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Old May 10, 2013, 02:45 PM   #1
Ignacio49
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What to do with this dent?

This is a friend’s Kel-Tec P11. Is there a way to mask/disguise this dent?

Appreciate your help

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Old May 10, 2013, 02:50 PM   #2
Tactical Jackalope
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I'd leave it alone. It's giving that gun character.
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Old May 10, 2013, 02:55 PM   #3
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I assume you got this for conceal carry. Well guess what? You're likely to be the only one that sees it. I think trying to fix it could make things worse.

At the range no one will notice it. I have PF9 and over the past couple of years it's been dropped a few times while taking my pants off.
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Old May 10, 2013, 03:01 PM   #4
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Might be able to build up some layers of super glue or epoxy then sand it to shape (then paint). Not sure right off if either will also turn the gun into a pile of goop though, plastics don't always play nice with adhesives and such.
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Old May 10, 2013, 03:09 PM   #5
Waspinator
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I think trying to fix it could make things worse
I agree. This is one of those situations where any reapair would probably look worse then the dent.
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Old May 10, 2013, 03:40 PM   #6
AirCool65
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Leave it alone. It probably won't be the last scratch or dent it sees, so just think of it as having gotten that out of the way.

Reminds me of a new car that I had just parked in my driveway after bringing it home from the dealership... the neighbors were over looking at it just as their son crashed into the quarter panel with his bicycle... I'm pretty sure the chip in the paint was from one of his teeth. The parents were mortified. It just saved me from wondering when that first scratch or dent was going to happen to it.

Last edited by AirCool65; May 10, 2013 at 03:45 PM.
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Old May 10, 2013, 03:56 PM   #7
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I suppose you could try some very fine sandpaper and just try to knock the sharp corners off the dent don’t try to remove it totally. By doing this it might make the dent appear less severe.
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Old May 10, 2013, 04:25 PM   #8
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Just put an identical dent in the same place on the opposite side of the trigger guard.
Then it will look like it belongs there.
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Old May 10, 2013, 04:30 PM   #9
Dragline45
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I would just leave it, not only is it a carry gun, but an inexpensive carry gun. Plus you normally don't show off a Kel-Tec for its aesthetics.
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Old May 10, 2013, 04:33 PM   #10
KyJim
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I understand people want to keep their guns looking nice but, if you're going to use one, especially carry one, it's likely to get dinged, scratched, and/or have the finish worn.

Tell your friend to relax. As Constantine said, it just shows a little character.
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Old May 10, 2013, 05:03 PM   #11
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Don't rule out that he borrowed it, dinged it, and now doesn't know how to tell his friend so he wants to fix it in a true situational comedy manner ala I love Lucy.

Ignacio49 you've got some splainin to do....

Sorry its been a long week.
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Old May 10, 2013, 05:45 PM   #12
Wreck-n-Crew
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Leave it alone. Unless the plastic can be melted slightly and reformed without making it look worse.

I've made similar repairs with some plastics, but there is a trick to it. Temperature and melting point.

Get it too hot and you have a mess.
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Old May 10, 2013, 06:29 PM   #13
Ignacio49
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" Don't rule out that he borrowed it, dinged it, and now doesn't know how to tell his friend so he wants to fix it in a true situational comedy manner ala I love Lucy.

Ignacio49 you've got some splainin to do....

X_shooter "


Hahahahaha..... thank God that's not the case.
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Old May 11, 2013, 06:44 AM   #14
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Make up an elaborate story about it being "notch number one".
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Old May 11, 2013, 07:21 AM   #15
Nathan
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To my way of thinking on a daily use gun, some bumps and bruises make it look better. Call it street cred!
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Old May 11, 2013, 08:53 AM   #16
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The polymer used in this frame is nylon. I think most others would be either nylon or acetal. A common characteristic of these materials is that things don't tend to stick to them very easily, so that filling and painting would be particularly difficult. Another characteristic is a high resistance to abrasion, so that sanding isn't as easy and controllable as it is with other materials (filing works a little better). And a third is that they have a fairly abrupt melting point compared to other plastics, so that it's tricky to try to soften the material with heat and press it back into shape.

Which just leads back to the earlier conclusion that it's best left alone....
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Old May 11, 2013, 09:17 AM   #17
lee n. field
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Quote:
This is a friend’s Kel-Tec P11. Is there a way to mask/disguise this dent?
Kel Tec will sell a replacement grip.

$34, in stock.

Otherwise, live with it. The P11 is not a gun where I'd worry greatly about the appearance.

Quote:
gives the gun character
Yeah, that too.
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Old May 11, 2013, 10:23 AM   #18
Wreck-n-Crew
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Quote:
Kel Tec will sell a replacement grip.

$34, in stock.
Nice find....I would have never guessed they would be that affordable.

Quote:
And a third is that they have a fairly abrupt melting point compared to other plastics, so that it's tricky to try to soften the material with heat and press it back into shape.
That adds detail to my reasoning about melting it.

If you decide it's an option, don't heat the plastic, heat the tool you plan to use. A butter knife or Flat screwdriver should work.

Also, try to work it slowly and not do it all at once. Get in a hurry and you can mess it up worse.

If you accomplish reshaping it, the texture will be different and fixing that may be more tedious work than you may want to attempt.

How to best do so would require a process that i would have to think long and hard about. I am sure it can be done, but the reward may not be worth the effort for many reasons you can imagine.

That being said if you are lacking the funds and want the challenge, i wish you luck but if you have the funds, just replace it.
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Old May 11, 2013, 11:26 AM   #19
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If you accomplish reshaping it, the texture will be different and fixing that may be more tedious work than you may want to attempt.
You can bead blast plastic to cover up any repair areas, of course you want to bead blast the whole thing not just a spot treatment on that one area. But for $34 for a complete new lower I wouldn't even bother, that's a hell of a deal.
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Old May 11, 2013, 11:52 AM   #20
tipoc
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Quote:
Kel Tec will sell a replacement grip.
Isn't it the frame that is dinged? The ding is on the trigger guard. I don't know that Kel Tec sells replacement frames for $34. particularly as that's the part that is serial numbered.

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Old May 11, 2013, 12:20 PM   #21
Wreck-n-Crew
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Tipoc they call it a grip...follow the link ^^^, it's actually the plastic frame. I thought grip? what? and followed the link.. and was like oh...OK! lol.
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Old May 11, 2013, 12:22 PM   #22
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I'd leave it alone.
+1.

Any thing you do to fix it will likely make it worse.
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Old May 11, 2013, 01:07 PM   #23
Bill DeShivs
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Keltec frames are aluminum, and contained within the grip. The grip is polymer and is interchangeable.
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Old May 11, 2013, 02:27 PM   #24
BumbleBug
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Originally Posted by PSP
Make up an elaborate story about it being "notch number one".
Yep! Big notch a kill & little notch a wound...

LOL

...bug
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Old May 11, 2013, 03:30 PM   #25
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Read the consensus in this thread, Ignacio; leave it alone!
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