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insomni · September 21, 2012, 05:50 PM

so a while back, i learned alot about stippling with the help of the Smithy subforum. I ventured off to work on my craft and eventually stipple my own pistol, and potentially a rifle or two, and hopefully not make a $400 mistake in the process.

First off, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who contributes to The Smithy subforum, Creeper in particular, thanks for the advice.

So anyway, this morning I started off with this FNP-40, made by the fine folks at FNH-USA in Columbia, SC.

I decided I liked the original lines (um... line.... it's kinda like a racing stripe down the side), and didn't really care too much for the 360degree stippling jobs I've seen before. So I started off with the side pannels

You can see the pencil marks I used to draw out my design. I was surprised in experimenting that pencil served my purposes best since it was easy to apply, AND remove, and I could still see it. For the record, grease pencils are NOT easy to remove from plastic. Sharpies worked ok as well, but I'd only use one on black polymer, and only after i'd finalized my design in pencil.

The frontstrap was fairly easy, I decided to just texture a couple stripes where my middle and pinkie fingers sit, as well as a patch where my supporting thumb rests.

When i got to the backstrap, I got a little carried away and ended up ruining my straight backstrap (mostly because it is a different material than the frame... now I know). So I installed the curved one and decided to work on the design some more.

Also note, I have a straight backstrap on order, but FN doesn't make FNP backstraps anymore, so I had to order the ones for the Pro-40 from Browning. I'd BET the backstraps are interchangable with the FNX, but didn't really want to chance it, and have to deal with potential returns.

and here's the finished product!

All in all, I spent $15 on a Weller standard duty soldering iron at Lowe's, and $4 on a new backstrap from Browning.

OK, so show yours off!

September 21, 2012, 05:50 PM	#1
insomni Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2011 Posts: 342	Let's texturize stuff! so a while back, i learned alot about stippling with the help of the Smithy subforum. I ventured off to work on my craft and eventually stipple my own pistol, and potentially a rifle or two, and hopefully not make a $400 mistake in the process. First off, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who contributes to The Smithy subforum, Creeper in particular, thanks for the advice. So anyway, this morning I started off with this FNP-40, made by the fine folks at FNH-USA in Columbia, SC. I decided I liked the original lines (um... line.... it's kinda like a racing stripe down the side), and didn't really care too much for the 360degree stippling jobs I've seen before. So I started off with the side pannels You can see the pencil marks I used to draw out my design. I was surprised in experimenting that pencil served my purposes best since it was easy to apply, AND remove, and I could still see it. For the record, grease pencils are NOT easy to remove from plastic. Sharpies worked ok as well, but I'd only use one on black polymer, and only after i'd finalized my design in pencil. The frontstrap was fairly easy, I decided to just texture a couple stripes where my middle and pinkie fingers sit, as well as a patch where my supporting thumb rests. When i got to the backstrap, I got a little carried away and ended up ruining my straight backstrap (mostly because it is a different material than the frame... now I know). So I installed the curved one and decided to work on the design some more. Also note, I have a straight backstrap on order, but FN doesn't make FNP backstraps anymore, so I had to order the ones for the Pro-40 from Browning. I'd BET the backstraps are interchangable with the FNX, but didn't really want to chance it, and have to deal with potential returns. and here's the finished product! All in all, I spent $15 on a Weller standard duty soldering iron at Lowe's, and $4 on a new backstrap from Browning. OK, so show yours off! Last edited by insomni; September 21, 2012 at 06:03 PM.