doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Checkering question

I have a Remington 1889 hammer gun that has a small buggered area in the checkering of the grip panel. I think that running a checkering head over the area and deepening the lines will redefine the area. How do you tell if you need a 60 or 90 degree cutter head.
Thanks,

Jack K

Jack
Before you do that, steam the area to raise it as much as possible.

Almost for sure it is a 90 degree. 60 degree is very deep and usually used only on custom work. Find some tool with a sharp 90 degree corner (steel rules often fit this description) and see how that corner fits down into the existing checkering; it should fit flat/flush to the checker channel walls. Or, file up a scrap of hard, dense, close grain wood to a 90 degree and to a 60 degree (test against a 30-60-90 plastic triangle or use the triangle) edge and see which one fits.

Rocketman, if the 90 degree angle is formed by both sides of the cutter, it seems to me that the 60 degree cutter is the one to use on most older guns. Their checkering was usually left flat topped and the 90 degree cutter, seemingly more modern, creates sharp checkering points at a shallower cut than the 60 degree cutter will. Lots of vintage guns ruined with New Sharp Pointed diamonds in the checkering.

I'd bet a 60,,or something very close to that. Most of the tools were hand made or in the least resharpened many times by the user over time and lost their precise original angle.

I'd steam it first as already mentioned.
Wet the area with a Q-Tip w/water to get some water into the wood first.
Then with a small cloth patch dampened w/water placed over the spot,,press down on it with an electric soldering gun for quick heat & steam to just the right area.

The water soaked into the wood already will turn to steam and raise what fibers it can. It'll be bone dry in a few seconds after the treatment,,so adding more won't hurt if you think it'll help towards the goal.

There's always a chance it's been cut w/a 90. But I doubt it.

Start w/a 60. You can always improve it,,even using the same 60 by carefully tilting it to the side in touching up the small damaged area.
Hard to go back and make the diamonds narrower once you cut it with the wide tool first.

The area will probably need a touch of 'age and wear' when done to match the overall pattern well. Some 'crud' in the lines always helps too.

I take modeling clay and build a raised area around the dent.Then take rubbing alcohol on a q-tip and wet the area well with the alcohol.Set on fire with a lighter,it will go out fast and repeat util dent is raised.then recut lines. Bobby

I have filled bad dents with colored epoxy and checked the area with good results. I would use a 60% , it's easy to come back with 90 but it is a bigger job to come back with 60 over 90.

bill

Gents,

Thanks for the info. First I used acetone over the area to get rid of any finish, then steamed it 3 times to raise the wood as much as possible. It came up to where the bottom of the checkering would be. I had a 60 degree head and used it because it would cut a thinner groove than the 90. It worked. If it needed the 90 degree head I would have had to order it and widen the grooves. Whenyou run your fingers over the checkering you can feel the indention but really cannot see it. Still can't imagine what dented the wood and shed the checkering but a lot can happen since 1900 when the gun was made.

Jack K