Took out the MOP & gave it a work out... anyone ever play with M.O.P. ???

Magnum Wheel Man · April 12, 2013, 09:02 AM

if you guys have seen my posts, you know I collect old top breaks & early pocket cartridge guns...

along with that collecting, over the couple years, I also ended up with several extra old sets of MOP grips, either bought alone, & they didn't fit as per the description, or they came ill fitting on a gun I bought, or they had a lot of chips, & I replaced them with something better...

...one of such ill fitting grip guns I received, was an old S&W top break in 32 S&W, with the grip safety... it came with ill fitting hard rubber grips, which I pulled right away, but I didn't have anything that fit them properly...

... I also had a set of MOP grips, that were badly chipped up, I don't remember if I pulled them from a gun & replaced the grips, or if this was a set I bought outright, but when I put the pin in the hole, a good portion of the grips outline followed the grip frame... the MOP was too big, & most of the damage, could be cut off, when fit to the lil S&W

... well, last night ( one of the benefits of finally being able to display all my guns ) I just got sick of looking at the gun with the chipped, oversize, MOP's screwed to the grip frame, & I got out a sharpie marker, & my dremel with a couple file stones, & went to work...

1st off, the dust is nasty ( & I read it's very bad for your lungs, so if you're going to do this, you should at minimum wear a dust mask ) I didn't have one handy, so I limited my time, & tried to avoid the dust as best I could... but in about 20 minutes, & with 2 stones, I was able to rough fit one of the MOP scales... I had to reform the part circle on the top, with the flats on each side, which as far as rough fitting, & my 1st attempt, actually came out pretty good... I'd suspect using a scribe & the gun frame to draw the outline, would work better, but I was able to get a nice grip panel, with only 2 small nicks on the 1st one ( which was the only damaged panel, before starting ) I'll take a dust mask down next time, & expect I'll have the other done soon, then I'll just need to polish out the edges I ground down...

anyone else ever work with MOP ??? got any suggestions for a newbie ??? I was using the sharpie to darken the edges where they were high, then grinding the black off, & that seemed to work well for general shaping... I may want to find a better way to do the radiused top part, if anyone has suggestions... I may find I just get better with it as I go, this was after all my very 1st attempt at any grip...

my goal here, is to try to use up 3-4 extra sets, by getting them to fit existing guns, & possibly... I always thought Abalone would look cool as a grip media, & you never see them, so maybe some day, make a set from a big shell I have laying around ???

any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated...

**44 AMP** · April 12, 2013, 01:38 PM

please enlighten my ignorance. To me a MOP is something I use on the kitchen floor....

Magnum Wheel Man · April 12, 2013, 01:40 PM

M.other O.f P.earl

grips made from shells

PetahW · April 14, 2013, 09:10 AM

.

Looks similar to MOTS (Mother Of Toilet Seat, aka: plastic/fantastic)

.

Magnum Wheel Man · April 15, 2013, 07:01 AM

well.... at least "most of the time" the MOP, looks nicer than MOTS

The gun I working on is 3rd from the bottom on the left side... this pic was taken before I started fitting the chipped up oversized grips of unknown origin...

Scorch · April 15, 2013, 11:14 AM

Real mother-of-pearl is hard to get any more. The types of shellfish cultivated and the average size at harvest, as well as the larger size of handgun grips preferred today, make it virtually impossible to get pieces of sufficient size to make grips out of, but there are scales available from custom knife-making supplies sources.

Mother-of-pearl is brittle and needs a backer in order to not chip. Many MOP grips from the early 20th Century did not have backing and would split or crack when the grip screws were tightened. Chipping is also common, as you have seen. You can epoxy a thin backing to the grips you have to make them less likely to chip or crack. Use sandpaper to work the material, avoid power tools as they put dust in the air, and anything that was once alive (including wood) can cause allergic reactions and may not be good for you.

MOP also loses its luster as it dries out, and polishing occasionally can restore shine and depth of luster to grips that have a dull look.

April 12, 2013, 09:02 AM	#1
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	Took out the MOP & gave it a work out... anyone ever play with M.O.P. ??? if you guys have seen my posts, you know I collect old top breaks & early pocket cartridge guns... along with that collecting, over the couple years, I also ended up with several extra old sets of MOP grips, either bought alone, & they didn't fit as per the description, or they came ill fitting on a gun I bought, or they had a lot of chips, & I replaced them with something better... ...one of such ill fitting grip guns I received, was an old S&W top break in 32 S&W, with the grip safety... it came with ill fitting hard rubber grips, which I pulled right away, but I didn't have anything that fit them properly... ... I also had a set of MOP grips, that were badly chipped up, I don't remember if I pulled them from a gun & replaced the grips, or if this was a set I bought outright, but when I put the pin in the hole, a good portion of the grips outline followed the grip frame... the MOP was too big, & most of the damage, could be cut off, when fit to the lil S&W ... well, last night ( one of the benefits of finally being able to display all my guns ) I just got sick of looking at the gun with the chipped, oversize, MOP's screwed to the grip frame, & I got out a sharpie marker, & my dremel with a couple file stones, & went to work... 1st off, the dust is nasty ( & I read it's very bad for your lungs, so if you're going to do this, you should at minimum wear a dust mask ) I didn't have one handy, so I limited my time, & tried to avoid the dust as best I could... but in about 20 minutes, & with 2 stones, I was able to rough fit one of the MOP scales... I had to reform the part circle on the top, with the flats on each side, which as far as rough fitting, & my 1st attempt, actually came out pretty good... I'd suspect using a scribe & the gun frame to draw the outline, would work better, but I was able to get a nice grip panel, with only 2 small nicks on the 1st one ( which was the only damaged panel, before starting ) I'll take a dust mask down next time, & expect I'll have the other done soon, then I'll just need to polish out the edges I ground down... anyone else ever work with MOP ??? got any suggestions for a newbie ??? I was using the sharpie to darken the edges where they were high, then grinding the black off, & that seemed to work well for general shaping... I may want to find a better way to do the radiused top part, if anyone has suggestions... I may find I just get better with it as I go, this was after all my very 1st attempt at any grip... my goal here, is to try to use up 3-4 extra sets, by getting them to fit existing guns, & possibly... I always thought Abalone would look cool as a grip media, & you never see them, so maybe some day, make a set from a big shell I have laying around ??? any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated... __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

April 12, 2013, 01:38 PM	#2
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,833	please enlighten my ignorance. To me a MOP is something I use on the kitchen floor.... __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

April 12, 2013, 01:40 PM	#3
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	M.other O.f P.earl grips made from shells __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

April 15, 2013, 07:01 AM	#5
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	well.... at least "most of the time" the MOP, looks nicer than MOTS The gun I working on is 3rd from the bottom on the left side... this pic was taken before I started fitting the chipped up oversized grips of unknown origin... __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

April 15, 2013, 11:14 AM	#6
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	Real mother-of-pearl is hard to get any more. The types of shellfish cultivated and the average size at harvest, as well as the larger size of handgun grips preferred today, make it virtually impossible to get pieces of sufficient size to make grips out of, but there are scales available from custom knife-making supplies sources. Mother-of-pearl is brittle and needs a backer in order to not chip. Many MOP grips from the early 20th Century did not have backing and would split or crack when the grip screws were tightened. Chipping is also common, as you have seen. You can epoxy a thin backing to the grips you have to make them less likely to chip or crack. Use sandpaper to work the material, avoid power tools as they put dust in the air, and anything that was once alive (including wood) can cause allergic reactions and may not be good for you. MOP also loses its luster as it dries out, and polishing occasionally can restore shine and depth of luster to grips that have a dull look. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

April 14, 2013, 09:10 AM	#4
PetahW Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 4,678	. Looks similar to MOTS (Mother Of Toilet Seat, aka: plastic/fantastic) .