Posted: 5/18/2015 10:54:39 PM EDT
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I have the luxury of not waiting on shipping from PSA since they are right down the street from me. I have my PSA 1911 stainless frame and the slide is supposed to be in my hands in a couple days.
Im going to be doing several builds based on the PSA frames and all will be on the stainless frames. I like the extra weight of stainless over carbon and since I live in South Carolina the chance of sweating on my pistols is 110% just like the humidity in the summer. I have the first frame now with lets just say the serial number is below 80. I am quite happy so far with the quality of this frame. The lines are crisp and clean, the front strap checkering matches nice with the checkering of the Wilson Combat mag well back strap kit. There are a few tool marks around a couple of the holes but this will not be a problem with the method of finish I have chosen. A couple notes on the frame so far is that you will need an Ed Brown style .250 radius beavertail safety. And as it should be, to get the trigger to fit you will need to file the top and bottom of the trigger to get it to drop in smooth. I will probably order some 1911 trigger files to clean up the frame a little but still want to fit my trigger to the frame. Here are my plans for the build and which parts I have selected. WARNING: I have chosen a rather pimptastic approach to this build, so be warned the images and video to be made will be quite well shiny. PSA stainless steel frame PSA stainless steel slide PSA stainless steel barrel Ed Brown stainless threaded barrel Ed Brown stainless steel .250 radius beaver tail safety Ed Brown stainless thumb safety Ed Brown sear & disco Wilson Combat slide release Wilson Combat mag well & main spring housing Wilson Combat adjustable trigger Wilson Combat stainless pin kit Wilson Combat spring kit Wilson Combat Magazines Wilson Combat magazine bumpers Wilson Combat guide rod Wilson Combat Hammer & spur Strike Industries stainless grip bushings Strike Industries 24k gold grip screws Hogue white pearl, black pearl, faux ivory (undecided) Kensight adjustable rear and fixed front Silencerco Osprey 45 Ok I think thats most of the list of parts, some are on order, some are on hand. Tools for the build are on order such as the plunger tube staking tool. I am waiting on a quote from a few places on having the slide release, grip safety, mag well, hammer, and pins gold plated. The slide and frame will be treated to a full polish by hand with up to 5000g sanding pads, and wet sanded. A final polish will be done and will look into getting a clear cerakote or duracoat applied. (wife will not let me use the oven any more) This build will be full on for looks and will be carried and shot very often. Until the second build starts which will be along the same lines but a polished version of the Ed Brown Kobra Carry. I will be taking pictures and video of each step and posting the video on youtube. |
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Sorry for the delay, money is part of my issue in getting parts, and more should arrive tomorrow so I will get them and show off what I have done so far. Until then here is a video from my youtube channel of my frame in progress.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUR2GhT3l6w [/youtube] I have test fitted my slide and its butter smooth. Once I get the barrel and other parts in, I will be able to show more. So far I have managed to polish the left side of the frame and have the right side about 1/3 done. I made a bonehead mistake and didnt put my frame on a mat after polishing the left side so I ended up with some micro fine scratches which need to be polished out. I picked up a set of needle files which were as useful to me as popsicle sticks. They were so cheap the barely made a light scratch on the stainless frame. So its back to using sandpaper and now debating using the dremel tool but want to keep this hand stoned and hand finished. Doing this by hand leaves tiny lines in the metal that are visible but the finish is so smooth that it is like wet glass. I kind of like it so I may just keep doing the hand polish as time permits. |
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<<snip>> So its back to using sandpaper and now debating using the dremel tool but want to keep this hand stoned and hand finished. Doing this by hand leaves tiny lines in the metal that are visible but the finish is so smooth that it is like wet glass. I kind of like it so I may just keep doing the hand polish as time permits. Based on your need to buy specific tools, I'll assume this is your first 1911 build? Let me offer some advice, then, hard-earned by countless other first-time builders: Every time you feel that urge to pick up the dremel tool...take a break from the job! Yes, there may be a place for a dremel tool for polishing (ETA: or for "blending" some external parts)...but you'll have fewer regrets if you avoid it. Good luck with the build. I'll be watching for progress. |
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Thanks for the update. I'm very interested to see which exact parts you are using, the specific tools you are using and the process you are using as you fit everything together. I'm finding a 1911 much more complex that the AR's I've built and want to avoid buying the wrong parts and learning what is needed to get a proper fit with everything. I will keep my dremel in the box  |
Got the grip bushings and screws today from Strike Industries and they do look nice and can see them screws in the pic below. I 3D printed the grips and they are not the final product just my prototype for fitting and checking the relief cuts for the mag release.
Now for the fun part, I ordered the plunger tube from Sarco and a few other temp parts for fitting, NONE of the parts were the color I ordered. I ordered all Stainless Steel, and only one part (which wont be visible) was stainless the rest were black. So I called and the online dept was closed for the day so I have to call and get them replaced in the morning. So I cannot stake my plunger tube yet. As for this being my first build, its not, its just the first build at home so i dont have any tools of my own. and the store I work with does not have any 1911 tools at all. also note the polishing is not complete, still some more work to get done so all parts on now will be removed. the dremel work will come in when the slide gets fitted to the frame and maybe some for the grip safety. |
| The PSA Farrow rd. Facebook page posted a few complete builds today. I have some parts on order, I have the carbon frame so I am going all blued parts except the slide. My slide had a slight verticle movement. I peened it the other night and am just waiting to lap it now. |