Hello

I would like to know an easy way for checkering a stainless steel metal sheet.
Material is plain stainless steel sheet , it could be 306 but really, I do not know because I bought it in a junk yard.
Dimenssions are 1/2 inch wide, 2 inches long and 1/8 thick approx , flat.
This part will be screwed or rivetted on 1911 frame dust, below the slide , for support of my left hand thumb on the frame dust.
Well , it is a one time project, I do not have machine or checkering files, it would be very expensive buy something for a one time project( yes, I know, a neaty gunsmith with a milling maching is the best solution).
I have several triangle files and a conventional marking awl, but stainless steel is very hard for marking and filing.
Is there some procedure for checkering this simple sheet with hand tools ?
Which would be the most recommendable checkering; 16 lines per inch, 18, 24?
What would be the marker point made off for improving penetration on the stainless steel?
I am using sheet metal strips as spacers, it is;
one 1/8 thick strip for the first line , 2 strips for the second , etc. I am thinking I will rivet since 4th stripe onwards for getting a 4x1/8 or 5x1/8 solid bunch of strips.


Thanks for your help

BA Shoooter

BA, something is lost in translation. I don't understand "dust".If the stainless steel is type 304 it shouldn't be too difficult to mark.If it's a steel that has been hardened it's going to be difficult.304 should be marked with a steel awl, but a carbide one would be easier.Checkering should be 18-20 lines per inch.Do I assume correctly that the spacers are for marking and filing ? For a one time project a triangular file will work.I wish I had a picture to understand better. Most shooters don't use their left thumb at all.

I would use a checkering file available from Brownells.. you can build a jib to keep the lines straight..

John

I have never tried it but I have heard of using a thread restorer to mark even spacing.
I have used one to reduce the od of a 98 Mauser barrel thread so that it would fit.
A good tool to own anyway.
Good luck!

There is a product called "Dykem layout dye" It's basicly a thin blue paint, and the layout lines are scratched in after the dye dries (lines stand out silver on blue). You should be able to borrow a quick spray application from a local machine shop.

I have tons of Dykem if you want some shoot me an address I will send to you.. a sharpie is what I use when marking knife blades to see how a grind is going..

JOhn

This is a good time to learn the basic cutting with an graver tool. A Sharpie pen is a good marking pen and then scribe a master line on the metal at the middle of the pattern. Make a scribe with two points as a spacer of the lines per inch needed. A high speed lathe tool bit can be made into a graver tool with a point that will cut a groove of 90 degrees. The front angle should be about 45 degrees. The main reason to use a graver tool is that you can cut in areas that you cannot cut with a file and keep the lines straight. This is how I make the checkered bolt knobs for rifles. If anyone would like to learn more on this process I will show you my setup.

Les

By all means, show us the setup.
And thank you.

These are my basic tools to cut checkering. I also have a tool that I made to sharpen the gravers. This is the set up for bolt knobs. Flat areas are much easier to do than the curves. Send me a PM.

Here is the sharpening tool I made. I also have one that sharpens the flat gravers with a slightly different head. The trick in learning to engrave metal is to have a good sharpening tool that will repeat with the same angles each time. You will spend about 35 % of your time cutting the metal and 65 % sharpening the tools. Practise!!!!

Thanks for all your answers.Really, very good information here.
Right Mete , something is missing , It is dust cover, front of the 1911 frame, below the slide, spring and spring guide of the slide are covered by the dust cover.
I will get a carbide point, stainless steel is not hardened because I cut it with an arc saw easily but, it seems becoming harder when I try to penetrate or file its surface.

The engraving device is great, I will try to reproduce this tool shape.
65% sharpening/35% checkering is a rule new for me, it could be the reason why I can not remove significant quantities of metal.

Thanks for all

BA Shooter

The term 'dust cover' is, as far as I know, a relatively new term for that part of the frame.A dust cover usually is [or was] a part that covers the ejection port on some military weapons [such as our M3 submachine gun of WWII]and flips up to eject a case..It's sole purpose is to keep dust and dirt out of the action.But then I'm an old guy and speak a different kind of english !!!