? About pearl grips
Have a stupid question, how are handgun grips made of pearls shaped? Seems to me it would take a mighty big oyster... Just wondering.
Alleno
Alleno
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I think what you are talking about is "mother of pearl" sometimes abbreviated as just pearl. The inside of some shells is VERY colorful (almost like an oil stain in a parking lot)and is cut into the shape of a grip. Sometimes they are just swirly white. It's not the pearl that the grips are made from, but the shell itself. Either that are they are plastic grips with a pearl color. - Toe
Here's a link to a gun with mother of pearl grips.
http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=157885690 -
ahh, ok thanks Steeltoe. I never thought about them being made from the shell. Makes sense however, thanks for the info
Alleno0 -
The grips are indeed made from shell. Some types of freshwater mussels are large enough to make pearl grips, but most are made from marine bivalves. Mother of pearl is getting harder to find in shells large enough to make pistol grips or even slabs for larger knives, so if you have some real pearl grips hang on to them! Most today are manufactured from pearlescent plastic.
He Dog0 -
Normally Mother of Pearl comes from a Scallop on Steriods...! I have several MP Shells in my collection of Trash and Treasures that are as big as a Dinner Plates...And keep in mind that they are very brittle...Drop one and You'll be paying Big Bucks to replace the cracked, chipped or busted in half Panel....or maybe both..
Captain Kirk, Tech Staff0 -
Real mother of pearl catches the light beautifully if its straations include some of those rainbow veins. I have a small handmade knife whose mother of pearl grips were chosen for their gift of picking up blue in the sun, and the leather sheath was colored to accent that. M.O.P. is a joy to the collector, or to the one who won't be hard on the handgun or knife. 0 -
No lie about brittleness! I learned the hard way and KNEW they were brittle. I barely overtightened the screw in the handle of my 1911 and a piece chipped right out of the screw hole. Not very big but I see it.
I took them off the gun and put the stock grips back on...
Mateomasfeo
"I am what I am!" - Popeye0 -
Thanks for all the info guys.
Alleno0 -
MOP grips can break even when you're taking them off a gun. They are quite beautiful. If you want to clean them, try soaking them in mineral oil. This was recommended to me a few months ago. A nice pair of MOP's can run $100 or more and, like others have said, they are scarce.
"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
- Friedrich Nietsche
"Only the strong survive."
- Jerry Butler0
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