Grip Tips

[DWFAN]

I made an offer in a different thread to share some tips on cleaning and re sealing grips without restoration. Well that resulted in a few emails from other folks. So instead of typing this numerous times, I'm lazy, It'll be just once.

Things you need.
Rubber gloves, don't be a hero, use em.
Mineral spirits.
A container large enough to soak the grips. A glass bowl works and when your done and wash it out the wife will never know.

A vegitable scrub brush. Nothing stiffer.
Boiled linseed oil or the finish of your choice.

Do this in a well ventilated area.
Put the grips in the bowl and cover with mineral spirits. Let soak about 10 minuets.
This is the tricky part. If the grips have had to much exposure to gun oil the diamonds will be fragile. Start by lightly scrubing in the direction of the cuts. A stiff bristle tooth brush can be used in place of the vegitable brush if you are so inclined. Do not return to spouse afterwards. Scub as vigorously as is safe. Less is better.
Let dry for two days. Do not force dry.
If you are satisfied with the results good. If not, do it again.
If they are clean, no oil residue, they will look dull and dried out. This is good.
The finish.
Everbody has different choises here. It depends on what you want it to look like. The easiest is boiled linseed oil.
Apply lightly, you just got finished removing old oil and dirt so you shouldn't need much. I use a tooth brush for an applicator and it allows me to spread whatever I'm useing out evenly. A cotton ball can be used to remove any excess oil. If cotton gets stuck in the wood just scub with a dry tooth brush and it will be gone. Let air dry for 24 hours and if you think you need more oil do so.
I use a horse hair shoe brush to final buff all
my work.
Other finishes are available and I use them but the linseed oil is the most forgiving for a beginer. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

DW

 

[DWFAN]

I made an offer in a different thread to share some tips on cleaning and re sealing grips without restoration. Well that resulted in a few emails from other folks. So instead of typing this numerous times, I'm lazy, It'll be just once.

Things you need.
Rubber gloves, don't be a hero, use em.
Mineral spirits.
A container large enough to soak the grips. A glass bowl works and when your done and wash it out the wife will never know.

A vegitable scrub brush. Nothing stiffer.
Boiled linseed oil or the finish of your choice.

Do this in a well ventilated area.
Put the grips in the bowl and cover with mineral spirits. Let soak about 10 minuets.
This is the tricky part. If the grips have had to much exposure to gun oil the diamonds will be fragile. Start by lightly scrubing in the direction of the cuts. A stiff bristle tooth brush can be used in place of the vegitable brush if you are so inclined. Do not return to spouse afterwards. Scub as vigorously as is safe. Less is better.
Let dry for two days. Do not force dry.
If you are satisfied with the results good. If not, do it again.
If they are clean, no oil residue, they will look dull and dried out. This is good.
The finish.
Everbody has different choises here. It depends on what you want it to look like. The easiest is boiled linseed oil.
Apply lightly, you just got finished removing old oil and dirt so you shouldn't need much. I use a tooth brush for an applicator and it allows me to spread whatever I'm useing out evenly. A cotton ball can be used to remove any excess oil. If cotton gets stuck in the wood just scub with a dry tooth brush and it will be gone. Let air dry for 24 hours and if you think you need more oil do so.
I use a horse hair shoe brush to final buff all
my work.
Other finishes are available and I use them but the linseed oil is the most forgiving for a beginer. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

DW

 

[toroflow1]

Does anyone besides me (and Kobold 27) just dunk the stocks in Acetone, let em sit for 20 minutes or so, then take em out..let em dry (which is usually LESS thank 5 minutes), then you're ready to sand if necessary and apply your finish.?

 

[DWFAN]

Originally posted by toroflow1:
Does anyone besides me (and Kobold 27) just dunk the stocks in Acetone, let em sit for 20 minutes or so, then take em out..let em dry (which is usually LESS thank 5 minutes), then you're ready to sand if necessary and apply your finish.?

Acetone will remove the patina that the wood has aged with. Do it whatever way you want but the tips are not for a refinish and will not remove the character.
DW

 

[digi-shots]

DWFAN,

Thanks for the tips!

I've used mineral spirits in the past with excellent results.

 

[tbury]

DWFAN, what is the finish on S&W target grips from the early 80s? I have a set that came on a 27-2 which has a rough spot near the cylinder latch that could use some smoothing and refinishing but I do not want to destroy the "original" nature of the grips since the gun is in 97-99% condition. If it is oil no problem if it is varnish I probably won't touch them.

 

[DWFAN]

tbury, polyurathne. The toughest, meanest, wrong thing to do to wood that was ever invented. It's simply awful to remove but easy to apply.
DW

 

[Smithhound]

Great advice DW, I've got a couple of sets of stocks I've been contemplating redoing.
One word of caution to all about boiled linseed oil, IT WILL self combust! If you use BLO, do so in a well ventilated area, when done with whatever aplicator you choose place it flat and by itself on a ventilated surface and let it dry, or, drop it into a can of water.
If anyone doesn't believe me you can easily demonstrate it to yourself, soak several rags in boiled linseed oil, plase tightly in a metal coffee can (outside)put a baking thermometer into the can with the tip well into the soaked rags and watch the temperature start to climb.
Withing about 10 minutes these rags will self combust and you will have one raging fire.
Be careful if you want to do this, or just take my word for it.
A painter friend pointed this out to me when he came to my house and found me finishing some woodworking with BLO in my basement. I figured he was kidding untill he demonstrated it. Changed my whole outlook on safety with finishing oils.
RD

 

[msinabottle]

I have some means of my own...

For a dark, oily piece of wood I use 100% denatured alcohol mixed into a paste with whiting, which is what they use to mark soccer fields, paint it on the oily wood, and let sit over night--it cleans off with rubbing or method 2... That'll take off a lot of oil and yet leave the wood patinated.

Method 2 is Murphy's Oil Soap. Don't laugh! It and Orange Clean are very effective, Birchwood-Casey's stock refinisher is also good. One of my mottoes is, 'Whatever works, do that.' I've also used Old English Scratch Cover and Lemon Oil with pretty good results!

Method 3 is... John Kelley's, the master gunsmith's, and what I did with the Surplus Special. You can buy purified linseed oil at Wal-Mart in their notions section. That does... Very good things to old wood.

Best!

 

[DWFAN]

ms, I like some of your methods all though useing the Murphy's involves water and the risk of raising the grain it will clean wood good. After all that's what we're after. Good wood.

DW

 

[petenh]

Thanks for the grip tips.
Heres a little more on linseed oil.
back in 1974 I bought a Buck 112 the instruction sheet that came with knife said to put a little linseed oil and rub into scales.Well I did that and spilled the can.I mopped up with some rags and placed in paper bag by the cellar stairs.Which I forgot about.later that day I came home and there was this burnt something outside in the driveway.I saw my Mother and she said she came in the house and could smell something so she went down cellar and found the bag.She said as soon as she threw it out on the driveway it burst into flames.I always remember that when when working with linseed oil.
Pete

 

[handejector]

Hi DW,
Great tips- thanks.
Jack O'Connor always wrote about using boiled linseed oil mixed 50/50 with turpentine. I used that for years, but finally got sick of the odor. One day, I mixed the oil 50/50 with mineral spirits and tried it. It is not as offensive, dries quickly, and penetrates well. I use that to clean grips like you are doing. I wet them well, brush with a soft toothbrush, and wipe off all I can. Kind of like your method in one step! I use a slightly stiffer brush covered with a thin rag to dry the checkering.
It is interesting what one finds in checkering sometimes. Candy or other gummy substances can be very annoying. Sometimes the oil/spirits does not dissolve them well. I get them wet anyway, and, while wearing a 5X magnifier, I push out the stubborn deposits with toothpicks. If the toothpick won't push it, I very CAREFULLY use a jeweler's screwdriver to pick it out. Like you said, the object here is to look like NOTHING has been done!

Oh- the rags: HEED the warnings seriously. I take the paper towels outside, drop them on the driveway, and light them. They don't burn long! Rags will be a bit more of a fire, so plan accordingly.

 

[Gatorbaiter]

There is lot of information available on the internet about oil finishes, including Boiled Linseed Oil and Tung Oil. Most experts are now recommending Tung Oil over Linseed Oil