Brisco County Jr Peacemaker Grips

[durgadas311]

I'm revisiting an old subject ("Brisco County Jr Peacemaker") in an effort to get some reproduction grips made. That old thread never seemed to result in anyone making grips, and I thought that with today's technology (CNC routers, 3D printers) that perhaps it was worth trying again. I've been reviewing screenshots from the series and trying to determine just what pattern was used on the grips.

It appears that there may have been several grips used and that not all were the same quality. I also suspect that they needed to make these from a mold (which limits the detail and relief) in order to create more than one set, to offset breakage/damage and allow for multiple pistols for different uses (non-firing, stunt, throw in the lake, ...). The grips shown in the episode where Brisco uses the glowing key to unlock the handle and find the orb bullet look like very low-relief versions, probably optimized for glowing rather than beauty. While the images in the pilot where Brisco first receives the gun are much higher quality and shown hints of the dragon pattern.

Using the images I can get off the DVD, I've started a rough sketch of the pattern. With luck and help, I'm hoping that that can be turned into something that can be used to produce the grips.

Anyone interested? Anyone able to help? Anyone "know a guy"?
--Doug

 

[chibobber]

Get in touch with "Eagle Grips" in Carol Stream, Illinois. 2nd generation grip maker. Quality work using a variety of materials.

 

[durgadas311]

I'm having trouble determining the actual pattern on the grips. Rumor has it that it is a dragon theme, but I don't think that is actually stated anywhere in the show. In the pilot we get a good picture of the left grip:

And from there I can imagine the profile of a dragon head facing the frame, mouth open and tongue sticking out, and a dragon claw at the screw hole, and some scales of the body. But in "Showdown" we see a different view of the left grip:

and there I can't make out those same features, as if it was a (similar but) different grip. Then in "No Man's Land" we see a good view of the right grip:

But that does not look at all like the left grip. I can maybe see a dragon head only (ears/horns pointing toward the butt, and some scales), but it looks very different.

Has anyone done any research on this grip patterns used? Was it really a dragon theme or just some fancy pattern?

 

[durgadas311]

Here is my first, very crude, attempt to make meaning out of the frame grabs:

If these are anything close to the originals, it really does look as if two different people made the grips, with different styles and concepts. Of course, the views of the left and right grips are from different episodes, and it is entirely possible that they had multiple Colt SAAs and that the grips were not identical. Too bad we can't get Bruce or the show's prop master to chime-in. And, of course, I'm interpreting them under the assumption that they are actually supposed to be dragons.

 

[durgadas311]

Just to add another perspective, here are some actual ivory carved Colt SAA pistol grips depicting traditional Chinese dragons. These were very likely made in the actual era referenced by the Brisco County Jr story line.

These are beautiful and (in my opinion) better than what was used on the show. I've thought about reaching out to the owner to see if a mold could be made, but I suspect the detail and relief would not lend itself to a decent mold. Still, they reflect how dragons were depicted back in that time, and might be good to use to help fill-out what the TV show grips looked like. Note the dragon features: horns, ears with lots of spikes, fu manchu "mustache", spikes growing from lower jaw, swirly clouds in the background. I think many of these features existed on Brisco's grips.

 

[MrYingster]

Watching with great interest. Silicon molds capture enormous amounts of detail. I think that casting those in resin would yield really great results.

 

[drusselmeyer]

The actual grips must be out there somewhere. It is just a matter of finding them.

Printing or molding are both likely if clear images can be found.

 

[durgadas311]

I did reach out to Bruce Campbell on his official web site, asking about this. No response yet (which is not surprising). I'm not sure where else to start. I don't have any experience with production so am not sure just what would have happened to props like this. I know it's not unusual for actors to end up with some of that, but it's hard to say if the grips would have been separated from the firearm(s) when the show was canceled (as acquiring an actual working firearm may have been more difficult). Also, the show was canceled in the off-season so it's entirely possible no one was able to get their hands on any props.

 

[durgadas311]

It turns out that "Eagle Grips" does not make custom grips in the sense that they will not replicate a specific pattern or image onto the grips. They only offer limited surface texture options. "custom" only in the sense that you can pick the material, color, and either smooth or checkered.

So, will need to find some other source for making these grips. Or else I'll need to become a lot more artistic and skilled.

 

[chibobber]

Well now we know. Good luck going forward.

 

[durgadas311]

I'm beginning to think that custom grip makers is the wrong place to look for these. Those places seem to be oriented around natural materials and custom-fit, which is going to put this sort of grip out of most people's price range (even if they can custom-carve a design). Perhaps I should be looking for a general manufacturer (or even prop maker) that has CNC routing and/or casting/molding machinery and skills. I think all "we" want here are some nice-looking plastic grips with dragons on them, "mass produced". It might be good to have some idea just how many are interested in buying, and what sort of price limit they have. Any sort of project like this will have a setup cost and then a per-unit cost, so the more produced the less the price each. It might even be the kind of thing where the customer provides "blank" (smooth) grips of their choice, and the manufacturer cuts the pattern into them.

While I'm fairly technical, and have exhibited some artistic talent in the past, I don't own any equipment (like CNC routers) and I don't have knowledge of how to use the software to create the necessary patterns. It would be a big investment and steep learning curve, and I'm not confident I could complete it in a reasonable timeframe or with decent quality. Getting in touch with someone that has the equipment and experience would be a good start, even better if they do this sort of thing professionally.

 

[durgadas311]

I am seeing various companies that offer to turn your photo into a "3-D" woodcutting (using CNC routers). I am thinking that if I cannot find one of these places that also works in plastic (and the right kind of plastic for grips), that I'd contract one to create a woodcutting of the grip pattern - which could be used to make a mold for reproducing plastic grips.

The photos of the antique ivory dragon grips could probably easily be done this way. I'd still need some sort of (more detailed) picture/drawing of the real Brisco County grips in order to get those made.

Still no reply from the Bruce Campbell web site to my query about the original grips. But not knowing his schedule and commitments, I can't fault Bruce for that. I'm just thinking that Bruce spent nearly an entire year with that peacemaker and so must have some good memories of what it looked like.

 

[MrYingster]

I think a viable approach for creating replicas would be to obtain blank handles, and use clay to sculpt the design, and then make a silicon mold which can be used to cast faux ivory replicas. This would remove the need for expensive machinery like a CNC machine, and specialized knowledge about 3D sculpting.