Oh boy you’re in trouble now. You‘ll have to join @TheCollector and me on the Bubba Smithing Addicts forum. Nice job!

 

So where's this forum, and how do I join?

 

I'm not sure I'm ready for that. It took me years to have enough guts for this I am going to try to replace the hammer (different style) and trigger when they arrive. It seemed silly to seek out a gunsmith for a different style/profile safety or a different style/color trigger so I had to learn

 

Not saying you don't have the skills, but hammer and trigger are way more involved. Study, understand and proceed slowly. Completely understand trigger pretravel and overtravel. I've read countless posts on removing all the pretravel , and as you study and learn the correct function checks, you'll see why thats unwise. check hammer hooks and sear interface. Not trying to scare you off, we all learned at some point. Also about triggers, not all bows are created equal!

 

"One step at a time" is what I told myself. Now I have built 9 from the ground up.

 

Hi,
Nice job!

Each 1911, and each part, is an Individual...

Some People, call that good, some People, call that bad...

But, it is, what it is!!!

 

Congrats on the safety, azguy!

I started working on my 1911’s about a dozen years ago. It all started after I dropped off a Colt Gold Cup at a gunsmiths shop in a neighboring town, as he had been highly recommended by numerous people that I respected. Paid a little over 200 for his ”reliability package”. The gun came back more unreliable than before. Took it back to him to fix, still no good.

After that I spent money on tools, books and tried to learn all I could. Still have tons to learn but other than a gun going back to the manufacturer for warranty work, no one has touched my guns since then.

I did get that Gold Cup to run reliable and it ended up with a wonderful trigger!

 

Nice job. My tip, buy a 10-8 or other armorers block, it performs so many jobs, but in this case a thumb safety has a special way to fit in the block and it provides a no brainer way to achieve a perfect angle for thumb safety fitting.

 

+1 ON THE 10-8

 

Never heard of (or used) a fixture to do a simple safety fitting. But times do change.

Congrats on getting it done!

 

Hi,
Well, starting out, anything that helps, is good.

I bought the Marvel Checkering Jig, when I wanted to take on hand checkering a 1911 front strap for the first time.

Used it once, and sold it, and made some guides out of angle iron.

Learned that the file, pretty much guides it's self, up to a point, and I could dial back, on the hand holding.

I've done a few thumb safety's, but found I wanted something to assure my angle was correct for the safety lug to rest against the sear as designed. (Another little bit of genius from JMB!)

I saw a fitting jig, on a Colt, 1911 Factory Tour, on U-Tube and reverse engineered my own having a mill to do it with.

The lug on the safety is just a stop, or a block, it does not revolve,rotate, or spin, just has to block the sear as designed, but that takes a certain angle to be optimum.

 

It's just one of the simple and effective features of the 10-8 armorers block. The only thing I use more is a hockey puck which may be on of the best "tools" I own for 1911 work. But that's just me...

 

Too funny, I use and have several hockey pucks also. "Pond hockey" is very popular around here.

 

I disagree with the 'optimum angle' comment. Look at your picture again. As long as there is contact between the two surfaces inhibiting movement, the job is done.

A long time ago I screwed up a fitting and drilled the safety and silver soldered a small piece of round stock. It worked so well that I have since put a bit of a radius on the engagement surface. Seems to smooth out the engage/disengage a bit, giving me a nice 'snap' when moving the safety, yet still pinning the sear down so that it cannot move when the safety is engaged.

Lots of ways to do things on a 1911.

 

Yeah, I know folks that don't use a jig for sear work either , while I've done many, I will still use every mechanical advantage I can. We've had this conversation before, and I ended that one with "clearly my skill set is not as great as yours". Apparently still true

perhaps not a critical angle but it would be hard to argue "full contact" wouldn't be preferacle

 

Yeah, I know folks that don't use a jig for sear work either , while I've done many, I will still use every mechanical advantage I can. We've had this conversation before, and I ended that one with "clearly my skill set is not as great as yours". Apparently still true

Nothing wrong with using whatever allows a person to get the job done. When I typed my comment, I was remembering a conversation with someone about fitting safeties, but couldn't remember who it was.

I'd forgotten about the safety fitting fixture, but given my memory state of late, this is not surprising.

Full disclosure: The first few safeties I fit at Bob's, I would hold the safety against the step between the main body and the fixed jaw on the big vise that was on a stand/bolted to the floor to help stabilize the safety while I filed on it. I later just got to the point where I no longer needed it.

 

Switchback is right. The angles and amount of surface engagement between the hammer hooks and sear nose is a 'bit more critical' than what you had on your safety fitting. And the comment about studying and learning the function checks is good advise. Even after all these years, the first round I put downrange after doing trigger work is one in the chamber, no magazine, and look for hammer follow. Can't remember the last time I experienced hammer follow, but I'm not taking any chances.

 

Hi,
Well, this reminds me of drill sharpening.

Old Machinist can hand sharpen a drill pretty good free hand.

For me, I like using a Machinist Protractor, or a drill sharpening gauge, when hand sharpening.

When I was working aboard ship, I was given the job of installing some u-bolt brackets up on deck.

I had to make the brackets and then locate and drill the holes in the deck with a mag base drill press.

Of course, all the drill bits the right size was dull as a butter knife.

If I was not able to sharpen the bits, and get the job done, I would of looked foolish, to say the least.

With the sharp bits, it was a cake walk, but...

 

I could still shovel a driveway but the snow blower is a hell of a lot easier and quicker. Good tools make the job quicker and easier besides who doesn't like to buy a new tool.

 

I can, and do sharpen drill bits by hand. Yes, I'm old, but I'm no machinist.

 

I watch a video of Jason Burton fitting a TS before every thumb safety install.....calms my nerves! LOL

 

azguy, you will enjoy using the 10-8 block. A little pricey, in my opinion but very nice to have. It is always sitting out on my gun bench and gets used at least weekly. Don’t forget to buy some Dykem. I replaced all the internals on a SW1911TA with Wilson parts and use the frame for my .22 Nelson conversions. The trigger on it is set at 2.75 #’s. The Wilson parts are great, with a little work they are fantastic.

A couple years ago I gave my old round blue bench bench block to my daughter to use on her 1911’s. Still haven’t convinced her to buy a 10-8 as she says she still prefers to bring her stuff to her dad’s house for him to work on.

 

I can’t wait until you buy a Dremel Tool 😬. I like using green Sharpie markers better than Dykem For smaller projects.

 

What does green have over black sharpies?

 

I'm a red and blue guy myself.

 

I have to say, and without intention of sidetracking the current conversation, I have enjoyed reading this thread, have learned something, and was very pleasantly surprised to find zero negative/apocalyptic comments about a person fitting their first thumb safety. I posted my experience many years ago on another forum and you’d think I had turned my pistol into a ticking time bomb according to those guys. That pistol, and many others, are still running problem free countless rounds later.

I never have technical tips to offer, that is for certain, but in addition to online videos I also reference Jerry Kuhnhausen’s books. I always share that it costs only a few bucks at Staples to have the covers laminated and the book spiral bound so it lays flat on the bench while you’re working.

 

I never have technical tips to offer, that is for certain, but in addition to online videos I also reference Jerry Kuhnhausen’s books. I always share that it costs only a few bucks at Staples to have the covers laminated and the book spiral bound so it lays flat on the bench while you’re working.

Great info...... thanks for sharing!

 

I have tried to fit an ambi safety on my 1911and really messed it up. It was a Wilson part and was 50-ish dollars. I want to try again but 50-ish each run can add up. I might try that 10-8 block.

 

a drop of TIG or braze should get you going again.

 

I really, really like this VBOB, it's on of my best purchases in a long-time. The sights were dated 2013 and need to be replaced but it shoots.

This target was at 30 ft, three 10 round magazines quick double taps.

147 HST's

 

Probably a little bit late for this, but when I am fitting a thumb safety, I remove the grip safety first. It gives you a window into the back of the gun where you can see the engagement between the thumb safety and the seer. You can do it blind, obviously, but it just provides a little bit more information, particularly early in the fitup.