn brown. After I'm done, and it's cool, I hose off the mower and let dry before putting it back into the garage. What am I talking about? Checkering takes patience and the ability to maintain concentration. Not to mention a keen eye. It's not hard to do, but it is hard to do well. Brownells has a nice jig that will get you started. You don't "need" it, but it does make things go a bit faster. I use the jig for the cross cuts, but for the horizontals (long cuts) I just use a guide for the first set of lines. After that, I just keep the file in the grooves. If you plan on doing ONE frame, pay some else to do it. The (good) jig is expensive and it's not fool proof. Checkering is like meditation for me. Taken at 2 hour intervals. Nothing pisses me off more than excessive phone calls or door bells while I've got the file in my hand. I've currently got three 1911's I'd like to have checkered. If I can get good enough at it, maybe I'll start doing it to earn extra $. I'm very precise and patient, so as long as I can develop the skills necessary, the results should be pretty good. Thanks... |
