Combat Grip Finish

[glshuck]

I have been working on reviving a set of K frame combats I bought off ebay in poor shape. It sounds like smith was probably spraying polyurethane in the 80s when these came off the shelf, but I've been using tru-oil and taking my time. I currently have them polished up to a semi gloss, but it's not quite the full gloss "wet" look that the original finish on these had. I know I can get to that level of gloss with more coats and polishing to a higher grit, as I've done it before.

I kind of like the level of sheen that they are at currently. Just curious as to your opinions on whether I should try to work these up to a glossier finish.

Any refinishing tips are welcome. I don't have a ton of experience doing this.

The darker set is the one I'm working on. Morado set for comparison.

 

[Cotis]

I use a touch up air sprayer from Harbor Freight ($15). Thin the Tru-Oil with a bit of mineral spirits and spray. It will go on evenly and very glossy, to the point that you would have to use rottenstone powder or sheen conditioner to make a satin finish.

HF sprayer

 

[glshuck]

I use a touch up air sprayer from Harbor Freight ($15). Thin the Tru-Oil with a bit of mineral spirits and spray. It will go on evenly and very glossy, to the point that you would have to use rottenstone powder or sheen conditioner to make a satin finish.

HF sprayer

I have thought about trying this. Seems like a small investment that would make life a lot easier, just need to convince the old lady to let me spray in the garage.

How does the harbor freight sprayer work? Good enough it isn't worth spending any more $?

 

[Vtgw938]

I think you should bring them to the sheen you like. I now try to refinish stocks as close to original as I can. So with combats that means lacquer, which can be anything from satin to gloss. Lacquer is easy to apply with a rattle can, dries quickly so you can spray many coats, melts the previous coat so you don't need to sand and can be buffed to a higher sheen or dulled. Other finishes may be more durable but most of us don't really need durability. Burnishing and wax is another option for custom grips that did the same, especially on exotic woods like rosewood and goncalo. You would swear there is some type of clear coat finish.

 

[326MOD10]

I think they look nice but as said above beauty is in the eye of the beholder and ultimately you have to get them where you want them.

Nice work.

 

[AJ]

Is this the finish that you are trying to get? These were off a friends revolver that he bought new. He does not like wooden grips, so he replaced them with Pachmayr grips. Fast forward a bunch of years and I was looking for some grips for my K Frame PPC revolver. He gave me several sets out of a shipping tub he keeps those grips in. I put them on and liked them.

 

[14daMoney]

I have thought about trying this. Seems like a small investment that would make life a lot easier, just need to convince the old lady to let me spray in the garage.

How does the harbor freight sprayer work? Good enough it isn't worth spending any more $?

Those do look real nice; but, I've never been a fan of any grips with this kind of finish, my sweaty hands never handled them well.

Ohh ya, when did women start ruling the garage....? Get your ***** back in the kitchen woman..... Some men really say this, others live a longer life

 

[ladder13]

I like those grips just as they are.

 

[Cotis]

I have thought about trying this. Seems like a small investment that would make life a lot easier, just need to convince the old lady to let me spray in the garage.

How does the harbor freight sprayer work? Good enough it isn't worth spending any more $?

It works great for me, I have sprayed multiple revolver grips and several complete rifle stocks. I always spray a shot of pure mineral spirits through it when I am done and it is always ready for the next project. Best $15 I have spent.

 

[glshuck]

I kept the gun on my desk today, I suppose as the redneck equivalent of a fidget spinner while I work. I really like the feel of the grips in their current state. They aren't the best fit on my 586, but they fit my 19-3 pretty well. It very well may be where they end up for the time being. That said, if I leave them as is, I think they'd look excellent on a satin blued model.

 

[sniper]

I have been working on reviving a set of K frame combats I bought off ebay in poor shape. It sounds like smith was probably spraying polyurethane in the 80s when these came off the shelf, but I've been using tru-oil and taking my time. I currently have them polished up to a semi gloss, but it's not quite the full gloss "wet" look that the original finish on these had. I know I can get to that level of gloss with more coats and polishing to a higher grit, as I've done it before.

I kind of like the level of sheen that they are at currently. Just curious as to your opinions on whether I should try to work these up to a glossier finish.

Any refinishing tips are welcome. I don't have a ton of experience doing this.

The darker set is the one I'm working on. Morado set for comparison.

Looks GOOD to me...as long as you're satisfied!

 

[ncnarive]

The wood type determines the level of sheen much of the time, particularly with a rubbed oil finish. Woods with open pores and grain will absorb the oils easier which sometimes prevents a decent build up of coating. Tropical woods are notorious for having larger grain/pore systems. An oil finish is always more appealing to me, especially if there is plenty of surface area like on a rifle stock. It's usually smoother and more expensive looking. Lots of lacquer finishes just never seem to flow out properly which gives the bumpy "orange peel" surface effect. I suppose that's the method the factories have always used since it's easier for mass production. Your grips in the first picture look great to me .....very smooth with an appealing amount of shine/sheen. The second picture to me shows some of the orange peel effect from the lacquer not flowing.

 

[glshuck]

The wood type determines the level of sheen much of the time, particularly with a rubbed oil finish. Woods with open pores and grain will absorb the oils easier which sometimes prevents a decent build up of coating. Tropical woods are notorious for having larger grain/pore systems. An oil finish is always more appealing to me, especially if there is plenty of surface area like on a rifle stock. It's usually smoother and more expensive looking. Lots of lacquer finishes just never seem to flow out properly which gives the bumpy "orange peel" surface effect. I suppose that's the method the factories have always used since it's easier for mass production. Your grips in the first picture look great to me .....very smooth with an appealing amount of shine/sheen. The second picture to me shows some of the orange peel effect from the lacquer not flowing.

I can't imagine Smith's process in the 80's involved a significant amount of time and effort being spent on finishing the grips. It certainly isn't fast to do it by hand with tru oil. I do think it could probably be sped up if a guy used a different sealer before he started with the tru oil.

Took quite a few coats just to get the pores of the wood grain level with the rest of the wood. I spent a lot of time using 400 grit 3M Tri-m-ite polishing cloths in-between coats to level things out. I don't have a lot of experience doing this kind of thing, but I found that I vastly preferred the 3m polishing cloths over steel wool. I had a steel wool fiber get lodged into the wood on one set, and it set me back quite a few coats once I got it out.

I stopped on these after wet sanding with 1200 grit tri-m-ite polishing cloths and a quick coat of ren wax. They make those polishing cloths in steps up to 8000 grit. Can certainly get super high gloss with them if desired. Tri-m-ite is mostly used in the jewlery industry, and I don't know that many people are aware of it. I only know about it from using it to polish guitar frets. Might make a thread about it at some point as I find myself using it all the time.

 

[Vtgw938]

Acetone, light sanding and lacquer. If you want the pores filled just lightly sand between coats. You can get an original quality finish all in one day if you wanted to. Lacquer dries to the touch within minutes if not over done. That’s why everyone making wood products uses it.