1860 Grips almost finished.

[amin ledbetter]

Well I final sanded the grips early last week, and started finishing them. I dyed them with the dark maple wood dye instead of the mahogany like I originally intended. This one is still dark but brought out the original red tones of the Koa wood. I then began applying Arrow wood finish to the grips. Letting each coat dry 24 hours before applying the next. Man it has taken forever it seems, but they are very close to having the finish I am wanting. I had to re-blue the back strap and polish the trigger guard so I decided I better test fit everything again. They fit very nice so I took a few pics outside since the sun was shining. Have a look.





Pics don't do them justice. Curly Koa is a beautiful wood! The fingureing of the wood with the dye on it actually disappears and reappears as you move the grip back and forth!

I have since taken the grips back off and applied another coat of Arrow wood finish. I am going to do some etching on the back strap like I did to my Dads 1860. See other post! This has been an extremely fun project! I can't wait to do it again! Gonna try a full rifle stock this winter I think.

[Doc O]

Very nice they look great.
Curly maple has always been my favorite but now I'm not to sure.

Doc