Grip Repair Question

[LugerVern]

After cleaning some really dirty grips I noticed a crack extending down the full length of the right grip, it will need to be repaired.

I usually do this with superglue because of the strength but I wanted to ask some opinions of the forum members, should I use a wood or white glue instead?

My method of past repairs as I said was to use superglue and then to gently wipe the surface with acetone removing the surface glue, this provides an almost invisible repair if done correctly. I am always game to learn a better way however and thought I would ask.

Thanks

Vern

[thegundude]

Personally, I let Hugh Clark work on my grips. He does such a great job everytime for such a small price that it doesn't make sense for me to try it myself.

And I consider myself to be pretty handy with gunsmithing stuff. I custom built the AK pistol in my avitar from scratch...

[Hugh]

I use superglue.

A little known fact:
Linseed & Tung Oil act as "kickers" for superglue, so when gluing old oil soaked grips, you sometimes have to work fast before it hardens.

I save my sawdust from checkering old grips. When I need to fill a hole or do some patching on damaged grips, I fill the area with the oil impregnated sawdust & then put a drop or two of superglue on it. It will set up so fast & generate so much heat that sometimes it will bubble and you can see smoke rise from it. The patch will closely resemble the color of the grip, usually just a little darker, and after an application of Walnut stain, you can hardly see the patch.

[LugerVern]

Thanks for the pointers Hugh!

[Luke]

Hello Hugh,

Thanks for sharing. I have used superglue on a broken chip underneath the safety lever with excellent results. The repair was so good that it is almost impossible to find it, even knowing that it has been done.

Luke

[saxman]

Super glue - the thin, watery kind for cracks in wood parts that are still basically whole, just cracked. I just clean the grip with dry cleaning solvent (brake cleaner spray) and a toothbrush to get rid of oil/dirt. Then I start wicking the SG into the crack from the back of the grip panel. As soon as a drop soaks in I add more. Eventually it gets saturated - it's a 'feel' thing for knowing how much to put in, how fast and for how long. 24 hours later the grip is hard as a rock. Excess SG can be taken off with Acetone.
The gel kind is good for putting pieces of wood back together. After curing, you can treat the joint with the liquid SG to complete the repair. I've been known to stain and oil grips after this kind of work and the repair is nearly invisible. The beauty of the liquid SG on wood is that it wicks all the way to the end of the crack as it soaks into the wood on both sides of the crack. Once you get it to the saturation point and let it cure overnight, the joint is stronger than it was before the crack. I have fixed shotgun forends, M1 Carbine stocks behind the recoil lug, sheared-off bolt-action stock recoil blocks and behind the action 'tang' and of course pistol grips.