Anybody have pics of bonded ivory grips that they have 'aged'?

[morglan]

I just picked up a set of bonded ivory magnas with the intention of soaking them in tea to give them an aged look, but I just want to make sure it'll work (I've recently read accounts that say tea can give an uneven color, and that it can wipe off as well.)

Yes, I know I could just let them age on their own, but I'm impatient (my grips, my choice! )

So, does anyone have some pics of grips that you have 'aged' yourself?

Any other tips? (Coffee over tea, leaving under lamplight or in direct sunlight for xx days, etc.)

Thanks!

 

[Nemo288]

I would email bella@boonetrading or call them at 1-800-423-1945
as they make and sell a good percentage of the bonded (and real)
ivory grips out there. They also sell the "aged" ones like you want.

www.boonetrading.com

I suspect they may tell you that ultraviolet light is the answer but
I would ask them first.

I just got a set for my L frame and am very happy. I don't plan
on accelerating the aging though.

===
Nemo

 

[BJoe]

The SAA that John Wayne used in most of his pictures had ivory grips that were aged with tea. If it's good enough for the Duke...

 

[Nemo288]

Real ivory is quite porous. If I had some I would not fool with it given the value these days.
Hollywood does a lot of unique things with guns.
The "bonded" so called ivory is basically plastic and I doubt it is going to adsorb much of anything.
Go ahead and give it a try. I could be wrong. Would not be the first time

---
Nemo

 

[80sgyrene]

The SAA that John Wayne used in most of his pictures had ivory grips that were aged with tea. If it's good enough for the Duke...

Actually they weren't ivory. They were a synthetic material, the name of which eludes me.

 

[-db-]

Actually they weren't ivory. They were a synthetic material, the name of which eludes me.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...-up-post-new-686-new-grips.html#post137541869

 

[fat tom]

I found this on another forum. I have NOT tried this myself!




"I've been trying to find something that works well for a long time. I've tried tea, I've tried tumeric, I've tried wood stain. But tonight I hit on the right stuff! I used Fiebing's Professional Oil Dye, Light Brown. I use this for dying leather (I'm into holster making). I put some on a pair of Ajax fake ivory grips, let it set for about 30 minutes and then wiped them down good. I was surprised how little came off. They now have a nice yellow color, and look very close to the old ivory grips in the book "Packing Iron - Gunleather of the Frontier West". I also tried it on a pair of plastic pearlite grips. I used just a little and wiped it off after only about 2 minutes because I didn't really want to yellow the pearlite - just wanted to tone down the stark white "fake plastic" look a bit. They look terrific. Time will tell if the finish will wear off from handling, but right now I can rub like **** with a cotton cloth and not remove any more color."

f.t.

 

[Muley Gil]

Actually they weren't ivory. They were a synthetic material, the name of which eludes me.

Kaolin maybe? Or something similar.

 

[rog8732]

morglan, I did the tea "ageing" of a set of elk stag grips. They had the natural grain and feel of stag, but were just too pale and washed out looking.
I filled a dish with just enough hot water to cover the grips and put three tea bags in and worked them till the water was brown. Over a period of 3 or 4 hours, leaving the bags in the solution, I would turn the grips every half-hour till they were as dark as I wanted. Actually, they had taken all the stain in the first hour, but I figured some of the color would wash out with rinsing.

A slight mistake I made, which you can avoid, is the after treatment with mineral oil. After rinse and dry from the tea, they felt a little dry. Mineral oil is definitely good to bring back life to old bone, horn,and ivory, but I filled the same dish with the oil and let them soak for more than an hour.
I now know I should have just rubbed some oil on the grips with my finger tips. They took about 2 weeks of wrapping in tissue, and dipping in cat litter to finally dry the oil to the point it would not leave oil on your fingers when handling the grips. I am well pleased with the results.

As you stated, they are yours and you want to try it, so why not. I think the adhesive/bonding material that holds the material into the shape is likely impervious to most liquids, and I don't think you will see much change, but, I am interested to know your results.