"shaky writing on metal" Yep, that's an apt description. I was trying for something like that, but couldn't think of it.

Good luck!

Paul

I have done a few stippling projects and the hardest part is to get a straight clean border. The stippling is easy, the edges not so much.

I sure believe you on the clean border challenge - any suggestions?

CCCC,
I have seen the same done using the the dremel fine engraving tips mounted in the flex shaft set up. There are some guys in the valley doing the same type of "texturizing" on polymer pistol frames like the Glocks and Springfield XDs.
Can't give you any advice on borders though.

The more I look at this the less it looks like stippling to me.

Confused as to how it was done actually.

nsaqam - I agree with your analysis and can't quite see how one could do this particular effect with even the finest cross-hatch tool from Brownells. As I was preparing to do this job, became flummoxed about technique and that is why I started this thread - a gold mine of experienced guys on here like you - thanks for advising. Still searching for something like it.

THOMAS - Thanks, you may be onto something there. I will get out the Dremel stuff - think I still have a flex shaft if one of the grand kids didn't borrow it last Summer. Are you speaking of using one of those tiny-ended little burr grinder tips, or what? Do you have any contact info on the guys who are doing the polymer frame deco?

Thanks guys. Good thing this is mine and no one is waiting for it - probably take me quite a while to get it focused.

I taped mine off and tried to cut an edge with a xacto knife first, frustrating and didn't work as well as I hoped for. I bought a checkering tool and re-did the border after I was finished. I would highly reccomend doing the border first!! For the stippling, I used a very small dremel bit that has a ball shaped head on it and tried to be as random patterned as possible. It was the look I was after and it feels nice on the hand. Get a checkering tool and practice until you can cut a straight line with it then the stippling will be easy.

it does not look like the existing butt stock has very straight lines either... I could see where that would be a challenge making straight lines with a round tool... I'm no gun smith but my immediate thought was to cut the border with a checkering tool first also...

Be interesting to see how it turns out and what method works best.

Those guys are using a soldering iron with a sharp point and melting it into the plastic. Another method done on bolt guns and pistols is using a layer of epoxy over a taped off grip area and "toothing" it up when the epoxy is setting up with a popsicle stick to give it the texture.

Nice stippling look - good job - but whatever I do is going to have to be a lot more fine-grained in order to match the stippling on the butt portion. Still searching for the best tool/point. Had figured I would make the outline with a checkering edge blade, applying past experience on that part - and am not planning nearly as much curving outline on the forend. Sure would like to run into at least one person who has done some texture like the example.

Thanks.