Grip finishing

[Popa Kapoff]

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Well I sand that candy coated shell off my Uberti's 1875 grips and i must say i like the way they looks much better. Now some one said to wipe it down with Lin Seed oil but I can only find it in 1 Gal jugs I have mineral oil for butcher blocks will this do the job with out making it like I'm holding a greased pig?

[Popa Kapoff]

Or is there a better way to protect these grips.

[Professor Marvel]

Ah My Dear Poppa -

Mineral oil is good for butcher blocks and kitchen knife handles, but it will not hold up to wear, tear, and or moisture.
If you have a Wally World or a Kay Mart nearby, both of them carry Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil, as does Sears, many hardware stores and even some hobby shops. A little goes a long way, a 3 oz bottle will do many many grips.
to quote the blurb
". It requires an average of only three coats and dries so fast - 90 to 120 minutes per coat - that a stock can be finished in one day!"

and it does hold up remarkably well.

you can even get it mailorder or via the interweb

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=4952/Product/TRU-OIL-STOCK-FINISH

hope this helps
yhs
prof marvel

[wildman1]

Formby's Tung oil also works very well. WM

[Popa Kapoff]

Well first coat is on of Tru-oil it clear give a nice appearance. Will apply more coats to see if it darkens up. Thanks PM I think its the same oil as thebucther block stuff just not food grade.

[Abilene]

I have refinished several Italian grips and stocks with both B.C. Tru-Oil and Formbys Tung Oil..  After stripping them with Citristrip they all were very light colored and needed to be stained before applying the oil coats.  I used Minwax "Special Walnut 224".

[Curley Cole]

Old Top refinished the grips on his 75 and this is the end result. He loves them.

curley

[Popa Kapoff]

Here's a pic of the Twins


I left some of the candy coating on the grip the other one will be stripped when I get home Thursday

[Professor Marvel]

Greetings Netizens -

Popa, I am happy it is working to your satisfaction and gladdened that I am able to be of any assistance, the small contribution I can make back to the good folks here is always gratifying to me.

I have been following on the tracks of Fingers,  Prarie Dawg, and others trying to steal acquire a small assembly of beater   functionally challenged C&B pistols at dirt cheap affordable prices and work my biggest hammer meager skills to screw them up  bring them back to life.

But Popa, Curley you gents are beginning to stir something up with those beautiful 1875's  .... especially the pair of Short Barrels, Popa!! ooohhh I am certainly smitten with those short barrels! and the 1875 frame is so robust and buxom compared to an opentop, rather like the comparison betwixt a Rubinesque Lady and a twiglike Supermodel....

Now I must go off into my garage study and cogitate upon the matter, and attempt to determine whether these stirrings are the beginning of a New Found Love and Desire or only indigestion ....

yhs
prof (must lie down until it passes) marvel

[Marshall John Joseph]

I have refinished many longrifle stocks and have found some outstanding products, easy to use.  Strip grips with a stripper - citrus based works well, but I use Stripeeze, available at Lowes. Sanding the finish may take off too much wood and wood to metal fit may be compromised.   Put on stripper per instructions on the can, let it work, use 0000 steel wool to scrub it off, and can rinse the rest with water.  Allow to dry.  A hair dryer will help.  Use the finest sand paper to "cut the wiskers" from the grips - caused by the moisture raising grain from the wood.  A light pass is all that's needed.

Next, I like to use Wahkon Bay finishing products.  I start with Wahkon Bay AQUAFORTIS which brings out the curl in the wood and adds a red color (not Uberti Red).  Once applied, you need to heat to get the chemical reaction.  It goes on and turns the wood green; the heat turns it reddish and grain and curl stands out.  Light sand again as wiskers will appear again.  Stain - I like Minwax Jacobean - it is dark, but over the red AQUAFORTIS, it gives a real antique look.  Use whatever color stain you want.

Lastly, (sorry fellars) I DO NOT use Birchwood Casey Tru Oil.  It hardens and gives a fake looking finish - and shines.  You can reduce the gloss with 0000 steel wool, but a far superior product - Wahkon Bay Tru-Coat stock finish.  It takes more time, but it is a real oil finish, intended for gunstocks, and used by old timers to get an authentic oil finish.  It is easy to use and a little goes a long way.  You can coat as often as you want and the finish gets better and deeper every time.


You can find Wahkon Bay products at http://muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com/cgi-bin/mbscart/agora.cgi?product=Gun-Finishes or just Google.

Good luck

MJJ

[Abilene]

Marshall, your description sounds interesting.  Would you happen to have any photos of wood finished this way that you could share?

[Popa Kapoff]

I'm not looking for a finish pur say but some thing to protect the wood I like the feel of naked wood in my hands. I think time and wear will give these grip that warn old west out on the range cattle driven look I want.

[Delmonico]

When it comes to putting finish on walnut that is attached to metal to make a gun, I'm a Luddite plain and simple.  Boiled linseed oil, lots and lots of coats wet sanded in till all the pores are full and glass smooth.  Nothing looks or feels like that, but you have to have time, often a month to do it right, but the results are well worth it.

I need to get some better photos, but that is what is on this Low-Wall rebuilt as a classic varminter:





Yes that's my helper's nose.

[Curley Cole]

Prof. M

since you are smitten, guess it is tyme to submit my 75...the antiquing is factory, and the grips even look a bit shrunken.

I won a pair of these with consc. serial numbers and the Will Ghormley Jesse rig


curley

[Coffinmaker]

Having been a professional woodworker, I take a bit different tack.  First, Oil doesn't finish.  Doesn't protect much either.  Does add color and I don't personally like it.
I don't much like stains either.  I like wood to look like the tree it came from as much as possible, so ............... I apply about 3 - 5 coats of clear, satin, spar varnish.  Oh, I use the spray stuff.  If you shoot enough, it even starts to show a little wear, just like guns use to, but then I re-coat.

Professor Marvel,
Blasphemy!!  I say.  There is no finer weapon for the discerning shootist than an 1871/72 Open Top!!!!  Now go wash your filthy mouth out with ....... Chocolate

Coffinmaker

[Professor Marvel]

My Dear Delmonico -

welcome to the Old Pharts Luddite Society!

Yes the numerous coats of hand rubbed Boiled Linseed Oil is so often the finish of choice, since, when properly done, properly heated, properly rubbed, and applied numerous times does in fact POLYMERIZE in the presence of air, over time forming a lovely protective film that is oh so glamorous and deep ....

Unfortunately our poor Original Poster  Popa was unable to locate quantities of that desirous commodity in anything less the Giant Economy Barrel size, thus my steering him AWAY from that strange mineral oil (which simply washes away) and towards one of the  Second Best products in 2-3 oz sizes.....

At this point I do not think it causes cancer (unlike certain other strange finnish products are purported to) ....


My Dear Curly -

Thanks for the pomegranates, Spunky loves them, and will be sitting up soon, I hope. ....

Thanks for the Eye Candy! I am becoming more and more enamoured to the looks of the 1875 frame as opposed to the Model P....

Professor Marvel,
Blasphemy!!  I say.  There is no finer weapon for the discerning shootist than an 1871/72 Open Top!!!!  Now go wash your filthy mouth out with ....... Chocolate

Coffinmaker

Ah My Dear Coffinmaker -

As they say, different strokes yadayadayada ...  some prefer voluptuous, some prefer skinny slender ...
I still love the Colt C&B and Open Tops, but what can I say.... if you are going to " increase the antie" WRT cartridge  pressure  that 1875 is looking remarkably interesting ....

altho I do like the chocolate idea .....

yhs
prof (hmmmm chocolatey!) marvel

[Delmonico]

Professor, what the OP needs is a good old time real hardware store, not a Lowes, Home Depot or Menards.  I'm lucky to have several here in town, you know the places where they know you by name and what you like to fix or build.  My local one carries smaller amounts of the stuff. 

I am now in a search for real old time varnish for a project for my wife, she bought a beutiful oak wash basin stand to hold a pitcher and wash basin in the outhouse upstairs.  Lookks good with the claw foot tub and the varnished oak trim.  But some time ago, some unwashed heathen has refinished the top with some sort of polly-yuck-a'thane finish and it looks all wrong.  A few hours with my sanding block and it will be fine.  Looks like I will have to mix it myself, seems to often had been a blend of shellac, boiled linseed oil and denatured alcohol.  I will experiment on scraps when I'm ready.

As for the extra linseed oil I need to find some good pigments and then mix some old time oil paint for some of my projects.   Oh and the turpintine will cure worms in a person.

Oh speaking of Luddite, you should see the really nice old jack plane I bought at a garage sale for $5.  I sharpened the iron and went to work.



The savings will be put in plain brown paper luch bags and put in the gear as fire starter. 

And Yuppies thought they were the only ones who recycle.  Heck I covered the knot hole on the one board by nailing a tuna can lid over it, which can be seen to the left.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

  A real simple way to do this is put your wood grips in a glass jar, then put enough Acetone to allow them to soak finished side down in the Acetone, I leave mine in for 24 hours, after that anything left on the wood/grips can easily be pushed or scraped off with your finger nail, there is no loss to the shape of the grip, and after they dry, can be finished the way you want, I like to finish mine in Arrowoil, here is a picture of how mine came out. The Arrowoil will give you a natural oil finish with a smooth satin look to it, yet this finish gives you a great surface to grip. You can darken the wood by methods mentioned above by others, but if you want a real dark walnut color, try some Fiebings Dark brown spirit dye, this is leather dye, but can be used for wood also, it will give you a real nice dark walnut brown, but if you use this , only put on light coats until you feel you have the color you want, let it dry completely, then wipe off any powder that might be left from the dye, then do your finish.

        tEN wOLVES  

[Curley Cole]

My Dear Perfesssor

Since you are lookin for "oddities" to substitute for the lowley P, I submit one of Old Tops lowly Schofields in the "one true calibre"

or maybe an Original MH also in said 44/40




curley

[Coffinmaker]

Delmonico,
As if you didn't already know, after you sand it, don't go near it with a plane.  The sanding grit left in the wood will do unspeakable things to the plane iron.  That's a nice piece.

Our ancestors made their finishes from what they had available and CHEAP.  The formulae for the old varnishes are readily available at the local library and some are surprisingly effective and great looking.
Shellac by the way, is the only finish listed as a FOOD.  At least as long as it hasn't been cut with an unnatural thinner.
Unfortunately, the "old" finishes aren't cost effective in todays "I want it now" mentality so we primarily use the "new" stuff.  Most of the old finishes weren't at all protective (water rings) and required a lot of care.

I really like the wash stand.  I really really like the tuna can lid.  Something I'd do to recover a period piece.  I hate to see some of the nice old pieces "refinished" in Poly, even if it is quick and easy.  Doesn't look right.

Coffinmaker 

[Delmonico]

Yeah, that grit would be hard on a plane iron. (See I remembered planes don't have blade, they have irons.)

Shellac gives the polished finish to some kinds of candy.  It comes from one end or the other of the Lac Insect from SE Asia.  It is also what real hat stiffener is.

Here is the wash stand, a nice little piece.



I've also been reading up on the old milk paints, looks pretty simple except I need to figure out some pigments or everything will be off white.

[Professor Marvel]

Greetings once more Good netizens -

Hurrah!!!  I see we have achieved THREAD HIJACK!!!!

Del -
Nice find on the Jack plane - is it a flat or corrugated sole? I really must dig mine out of the moving boxes and tune them up.

I trust you will be burning the "shavings" rather than the SAVINGS, I realize the economy is bad, and all. but still .....

Del, You may now join the card-carrying ranks of Old Phart Luddites. I shall put you on the list for a membership card.
There will be a wait as there is just a bit of preparation required to get the new cards out - 
I need to kill & skin the sheep, prepare the vellum, make a new batch of ink from lamp black, cut some new Goose Quill
pens and then I can proceed.

The Cards should be out sometime in the next Lustrum by foot-messenger.


Del & Coffin -

Instead of varnish finishes, which do tend to smell for quite a bit due to the linseed oil, I have switched exclusively to shellacs
which are fairly durable (as long as one uses a coaster) and very easy to repair. They are very non-toxic and very easy on anyone with  chemical sensitivities.


Ten WOlves & Curley -

Thank you for more eye-candy!!! ... it is most appreciated!
nice original M&H ... and you have it in hand, too!

-----

Regarding Milk paint, I had been looking into it as a non-toxic, quick drying alternative to conventional Indoor Paint
(until Lowes came out with the NO VOC paint line!)

It seems that pigmentation of Milk Paint  is a bit of trial and error, some folks use commercial paint pigments, some use dried Tempra, some seem to use RIT dye,  some use all natural materials like different ground earth, or berries!. Some even add boiled linseed oil for further durability, but that would make it all stinky again...

I understand one can also add milk curd (or substitute cottage cheese!) as a thickener/opague - ener and to add durability.

Don't forget "milk plastic" was one of the *first* plastic materials, and has been/still is used for costume jewelry of all things.

BACK ON TOPIC
but I would not recommend Milk Paint, Shellac, or Jack Planes on pistol grips.


yhs
prof (babbling) marvel

[Delmonico]

OK thank you Professor, after some study and research I found a good easy formula for milk paint, but the same website wants what I consider a steep price for pigment and they are in reality both cheap and as close as the grocery store.  The good thing is I work more evenings and I am home a lot during the day so as long as I use it right up I won't have to explain to my wife what I'm doing.  I may have to sneak an extra ice box into my shop area so I don't have to tell her not to drink the blue or red milk in the ice box.

The jack plane has a smooth sole. 

As for thread hijackings it might be interesting to start a thead just to see where it would go and the information we could pass along. 

[Delmonico]

Oh as a further from the original post, tommorow when I'm not so tired I will tell you how to remove the plating from hidges and screws, real screws with slot heads, I found a source and they also have machine screws with slotted heads and square nuts to fit them, sadly they are plated and have to have a bit extra time spent on them.

[wildman1]

As for thread hijackings it might be interesting to start a thead just to see where it would go and the information we could pass along. 

Might be interestin ta start one and see how long it takes ta get back ta the original (without proddin). WM