Asked this over in the blank firing forum, but it occurred to me someone might have done similar things with ABS modelguns and might have some words of wisdom:

I remember seeing something on a gun forum years back about DIY stippling done with a soldering iron on polymer frame handguns (Glocks, Steyr M series, XD, etc).

Was just wondering... if anyone else has the blank firing Glock 17s (or the compact version of the same), do you think it would be doable to add a rail? Seems like if you could heat up a metal rail mount and a metal rod, you could probably to some degree mold a tactical rail into the frame of one of those Glock 17s, giving it a bit more of an updated look.

Any idea if this would get in the way of any functions and/or compromise the structural integrity of the frame?


Here's a few examples of stippling:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sID21eMX4Lw

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=421415

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3175516

http://brainlubeonline.com/stippling/stippling.htm

I suppose if anyone got really good with a soldering iron, they could edit/add trademarks/logos as well..?

I might be out on a limb here, but..

I think that there would be too little material from the get-go to re-shape the dust cover into a proper rail.
(as the dust cover with rail is slightly larger, volume-wise, then the non-rail frame)

I haven't measured guns of different generations, but tight fitting holsters for non-railed glocks are a tight fit on railed glocks.

If i'd tried something similar i'd try to find a scrapped air-soft frame and cut the rail off, and then mill/saw/grind the blank firers frame so i could fit the rail, it might not be "perfect", but maybe good enough??

My, somewhat lame, 3 cents...