Does anybody know what clear finish Smith & Wesson uses on there wood grips. I have a pair of J Frame Target Square Butt Grips. One halve is perfect, and the other halve needs a new clear coat of somekind to fix it back up like new. Does Smith & Wesson use a varnish finish, or a shellac finish of some kind, or is it some type of lacquer finish that they use, or could it be a polyurethane finish? Any help from anybody, would help me out alot. Remember, The halve of grip that I`ll be working on has to match the other original halve, that has the factory finish on it. Thanks ahead of time to all that respond.

I would strip and refinish both. Or perhaps another member could refinish them for you. I know there are a few here that do excellent work.

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Misty

Depends. A J frame before about 1960 would be finished with linseed oil and a little wax and turpentine. During the 1960's it would be sprayed oil. After around 1970 it would be sprayed polyurathane.

Were they mine, I'd strip them by soaking in acetone for a little while and then finish with something that appeals to you. Myself, I like a satin urethane but many don't.

Bob

Thanks for asking that question because I've often wondered about the variety of finishes on S&W revolver grips. Does anybody know if the finish varied depending on the type of wood used?

While I do not know exactly what S&W used on these grips for a final coat I would do like Misty says and strip both.
Get some fresh paint stripper (gel or paste type) smallest can possible unless you have more projects. Move outside or into the garage as the stripper is kind of potent in confined spaces. Coat them liberally with the stripper. You will know it is working when the original finish takes on that krinkle appearance. Don Rubber gloves and wipe it off with rags and an old soft tooth brush. Reapply several times and then let it air dry. Anny small flakes that you missed can easily be removed with your thumb nail or 220-320 grit abrasive paper.
Then you can use Birchwood Casey's Tru-Oil or tung oil. Be careful with the Tru oil as it will run like paint if too thick. But it will restore the red type color that is on most of the S&W grips of the late 70s-80s.
Formby's Tung-Oil from Ace in the plastic bottle works well. And you can apply as many coats as you want. Does not run unless you really slather it on and dries faster. Gives a rock hard waterproof finish.
If you have any other questions contact me at:
[email protected]
The other alternative is to send them to me, Mike Kieffer (VM) or
Paul Gendron (DWfan) for restoration.
I won't have any time to work on them until mid June when we return from Florida, so if you are in a hurry you can contact the other guys.
It is really an easy fix, just seems a little difficult if you have never tried it.
Thom Braxton
SWCA #1474

Second the recommendation on Mike Kieffer. He took some wood off a set of stocks for a Feinwerkbau air pistol, so I could grip it properly, and refinished them. Beautiful work; just the way I wanted it. The price was low and the turnaround time about a week and a half.

Hi, I did the one side with some acetone, and it came out just perfect. I did not soak it though, I used Q tips, one at a time.

I stripped a pair of checkered N frame targets just for giggles-They must have has a pulyuruthane (sp?) finish on them cause I soaked the snot out of them and still had to use a toothbrush and plastic scraper to get it all off. Let them dry out and then put around 10 coats of Formbys on them over about a fortnight (would go out on the porch drink a beer and "puts the lotion on them" ) . What I wound up with was a pair of grips with a beautiful velvet sheen on them-as smooth as a baby's behind-they really came out well. And they're still sitting in the drawer cause I have magnas and a tyler on the original 27-2 they came on

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Forum consigliere

I have used tru-oil and tung oil. The tru oil will require fewer coats but the tung oil will leave a harder finish. If either case, rub the oil on using your fingers and apply as thin a coat as you can. More thin coats will leave a smother finish. If you want a shiny finish, use the tru-oil. 30 years ago I made my dining room table and I put 13 hand applied coats of tung oil on it. It still looks good today.



The carbine is a CMP purchase that has an Italian light wood stock. I sanded it down, put a walnut stain on it and then hand rubbed several coats of tung oil on it. I then put a couple of coats of briwax on top of that. notice that the tung oil tends to penetrate the wood and does not leave a thick coat. It would take several more coats before it would start to build up.

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Corripe Cervisiam

i would add that i have dealt both with thom braxton and VM...both are great to work with and do top shelf work!

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO