This is a guest post by Tarra Stoddard
Decorating a Gun
You’ve found your perfect gun. Now you’d like to personalize it. There are a few simple and affordable things you can do yourself for customizing your firearm. First, you can start with some non-basic grip screws and side panel grips. You can choose color, bling, patterns, even personal pictures to grace your grips. For extra pizazz, add a Recoil Plug Spring with “Don’t Tread On Me.” Then add matching screws to pull your look together. You can go all matchy or flashy.
“Wicked Grips” makes limited edition grip art sets as they will not mass produce, and thus dilute, the quality of their work. They also offer unique and gemstone grip screws.
Some gun models will have the option for backstrap grips. These are great if you want just a touch of personalization.
“Brilliant Backstraps” offers a variety of color or bling. You could buy a few and change them to your mood or to match your outfits.
To change the look of your gun you can apply pre-cut pistol skins to just your slide or your entire gun. Pistol Skins are high-performance waterproof vinyl wraps that can be applied to any pistol. They are removable and have no effect on the finish. Pistol Skin kits come with pre-cut pieces and fit all pistol models.
If your interested in changing your guns look permanently there are a few options.
I suggest having a professional paint your firearm. The two standard options available are Cerakote or Duracoat paint. Cerakote is oven baked and has been formulated to be abrasion, wear, corrosion, chemical, and impact resistant. Duracoat is air cured and scratches easier. You have to be careful not to clean it with any chemical or drop it. The options are unlimited on design and color when it comes to painting your firearm. So definitely have fun with it and let your personality shine!
Last, but never least, is my personal favorite option for firearms. That is to have your firearm engraved by a professional. I happened to be facebook friends with Bert Edmonston IV.
He is a third generation hand engraver and jeweler. On January 24, 2015, Bert attained the unique distinction of Master Engraver through the Firearms Engravers Guild of America. I reached out to him to learn more about the engraving process on firearms.
The tools Bert uses are completely unguided by any form of mechanical assistance. The engraving is executed “freehand”. I shipped Bert a Derringer to engrave for this article. In his hands, stock firearms are transformed into masterpieces in the truest sense of the word. The Derringer is now a work of art.
The leaf and scroll patterns are well defined and executed with strength and the sureness that only a master could produce. This holds even under the magnification of a watchmakers loupe.
He brought the patterns to life and made it look truly 3-D. It was breathtaking to see the fine engraving take on a life of its own, and the design is well suited to the size and profile of the Derringer. This will now be a family heirloom that will hopefully be passed down for many generations to treasure and enjoy.
Now the Derringer is not only a work of art but a working tool. Bert Edmonston IV welcomes individual engraving and can be reached at his website, www.westernengraver.com. When you look for an engraver make sure you look at their previous work, preferably in person. I hope this inspires you to personalize your firearm with a bit of Gun-oration!
Sincerely, my best to you, Tarra Stoddard
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