Fitting parts

lowcountry

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I am fitting a grip safety and need to remove some material from the side. For removing little material, what is recommended when a bastard file might be to aggressive, emory cloth, higher grit sandpaper, etc? I went to do a little at a time.
 
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It is for a cheap 1911. The grip safety channel has a slight bulge on one side. I would rather remove a little material from the replacement grip safety then mess with the frame.
 
It is for a cheap 1911. The grip safety channel has a slight bulge on one side. I would rather remove a little material from the replacement grip safety then mess with the frame.
It seems like it would be easier to remove the bulge in the frame than to make a "depression" in the side of the grip safety.
 
how much we talking? a good polishing or you actually need to remove 1/32 material?

try polishing the crap outta it with a dremel and some mothers
 
On finer fitting like this, I prefer sand paper on a hard flat surface like a work bench or countertop. However, if you know the issue is with the frame, wrap some sand paper around a file or small piece of wood and remove the material from the frame.

Obviously, go slowly, measure/fit often. It's easy to remove material but near impossible to add it back.
 
Jerz hit it, go slow and keep the material (file and paper) flat, absolutely flat!! Rub, fit, rub, fit, rub, fit... you get the idea.
If you need help I'm just up the road in Kannapolis and I have all the stuff needed....
 
A pane of glass from an old picture frame or something like that makes for a great surface plate along with various grits of wet/dry sandpaper for this sort of thing
 
Picked up some small files and 600 grit paper, put my big girl panties on and went to work on the frame. Safety fits great with nothing binding now. I used the file to get the are knocked down and followed up with 600 grit sandpaper.

You can see where the new grip safety is rubbing the side of the frame.
20170724_170514.jpg

I took off enough material until the safety just fit. It was still binding but much better.
20170724_170935.jpg

I hit with the file a few more times and followed up with the 600 grit sandpaper. After putting the sear spring back in with main spring housing, it moves in and out like it should. Now I have a an up-swept beaver tail.

20170724_175640.jpg

Next is carefully opening the sear pin hole in the new hammer to receive the existing sear pin.
 
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Had a conference call so time to open up the whole in the hammer for the pin. I am using a rolled up piece of 600 grit sandpaper. Didn't take much to get a good fit. Next will be pinning the hammer strut in.20170725_154520.jpg
 
20170726_101831.jpg
All finished up. Strut pin went in nice and snug with a brass drift. I did not stake it and will check for loseness after trying it.


I am much happier with the new grip safety. Here are before/after pictures. The deal with this gun is it was a random gift from my Uncle-In-Law and it is Tisas 45 (cheap). He never shot it and it still had the sticker price of 369.99 on it. It is my first 1911 and I had always wanted one. When I finally finished my undergrad, I wanted to buy myself a gift and was eyeing some nicer 1911's and thought about selling this one. The more I thought about, and having just moved so funds are tight right now with at least 5 trips to lowes every weekend, I decided to see what I could do to the Tisas. It goes bang every time I pull the trigger so why not have some fun. A went to PSA here in Mt. Pleasant and picked up a Wilson trigger, safety, hammer, and magazine release lock since I buggered up the original. 1911's are like Jeep's, they are easy to work on, plenty of parts, and messing with them can be addictive.
20170726_145847.jpg
20170726_153739.jpg

I also need to adjust the overtravel and I will probably not mess with the take up adjustments. I will order some cold bluing at some point and touch up the grip safety and frame where I clearanced it.

Next will be sights, eventually.
 
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Got to try it out today and was very happy.

@Bailey Boat, thank you very much for the help and I would have take you up on it if I wasn't back in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
 
I put a Wilson Combat beavertail on a Colt, and it fit exactly the same as yours there. Shoot that gun some first before you settle on that configuration. After mine made a couple of trips to the range I had to put the duckbill beavertail back on my Colt because that gap would somewhat bite the web of my hand between thumb and index finger.

It may be just the way I hold it. Great job on the fitment. It's a challenge with 1911's for sure. I have some extra parts because some I could make fit, and other parts ended up in the bin.
 
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