I know that there are folks that can apparently repair broken black hard rubber stocks but I was looking at a set that I own and they are very worn. Wondering if the checking can be brought back like is done with the wood stocks?

If so, who does this work?

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James Redfield
LM #497

The answer is yse and no. You cannot do just touch-up checking, since the surface of the "V" that is left by the tool will never match the smooth shiny molded stocks. I have attempted to re-do all the checking in hard rubber stocks and they will turn out looking very nice, but even using the finest V-cutters, the finished product does not match the look of molded checking. I guess the question is what the goal is, to bring back the sharp checking of original stocks or return it to exact original appearance? You can do the first, but not the latter.

My last attempt to do this was a few years ago, when I tried to use polyurethane to "fill in" the new checking to give the appearance of factory stocks. After a few coats, it looked more like factory, but did not match the gloss of the flat surfaces, so I then coated the entire stocks. Ended up OK, but I typically did not want to put polyurethane over the whole stocks.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

James, Don Furr repairs stocks. You might ask him this question. I'm sorry I don't have his email address. Opoefc may have it.

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Mike Maher #283

In most cases, it will be cheaper to find a very good set than to pay to have yours repaired or refinished. I had Don fix a set for a .44 top break a few years back because those are impossible to find in any condition. His work is top notch.

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Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292

. . . unless they are numbers matching to the revolver.

Most of the early hard rubber stocks were stamped with the serial number, so might be important to restore rather than replace. Of course, if the stocks do not match the gun, do what Chris says.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

And while perhaps blasphemy to some, Hugh May has "hard rubber" reproduction grips---at least for the single shots----and they are pretty damn good------my biggest complaint being the escutcheons are too shiny!!

Ralph Tremaine

And in the event you might choose to restore the old ones, take care in cleaning them. One thing NOT to do is soak them in a solution of Dawn dishwashing detergent and water. THAT'S a BIG NO-NO!!! Been there---done that!!

It only takes three Q-tips and a little rust bluing to age the brass. I have done this to flintlock rifles I have made to instantly age the newly polished brass fixtures.

The first Q-tip is used to clean off any oils from the surface. You can use solvent or soap and water. Just dampen the swab, so no solvent contacts the plastic to clean the brass. 2nd is to apply rust bluing to the brass and let stand. Again, just dampen the tip and apply as many coats as you want until the proper aged look is achieved. The 3rd Q-tip is for cleaning. Dissolve Baking Soda in water (heavy on the baking soda) and swab out the brass escutcheons to neutralize the rust bluing and stop the oxidation of the brass. Wash up and done.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

James
What model are you looking for.

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Don Mundell

For my .44 DA Frontier model.

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James Redfield
LM #497