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AK103K · November 5, 2012, 09:24 AM

One of the "pen" type soldering guns is normally whats used. How you do it depends on what type of end result you want, and what tip you use. If you search "Glock stippling" in Google under "images", youll get a number of different examples.

Before I started on my first gun, I did a bunch of practice runs on some old plastic grips I had around. Its good practice, lets you experiment with different things, and gives you an idea as to what to expect and how you might want to proceed. Different plastics do react differently too, so keep that in mind. A Glock knife gives a pretty good idea as to what expect with a Glock. The knife also benefits greatly form having it done.

I prefer to use a finely pointed tip when I do it. I usually file the sharpest tip to a sharper point with a fine file. You dont have to put much weight behind it, or push to hard, lighter is better until you get the hang of it.

With the Glocks (and other things), I melt down the molded in checkering/raised bumps/edges first, so they are closer to even with the rest of the grip, then I decide on the limits of the outline, and usually follow the natural lines on the gun when I do it. Then I go around the outline, and work from the outline in. The outline, and what close to it are the most tedious part. This is where you really need to go slow and take your time. Once you get in away from the outlines, you can relax go at a faster pace. Its still kind of slow and tedious, and usually takes me about 3-4 hours to do the whole grip. Depending on how you do it, it may go quicker or longer.

I prefer a fine, sandpaper/cat tongue type texture. I leave it as it ends up, and dont use sandpaper on it (even then, if I wanted it finer, Id still use the iron, but just go lighter, making the finish finer, no sandpaper). I like it a little more on the aggressive side. You may want to consider not doing the under side of the "beavertail" area of the grip at first, at least until you see how you like it. I found I like it better when its done. What you will quickly find is, this type finish will quickly "exfoliate" your hand where it contacts the grip. I work with my hands, and they are pretty rough, if your hands arent as rough, you may want to go easier on the texture. One thing nice about doing this, (other than the outlines) its pretty hard to screw it up, and you can go back and "adjust" things, make them finer/coarser, expand the coverage, etc. if you feel the need. Its better to do less initially, and expand later. Once you do it, its not going back to what it was if you find you didnt want to go that far.

November 5, 2012, 09:24 AM	#5
AK103K Senior Member Join Date: May 1, 2001 Posts: 10,223	One of the "pen" type soldering guns is normally whats used. How you do it depends on what type of end result you want, and what tip you use. If you search "Glock stippling" in Google under "images", youll get a number of different examples. Before I started on my first gun, I did a bunch of practice runs on some old plastic grips I had around. Its good practice, lets you experiment with different things, and gives you an idea as to what to expect and how you might want to proceed. Different plastics do react differently too, so keep that in mind. A Glock knife gives a pretty good idea as to what expect with a Glock. The knife also benefits greatly form having it done. I prefer to use a finely pointed tip when I do it. I usually file the sharpest tip to a sharper point with a fine file. You dont have to put much weight behind it, or push to hard, lighter is better until you get the hang of it. With the Glocks (and other things), I melt down the molded in checkering/raised bumps/edges first, so they are closer to even with the rest of the grip, then I decide on the limits of the outline, and usually follow the natural lines on the gun when I do it. Then I go around the outline, and work from the outline in. The outline, and what close to it are the most tedious part. This is where you really need to go slow and take your time. Once you get in away from the outlines, you can relax go at a faster pace. Its still kind of slow and tedious, and usually takes me about 3-4 hours to do the whole grip. Depending on how you do it, it may go quicker or longer. I prefer a fine, sandpaper/cat tongue type texture. I leave it as it ends up, and dont use sandpaper on it (even then, if I wanted it finer, Id still use the iron, but just go lighter, making the finish finer, no sandpaper). I like it a little more on the aggressive side. You may want to consider not doing the under side of the "beavertail" area of the grip at first, at least until you see how you like it. I found I like it better when its done. What you will quickly find is, this type finish will quickly "exfoliate" your hand where it contacts the grip. I work with my hands, and they are pretty rough, if your hands arent as rough, you may want to go easier on the texture. One thing nice about doing this, (other than the outlines) its pretty hard to screw it up, and you can go back and "adjust" things, make them finer/coarser, expand the coverage, etc. if you feel the need. Its better to do less initially, and expand later. Once you do it, its not going back to what it was if you find you didnt want to go that far.