Advanced 1911 Armorer AAR, week 2

Last week we went to town on the frames, with mine getting that space between the groove and the bottom surface to .1130 exactly.  With a file.

This week?  We ruined the frame.  With a hammer.

You vise up the frame in a jig and put a .113 spacer (hence why we filed the frame to .1130, not .1133 or .1131...) in the groove on the side.  Then WAIL AWAY at the top of the frame with a ball peen hammer.

Got that?  Hammering the most expensive part, the ATF part.  To peen over metal.

Not you file to fit, first with caliper measurments then with lamp black.

Except we don't use 'lamp black' any more.  For those non metal workers.... When you want to mate two pieces of metal together you get soot on the touching parts with a candle or lamp and blacken the area.  Then rub metal bits together.  The high spots will have the black rubbed off.  You file the high spots then repeat the process with the soot and the rubbing until the highs 'spots' cover all or at least most of the surface.

But like I said, we don't use a lamp or candle anymore.  What do we use?  This:

Works as well, and you can remove the marks with alcohol when you are done.

So, lots of filing, then fitting, then lapping compound and oil to mate the parts even better, then just oil....  work the slide work the slide...  Check all the axis of movement with the slide in battery position.  The axis of pitch and roll and yaw.   I lucked out and got pretty close kinda early.  There is a little yaw in the font end, but none in the back, and the front can be fixed with barrel fitting.  Next week. 

Like I said before...  I could left the gun with the smith a year ago and gotten it back this month, all souped up.  And paid a lot of money.  Instead, I paid a lot of money and will get knowledge and get the gun to about 80% as good as the smith could've done without me munging it up.  At least 80%.  Definitely a better gun. 

I like this class enough I might go through the whole series again with a different pistol.