Factory K frame diamond target stocks with strange damage?

[OldK22]

Jack Flash - yes I bought them. I buy everything this guy brings me as he is a full time picker.. I buy everything so that he keeps looking and bringing me stuff.

 

[pittpa]

Jack Flash - yes I bought them. I buy everything this guy brings me as he is a full time picker.. I buy everything so that he keeps looking and bringing me stuff.

Wise man.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Walter Rego]

I agree that they are rosewood. And well worth restoring, especially if purchased for a good price. I'm a pretty good amateur woodworker but I don't even know where I would start with those. Maybe use acetone to get whatever finish is on them now off, and then trying to fill the grain ? One thing I do know about rosewood is that it is an oily wood, when young and dumb I put TruOil on a set of rosewood stocks and it remained sticky for weeks. After stripping that off, I wiped them down several times with acetone on a piece of terrycloth and then tried the TruOil again and that time it cured.

 

[Culina]

I agree with others, someone used something other than elbow grease to strip the original finish

 

[sheepdawg]

Oldtimers used to use a product called Paste Wood Filler mixed with an appropriate colored stain on open grained wood. If done correctly the finish would come out as smooth as glass only after a few coats.

 

[OldK22]

Color is never going to match as one side is almost black and the other side is more red. Easier to see from the back.. will experiment to see if they can be brought back. There is a chip in the front bottom of one panel so they will never be perfect.

 

[Stroker468]

Color is never going to match as one side is almost black and the other side is more red. Easier to see from the back.. will experiment to see if they can be brought back. There is a chip in the front bottom of one panel so they will never be perfect.

That, my friend, is why they are so cewl!

I'd do as suggested...try a wipe down with acetone. Then I would mask the checkering and medallion. Sand with 220 grit paper to start. Get as smooth as you can with that. Then switch to 320 grit wet/dry paper and a bit of TruOil. The ultra fine wood dust created, along with the truoil will help to fill the grain. You may have to repeat the sanding with truoil a few times. Then a couple more coats of true oil rubbed in by hand. Call it good.

It's gonna be a prolonged project...probably a couple of weeks, allowing the truoil to cure in between coats. But I bet you'll end up with some beautiful stocks!

...or leave them as is.

 

[boykinlp]

I look forward to seeing the final results.
Larry

 

[DeanK]

I would agree with the chemical stripping agent because the wood shows no abrasion from blasting or brushing. It looks like they used something like a thin varnish over that or something else that wouldn't fill in the grain.

 

[jcelect]

Media blasted!

Media blasted, not sand or glass beads. Take a close look at the pics! Note how the checking points are rounded, the boarder edges are rounded, the diamond edges are rounded, and the plating on the medallions is gone!
jcelect

 

[Narragansett]

OK, so what is the fix? Acetone wipe down and a lot of thin coats of tung oil?

 

[diecidecimi]

If you already have other diamond stocks, you could keep them this way. Sort of variant , cool, as sanded or blasted pipes...

 

[CA Escapee]

Just a wild guess: sand or media blasted. I've done a lot of media blasting and have had results on wood that resemble this.

They have the look of the early '70's Colt Government Model grips that I've heard were sand blasted.

 

[Jason Demond]

I don't know what happened to them, but it does appear they spent time under water. I am in agreement with everyone on that front.

That said... I doubt I would ever attempt to use them on a gun, or at least a blued gun. If they were soaked in water, I would wonder what type of water. I would also be fearful of them being submerged in salt water. Like if they were salvaged from a Katrina gun, I would fear them rusting my gun.

If I were absolutely sure I was going to use them on a gun. I would strip them down to bare wood, wash them several times with soapy water, and refinish them with something that would completely seal the grips. I would seal both sides...

I know factory grips can be worth a mint, but they are not worth potential gun damage without taking steps to mitigate it.

 

[oink]

To me they look like they were left out in the weather for an extended time, such as on a lost gun, especially with one side being much darker than the other. That sounds like it/they weathered on it's side with one side down. I wonder if the insides of the sides are heavily rust stained as would be likely on a gun lost outside in the weather, at least where I live.

I have no suggestions on how to restore them to any sort of original condition.

 

[OldK22]

For those who asked what the back side of the stocks looks I attached a picture. No rust on the black washers so not in water a long time. I agree someone used a harsh stripper and it attacked the oils in the wood. These stocks were never going to be perfect but did turn into a shooter set after some thought and salvage work. Not a restoration as I am not even close to being smart enough to do that kind of work.

 

[Laketime]

I've worked on many grips and stocks made from rosewood from many origins. Rosewood is one of the easiest woods to sand using fine paper. Rub in some mineral oil on both front and back. The wood will draw the oil in and expel any moisture or wax.The wood will also darken and bring out the red hughes.They will return to the shade you started with in a couple of weeks or sooner if left in sunlight for a few days.Rosewood is the only wood that has the ability to draw in oil to its center. This is how the trees when alive protect its core from invasive insects.

 

[Dan Carey]

My nickel says that the grips were refinished in the past or subjected to high humidity for a while, or both. In any event, I kind of like their appearance!