Grips Refnishing

[simmitt]

I have a 36 snub and grips are numbered to the gun, i will send it back to Smith for reblue and just would like to know if smith will refinish them or is there anyone on here that will do a first class job, thanks.

 

[ralph7]

I must be missing something.
Looks good from here.

 

[simmitt]

36

the cylender has som chipping and the other grip has most of the finish gone but in good shape, the girl i got it from carried it and it just needs some love, not a old gun 75 or so just will keep for my dau. just waned to know if smith will refnish the grips.

 

[DWalt]

S&W probably would not refinish grips. There are several expert stock refinishers/restorers who can make wood grip panels look like new again, even badly damaged ones. However, that will cost $80-$100. However, if the only damage is to the finish, and there are no serious gouges, dents, chips missing, etc., you might want to refinish them yourself with one of the gunstock oil finishes on the market, like Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil. Another brand is Linspeed. My favorite is one of the tung oil finishes for wood furniture, available under several labels. If you use Tru-Oil, etc., it helps to dilute it a little with mineral spirits. Before refinishing, make sure you clean the existing finish well with mineral spirits first and go over it with 0000 steel wool. If you want to remove the existing finish, use Acetone.

 

[tlay]

The way I have refinished a couple of mine is to soak them in acetone for a few hours. Take them out and let them dry. If you have any dings you can use oooo steel wool. Be careful to not sand them too much especially if they are fitted magnas. Clean the checkering with a tooth brush. Now use true oil per the directions. Good luck.

 

[-db-]

See this: http://smith-wessonforum.com/lounge/145493-stocks-restoration-needed-now-completed.html

 

[eljaydubya]

Stock Refinishing

Contact DWFAN here on this forum. Excellent work.

 

[DWalt]

Anotherexpert on performing stock restoration is Hugh Clark
<[email protected]>

I think he charges $80/pair for a full restoration. So if you do not want to try it yourself and do not mind the expense, go for it.

 

[DRYHEAT]

A HUGE +1 for DWFAN!!!

He performed a miracle on my beat up/chipped diamond K Targets:

Before:


After:

 

[Gunhacker]

From what I ca see in the pic, it wouldn't take much to bring them back to life.

If there are no serious dents/dings and all they need is some TLC "refreshing" of the worn finish that is fairly easy.

First, S&W used a linseed oil based varnish, so we stick with that, no mixing Tung oil with the existing Linseed oi finish.

Take the grips off and do a good cleaning with mineral spirits, no need to strip them down bare with acetone, that's only neede when a ground up restoration/refinishing is needed.

Get some Birchwood Casey Tru-oil, wet a lint free cotton cloth and wipe the smooth non checkered areas with a thin coat, and let dry.

Reapply as needed, the goal is to reapply thin coats of oil to the areas with the worn finish and blend it into the existing original finish.

For the checkered area, if needed... an old tooth brush with just a tiny amount of tru-oil, and I mean a tiny amount... work it into the checkering with the bristles.

To much or to thick oil, and the space in between the checkering will fill in and look like hell, you want to barely wet it.

 

[hm427donzi]

What is used to fill the chips like photo #9 above. I've tried wood putty on furniture before but it never matches as good as his did.

 

[05CarbonDRZ]

Another question I have is it always seems like refinished grips come back looking alot darker than they did before,Why is this?