Refinishing Pietta Grips

[The Trinity Kid]

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

[Marshal Will Wingam]

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.

[Major 2]

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

[Coal Creek Griff]

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.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Major, this looks great! Did you darken them with anything before putting the finish on?

[Major 2]

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

[Major 2]

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

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Major, is the Skidmore's you use? I have a grip to put something on to make it a little nicer.

[Major 2]

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. 

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Thanks, Major. I've been wanting to get some for leather anyway so that's a no-brainer. Got it ordered.

[The Trinity Kid]

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

[Major 2]

You will want boiled linseed oil, if you go that route

[Johnny McCrae]

Here's what I did with my 1873 Uberti Winchester

[The Trinity Kid]

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

[Coal Creek Griff]

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...

[The Trinity Kid]

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

[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

[Professor Marvel]

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

[The Trinity Kid]

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

[Major 2]

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