Grip cleaning real easy!
 

Ok, I tried the finish stripper and I think that it worked great. But I did not want to let my grips sit a long time, so I got out the wifeâ??s "Oxi Clean". Mixed some up in hot water and placed the grips face down and let them sit for 5 minutes. I would agitate the solution every now and then. It really does get the rest of the crud out of the deep places. I then used a brush under tap water to rinse them off.

Doug,
What was the mix ratio (water/powder) for the Oxi-Clean?
Luke

Not real sure just filled up a 13"x9" pan about half full and dumped one scoop in. You can just see the water turn brown really quick. Make sure that the water is warm to hot.

You want quick? I had cracks in both grips, so I used a 'dry-cleaning' fluid to clean and degrease the wood so the glue would take. I used spray brake cleaner and a toothbrush. It's a five-minute job, and you're ready to fix cracks within another five minutes. Give a day for the glue to cure, then stain and/or oil (oil is required, since the brake cleaner really dries out the wood). I use raw linseed oil or Ballistol, depending on how the mood strikes me. I posted the superglue method of crack repair elsewhere on the Forum. The brake cleaner leaves the wood so clean that it's light-colored, so I stained before oiling. This also helped cover the dark lines on the old cracks that wouldn't come out. I'll post a pic of the grip as soon as I figure out how.

http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/1920lugerR.JPG

That is a grip worth saving, don't you think? The stain was some U.S. Army stock stain from Rock Island Depot.

In woodworking some of the exotic woods have a high oil content and wood glue will not properly adhere to the glue joint. I wash the surfaces to be glued with ACETONE which works quite well for the purpose.

I have also used this technique to clean the surfaces of cracked grips before applying epoxy.