I am almost done refinishing a set of grips for a 586. Great,sharp grip checkering. Someone told me absolutely NOT to put any varnish on that checkering. I have refinished several sets of grips and always put a THIN coat of varnish on the checkering to protect the checkering and it seems to work great. This is a WORKING gun, meaning IDPA, so the grips are exposed to bug repellent, sun screen, dust, etc on my hands and I want to protect that wood, which is why I use varnish in the first place. Any wood experts out there with an opinion on this subject? Thanks in advance for replies.

I like a little something on the checkering, and I use either Tung Oil or a thin wash coat of varnish. A full wet coat of varnish is too much for my taste.

I have finished several sets of worn (not damaged) grips by sanding them down to bare wood with 400 .I use afine copper wire brush to LIGHTLY clean in the checkering.On a nice dry warm day,I finish them with MINWAX water based Polycrylic with a soft natural brush.
If I want more gloss,I let them dry for a couple of days,sand the gloss down,and give them another coat.I'm very pleased with the way they look and hold up.I have used Tung oil and This works best for me.
Charlie

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Charlie

When I re-finished grips with Tru-oil, I masked off the the checkering with painters tape. Then did all my sanding and multiple coats of finish and when I did the final coat I removed the tape cleaned out the checkering with a pick and some light steel wool brushing; then put the final coat for gloss on the checkering and stocks. I like the high gloss on these, but a light buff with wax will do for satin finish.

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Revolver luvin' Mountaineer

I brush 2 coats of thinned Tru-Oil into the checkering after finishing the rest of the stock or grips. It provides some protection against moisture but is undetectible between and on the checkering diamonds.

Yes, give them a light coat. Bug juice tends to damage wood.

I found out several years ago, in IDPA, after I had put on some 30% DEEP during an IDPA match, that my grips were looking BAD when I got home that night!! So, yes, some marine quality varnish is what I now use on all my grips that are going to be used for IDPA where I might use DEEP and/or sunscreen plus all the other crud around in the air. Plus, the varnish does NOT have any negative impact on the checkering.

Use a proper tool, such as a Riffler, to clean up the checkering. Then cut your varnish with about 40% thinner. Use a tooth brush to apply it, and keep brushing until the all the varnish is absorbed into the wood. When dry, apply it one or two more times.

I just totally refinished a set of Python grips. I used Tung Oil glossy rather than Tung Oil semi-gloss and it matches the standard Colt finish perfectly. I do not think you can use Tung Oil on top of any varnish or anything other than an oil finish or stain. I lightly brushed it across the checkering, key is to use hardly any Tung Oil , you can always use more-see how it matches the rest of the stock or any standard SW finish.
If you want to start from scratch try Citrustrip to take the old varnish off, it is very mild.

True. You can't put tung over a varnish/urethane finish. The oil needs to soak in the wood. I also like tung oil. I've used it on antique furniture that I've refinished. Make sure you wipe off any excess, or you'll have a mess on your hands. Or IN your hands!

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Misty