Cas City Forum Hall & CAS-L
Special Interests - Groups & Societies => SCORRS => Topic started by: The Trinity Kid on July 23, 2020, 06:36:19 PM
-
Greetings all.
I’m about to embark on the journey of refinishing the grips on my Pietta NMA . I’m just wondering what the best method for removing the old finish would be. It looks like a painted on type of finish, which seems like it would be tough to remove with sandpaper alone. Would I be best served with a wood stripper, or something else?
—TK
-
I've done one by just sanding. Usually I just replace them with something else, though. You could probably use paint stripper and not take off any appreciable amount of wood.
-
Don't sand them , you will alter the fit...
Use Klean-Strip or Citrus strip both are water clean up
take old flat pan or make a tin foil tray ...paint the grips and allow to work
Use old credit card of or a gift card as scraper you will want to do 2 or 3 applications and cardings
wash off the excess , I then use acetone it will get any remaining poly varnish and will evaporate water quickly
You may want to do this twice also....
Your grips should be down to bare wood, allow to dry and use 0000 Steel wool , you are ready to finish
You can use Tung oil, Danish oil if the grips are not colored the way you like
Personally I use just Skidmores Wood restorer and Johnsons Finish wax
-
Don't sand them , you will alter the fit...
Use Klean-Strip or Citrus strip both are water clean up
take old flat pan of make a tin foil tray ...paint the grips and allow to work
Use old credit card of or a gift card as scraper you will want to do 2 or 3 applications and cardings
wash off the excess , I then use acetone it will get any remaining poly varnish and will evaporate quickly
You may want to do this twice also....
Your grips should be down to bare wood, allow to dry and use 0000 Steel wool , you are ready to finish
You can use Tung oil, Danish oil if the grips are not colored the way you like
Personally I use just Skidmores Wood restorer and Johnsons Finish wax
This is what I did. I used Citristrip to remove the old finish, a little diluted leather dye to color the wood and Truoil to finish. It worked pretty well.
-
Major, this looks great! Did you darken them with anything before putting the finish on?
(https://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?action=dlattach;ts=1595555641;topic=64298.0;attach=105940;image)
-
Not these on this Uberti SAA or the set on the on the Kirst conversion Pietta both were black walnut .
Just Skidmores Wood cream followed by Johnsons Finish wax.
The Cimarron 1911 grips yes , OEM varnish was stripped then
Minmax Dk. Walnut was used and rubbed in = (before) & after then Skidmores & Johnsons
-
This was a new unfinished DuPage stock walnut replacement stock , just Shidmore's rubbed in & Johnson's finish wax...
are the only products used .
The hand guard and forward wood is is original wood to the Gun , and was refinished using only Shidmore's rubbed in & Johnson's finish wax.
The Johnsons is actually hardwood floor finish wax used in Bowling Alleys
-
Major, is the Skidmore's you use? I have a grip to put something on to make it a little nicer.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/fq0AAOSwGaVeRXZ3/s-l1600.jpg)
-
That's the stuff...if you go to their site , you will read is is the same as the Leather cream...and does just as nice on leather. ;D
-
Thanks, Major. I've been wanting to get some for leather anyway so that's a no-brainer. Got it ordered.
-
Thanks all.
I’m thinking I’ll use linseed oil, with a little bit of either cherry or walnut stain depending on how the wood looks after that old stain is gone. Then a coat of Obenaufs leather protector, since I’ve had good luck with that in the past on wood.
—TK
-
You will want boiled linseed oil, if you go that route
-
Here's what I did with my 1873 Uberti Winchester
-
I have the second coat of citristrip working overnight. The first coat seemed ineffective after 4 hours, so I have a second working. We’ll see.
—TK
-
I found that with the hard, plastic-like finish, it did take multiple applications and some serious scraping to get down to bare wood. I even (carefully) used metal scrapers in the earlier stages...
-
I found that with the hard, plastic-like finish, it did take multiple applications and some serious scraping to get down to bare wood. I even (carefully) used metal scrapers in the earlier stages...
Good to know. I was thinking, depending on how my next scraping goes, that I might use a scotchbrite pad to see if that helps.
—TK
-
Must of the older finishes on repro's used a hard oil on the stocks finishes.
I used an oven cleaner like Easy Off to remove this hard oil and any coloring that may have been added. Water was all that was needed afterwards along with steel wool after dried to smooth out the wood.
By about 2005 or 6 I found that many of the hard oil finishes were being mixed with with poly. These required several coats of oven cleaner with a good washing afterwards. Keep in mind, most of these were on full length stocked arms like Springfield's and Enfield's.
All other procedures were much the same as has been reported here.
I hope this helps?
My best,
Blair
-
Must of the older finishes on repro's used a hard oil on the stocks finishes.
I used an oven cleaner like Easy Off to remove this hard oil and any coloring that may have been added. Water was all that was needed afterwards along with steel wool after dried to smooth out the wood.
By about 2005 or 6 I found that many of the hard oil finishes were being mixed with with poly. These required several coats of oven cleaner with a good washing afterwards. Keep in mind, most of these were on full length stocked arms like Springfield's and Enfield's.
All other procedures were much the same as has been reported here.
I hope this helps?
My best,
Blair
Thanks Blair -
That matches my experience with stripping recent finishes- the poly crap is tough and I had to resort to the dreaded
"do not use on wood" oven cleaner....
Fortunately modern Easy-Off, whilst nasty, is much less nasty than the old stuff used to be.
Still, I do it outside and whilst wearing gloves and a respirator with a carbon filter ( I have such delicate lungs ! ).
then remember to dispose of the waste properly. Don't want it mixing in with the ground-water.
yhs prof marvel
-
Well, calamity has struck.
The second coat was effective at removing the finish-whatever it was. But after washing the grips off and allowing to dry, I discovered that the right side grip has warped and cracked to the point that it doesn’t fit...
So, does anyone have a source for a good set of inexpensive grips?
—TK
-
I'll bet someone has set of take off or maybe a right side :-\
eBay has some Faux ivory or stag listed or VTI gun parts will have OEM grips
Or you can fashion a new Right grip using the left panel
-
Is there a chance that the grip would return to shape as it dries? Then maybe the crack could be repaired. I don't know, just brainstorming...
Sorry for the problem!
CC Griff
-
Is there a chance that the grip would return to shape as it dries? Then maybe the crack could be repaired. I don't know, just brainstorming...
Sorry for the problem!
CC Griff
Ah My Dear Griff
Nothing to to be sorry about....
That is a most unfortunate circumstance.... at this point I would consider attmepting to clamp it back into place whilst drying,
and glue up after it dried, there is little lost in the attempt now.
I myself am on the road to replacing a number of grips with the fake ivorys.
If I ever manage to get out from under unending HouseBoy duties I have enough Elk antler I have plans to try that as well.
yhs
prof marvel
-
Interesting development:
I was dinking around today, and had the brilliant idea to try and sand out the warped spots, now that the wood is dry. What do you know, the darn things fit. So I put a coat of BLO on there, and it closed up the spot where the wood cracked. So I’m waiting for it to dry a bit, and I’ll put a few more coats on, and we’ll see from there.
—TK
-
Interesting development:
I was dinking around today, and had the brilliant idea to try and sand out the warped spots, now that the wood is dry. What do you know, the darn things fit. So I put a coat of BLO on there, and it closed up the spot where the wood cracked. So I’m waiting for it to dry a bit, and I’ll put a few more coats on, and we’ll see from there.
—TK
If you can, try getting some thin superdglue into where the cracj is (was). If not, you'll have to rely on the stickum properites of the dried oil.
BLO is a wonderful thing, a very early and "all natural" self-polymerizing finish.
yhs
prof marvel
-
That's the stuff...if you go to their site , you will read is is the same as the Leather cream...and does just as nice on leather. ;D
I had some linseed oil on the grip already but it looked dull and lifeless. The Skidmore's arrived yesterday sooooo.... I just put a couple applications of Skidmore's over that. The wood came alive. I rubbed that out and it's great. Feels great, too. Thanks for the tip.
-
Skidmores is the best allaround I've found this side of JoJoba oil. Their wood cream is precisely same formula as their leather cream just different marketing. That said it'll restore a dry saddle to beat the band.
-
Hey Trinity, need pictures.
Later
-
Will do, as soon as I get to where I’m going and have a computer :)
-
Whenever you get where your going, There Ya Are ::)
Hide and Watch