I have my grandfathers 44 Special police revolver. The grips are original, but don't shoe well because of the years of dirt.
Any recommendations on how to restore them
Any recommendations on how to restore them
Cleaning wood grips
- Thread starter jimmyg_az
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jringo8769
Member
well some pics will really help...they are not too hard to clean...it all depends on how they were originally finished...more info about the gun will help...any idea how old it is?...God Bless John
If it's just dirt,an old toothbrush and a little soapy water will work,but don't drown em.If it's worse,soaking them in acetone for an hour and a scrubbing with a toothbrush will strip the old finish off and you can go from there.
Renaissance is very good at cleaning and protecting both wood and steel. Please do not try to "restore" them. They tell a story about your grandfather. Restoration will decrease their value. Wear marks are beautiful things. Please post pictures. Sonora
J. R. WEEMS
Member
CLEANING
This is always my choice for cleaning-- soak over nite, clean with a SOFT tooth brush and dry with paper towel--- I wouldn't attempt to 'REFINISH' such a treasure-- this stuf is great and feeds the wood as well.
JMHO of course.
This is always my choice for cleaning-- soak over nite, clean with a SOFT tooth brush and dry with paper towel--- I wouldn't attempt to 'REFINISH' such a treasure-- this stuf is great and feeds the wood as well.
JMHO of course.
I have a thought, leave them alone.
It wont hurt the value to clean them up, soapy water and a brush. If the finish is damaged I would refinish them and bring the grips back to their former beauty. Just my opinion, I hate to have a gun that is not in excellent shape.
DWalt
Member
Get some mineral spirits and a toothbrush and go after them. It won't hurt the finish on them, if any even remains. Then wax with Johnson's Paste Wax or something similar. You probably don't want to go any further, but if you do, thin down some commercial boiled linseed oil made for gunstocks (such as Tru-Oil, etc.) with mineral spirits and apply several coats with a small brush. Let cure at least a day between coats. Wipe the wax off with mineral spirits before the oil is applied.
I never like using water on wood. It swells the wood fiber which can dislodge the finish and actually drive dirt into the wood grain. i much prefer paint thinner as DWalt states. It does not wet the wood, it evaporates and does not damage wood finishes. After cleaning and drying, I apply boiled linseed oil and using compressed air to blow off all that I can so there is no issue with buildup over time.
BruceM
Member
Tru-Oil definitely is NOT boiled linseed oil. It is a finish which contains varnishes, dryers, etc.. I would use pure tung oil mixed 50/50 with mineral spirits. Also, before I applied any true oil finish, you should be sure any shellac, varnish or lacquer finish is gone. It should only be applied to bare wood or wood that was previously finished with BLO or PTO only.
Putting water on bare wood will raise the grain and should be avoided. I cleaned my M1's walnut stock using Simple Green (a little) and mineral spirits (a lot) and a boat load of paper towels.
Bruce
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DWalt
Member
Tru-Oil is mainly linseed oil with a drying (curing) agent. It's not actually boiled - that's just what it's called. Raw linseed oil cures very slowly, and the drying agent speeds up the polymerization reaction. Varnish is very much the same thing. Tung oil is very good, but without a drying agent, it is also very slow to cure. Much of what is sold on the market labeled as Tung Oil really contains none at all. It's mainly boiled linseed oil. If you have a Woodcraft woodworking store in your area, they do sell genuine Tung Oil, not the imitation type. Be aware that some people become violently allergic to real Tung Oil.
If you decide to remove the existing finish, the best way by far is to use Acetone or MEK. But both are quite flammable.
If you decide to remove the existing finish, the best way by far is to use Acetone or MEK. But both are quite flammable.
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FYI - Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil Formulation
Mineral Spirits. . . . . . . . . . . . . .56%
Modified Oil (Proprietary) . . . . .33%
Linseed Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11%
As I understand it, the OP only wanted to clean his stocks, so should avoid applying any varnishes, PU, lacquers, etc. or other high-build finishes. First, many finishes can react with older unknown finishes and result in an uncured mess that will have to be stripped and refinished. By lots of experiences, both good and bad, I find that boiled linseed oil works the best for me after a paint thinner cleaning. It's purpose is to provide a light seal to the wood and to bring back the wood depth and luster when applied over an existing finish, and do it without buildup. Just make sure you remove all extra linseed oil with compressed air or you will get buildup in the checkering over time.
Mineral Spirits. . . . . . . . . . . . . .56%
Modified Oil (Proprietary) . . . . .33%
Linseed Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11%
As I understand it, the OP only wanted to clean his stocks, so should avoid applying any varnishes, PU, lacquers, etc. or other high-build finishes. First, many finishes can react with older unknown finishes and result in an uncured mess that will have to be stripped and refinished. By lots of experiences, both good and bad, I find that boiled linseed oil works the best for me after a paint thinner cleaning. It's purpose is to provide a light seal to the wood and to bring back the wood depth and luster when applied over an existing finish, and do it without buildup. Just make sure you remove all extra linseed oil with compressed air or you will get buildup in the checkering over time.
tarheelexec
Member
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I just went thru this process....Cleaned with a toothbrush using mineral spirits. Lite sanding with #600 grit sandpaper. Three coats of Tru Oil letting is dry overnight between coats then light rubbing with #0000 steel wool. Grips came out in spectacular fashion....No longer original finish but really a great look on the Model 66 stainless
If it's just dirt, I've had good luck with Murphy's Oil Soap. Use an old toothbrush to get down in the checkering. Dry well than a coat of paste wax. Renaissance WA is best, but any good furniture grade paste was will protect them and enhance the looks.
DWFAN
US Veteran
Unless you know what your doing, NO WATER. Gary's, glowe, comment is pretty spot on.
DW
DW
BruceM
Member
If the finish is intact under the "dirt", I'd give the Murphy's a try also. Just go slow at first to see what happens.
Bruce
Hello, resurrecting an old thread because I need some advice. The info in this thread is dizzying. I inadvertently got some Remoil on my wood grips on my older revolvers and I want to remove it before it does any damage. Are mineral spirits really safe for the finish and the wood? Would I be better off just wiping the grips with something like Milsek?
What do you think is in Milsek?
https://milsek.com/wp-content/uploads/Milsek-One-Step-Stainless-Steel-Cleaner_SDS.pdf
Petroleum distillates and mineral spirits. A can of mineral spirits is probably much cheaper than Milsek. Wiping will not get into the checkering. Need a soft bristle brush. Wet the checkering, use the brush, rinse with more mineral spirits and blow out with a can of compressed air. I then use boiled linseed oil, apply it to the stock, let set for 5 minutes and use the compressed air to blow the excess LO out the checkering. Your stocks will be clean and re-sealed without stripping the original finish.
https://milsek.com/wp-content/uploads/Milsek-One-Step-Stainless-Steel-Cleaner_SDS.pdf
Petroleum distillates and mineral spirits. A can of mineral spirits is probably much cheaper than Milsek. Wiping will not get into the checkering. Need a soft bristle brush. Wet the checkering, use the brush, rinse with more mineral spirits and blow out with a can of compressed air. I then use boiled linseed oil, apply it to the stock, let set for 5 minutes and use the compressed air to blow the excess LO out the checkering. Your stocks will be clean and re-sealed without stripping the original finish.
