Ruger MK II Target

[Meshach]

This is my second complete firearm engraving project, I started early in 2023 I worked on and off on it over about a years time before finishing it this spring, on this project I was trying to be a little more congruent in the pattern than with my first.
the grips were made from a piece of damascus steel and finished with nitrite bluing to achieve the straw brown color.

 

[Meshach]

more pictures

 

[Travis Fry]

I love it! I'm a Browning Buckmark guy historically, but I've been eyeing the new Ruger MK IV recently. How did the MK II cut?

 

[tdelewis]

A lot of work! You did well. Did you have any trouble getting the barrel back on?

 

[Meshach]

I love it! I'm a Browning Buckmark guy historically, but I've been eyeing the new Ruger MK IV recently. How did the MK II cut?

HA!
The barrel (where I started) cut something like a dream (to lure me in!) and I think I chipped or dulled maybe 10 gravers in the whole thing.

The action on the other hand... I made new sharpening fixtures shortly before this project that work like a charm letting me re-sharpen a point in about a minute and re-do a bad chipped tip in around 5, and I'm glad I did because there were times when I got less then 5 minutes of cutting time on the action before chipping (Lindsay Carbalt, C-max, or M40 tool steel) or severely dulling (Glensteel, C-max) I think the longest I cut with a single tool in the action without re-sharpening was maybe 30 minutes when I was doing the background removal but I think I averaged 10-15 minuets between sharpening tools over all, it seemed like the surface was harder (and around the ejection port as I recall) but I also cut flat noses on my angled tools to do background removal so the added martial in the tip helped, although I did chip the whole nose off a few times.. I also changing the face angle and that helped too, but it was still hard on tools, I dubbed points a few times, it helped but then they would gouge in or just dull and slip all over the place so I decided it wasn’t worth the extra haste to dubb the point most of the time. I never did try any lubricant and I probably should have...

The frame was much better than the action but not as nice as the barrel, I think I was re-sharpening between 2-4 tools every couple hours of cutting. Honestly there was a point that I thought I was just getting better about tool handling until I went back to do a little touch up on the action shading and I was back to chipped and dulled tools in no time haha!

The bolt was also a dream to cut on.
Frame had some angle issues to attend to, the trigger guard, round as it is, limits cutting angles. Same with the front end where it rolls out of the trigger guard and around the front of the frame under the barrel, as well as the bottom radius on the top back of the frame, the beaver tail type portion. And those wings on the top that cradle the action don’t allow for cutting from the bottom side.

I want to try cutting a blued Ruger MK pistol at some point and see if the action cuts any easier then the stainless does. but all that being said I would still be willing to do another, (although maybe just because I love the MK pistols). I’d just keep in mind that the action is going to be hard to keep the same level of detail of work and expect to be re-sharpening tools often... but that's all part of the fun of the challenge right?

 

[Meshach]

A lot of work! You did well. Did you have any trouble getting the barrel back on?

Thank you!
In all honestly I never took the barrel off.. I just put it all into a fixture and left it at that. taking the barrel off would have given a little shorter package to work with but it wasn't too bad as it was so I just left it.
in hind sight I would make brass barring points for the fixture, at least for the front end just for more rigidity. and the bolts for adjusting length should be top or bottom to allow for the vice to grab anywhere along the side.. but there are always improvements to be discovered and made..

 

[monk]

a fab job to my eye.

 

[Meshach]

a fab job to my eye.

Thanks Monk, I appreciate your opinion!

 

[papart1]

HA!
The barrel (where I started) cut something like a dream (to lure me in!) and I think I chipped or dulled maybe 10 gravers in the whole thing.

The action on the other hand... I made new sharpening fixtures shortly before this project that work like a charm letting me re-sharpen a point in about a minute and re-do a bad chipped tip in around 5, and I'm glad I did because there were times when I got less then 5 minutes of cutting time on the action before chipping (Lindsay Carbalt, C-max, or M40 tool steel) or severely dulling (Glensteel, C-max) I think the longest I cut with a single tool in the action without re-sharpening was maybe 30 minutes when I was doing the background removal but I think I averaged 10-15 minuets between sharpening tools over all, it seemed like the surface was harder (and around the ejection port as I recall) but I also cut flat noses on my angled tools to do background removal so the added martial in the tip helped, although I did chip the whole nose off a few times.. I also changing the face angle and that helped too, but it was still hard on tools, I dubbed points a few times, it helped but then they would gouge in or just dull and slip all over the place so I decided it wasn’t worth the extra haste to dubb the point most of the time. I never did try any lubricant and I probably should have...

The frame was much better than the action but not as nice as the barrel, I think I was re-sharpening between 2-4 tools every couple hours of cutting. Honestly there was a point that I thought I was just getting better about tool handling until I went back to do a little touch up on the action shading and I was back to chipped and dulled tools in no time haha!

The bolt was also a dream to cut on.
Frame had some angle issues to attend to, the trigger guard, round as it is, limits cutting angles. Same with the front end where it rolls out of the trigger guard and around the front of the frame under the barrel, as well as the bottom radius on the top back of the frame, the beaver tail type portion. And those wings on the top that cradle the action don’t allow for cutting from the bottom side.

I want to try cutting a blued Ruger MK pistol at some point and see if the action cuts any easier then the stainless does. but all that being said I would still be willing to do another, (although maybe just because I love the MK pistols). I’d just keep in mind that the action is going to be hard to keep the same level of detail of work and expect to be re-sharpening tools often... but that's all part of the fun of the challenge right?

where did you get those templates please?

 

[Meshach]

where did you get those templates please?

The sharpening templates? I 3D modeled them in Blender and printed them.
Do you have access to a 3D printer?

 

[papart1]

The sharpening templates? I 3D modeled them in Blender and printed them.
Do you have access to a 3D printer?

YES my son-in-law has pretty big one. Can they be printed with different soft ware

 

[Meshach]

YES my son-in-law has pretty big one. Can they be printed with different s.w.?

I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean by "different s.w." can you explain?

 

[papart1]

I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean by "different s.w." can you explain?

yes...........I meant software.... I apologize

 

[Gargoyle]

YES my son-in-law has pretty big one. Can they be printed with different soft ware

Blender is software for 3d modeling. The printers are fed with software called "slicers". All that matters is that you have the file in a compatible format. The most common for feeding the printers is .stl and blender and most other modeling software can output .stl. If not, there are other formats which can be used, like .obj.

 

[papart1]

Blender is software for 3d modeling. The printers are fed with software called "slicers". All that matters is that you have the file in a compatible format. The most common for feeding the printers is .stl and blender and most other modeling software can output .stl. If not, there are other formats which can be used, like .obj.

thanks.....he's going to show me how to do it on his machine