Finish on new grips?

[vern]

I just bought some walnut grips from CMR in England. They are very nice. I bought them to use as shooters and save the original grips on my 1918 DWM. They came unfinished and I intend to apply a few coats of boiled linseed oil. Is this how grips were originally finished? Any other thoughts?

Vern

[saxman]

My opinion is grips should be treated with a non-drying oil, such as raw linseed oil. Boiled linseed oil is basically varnish, and I think it makes grips look cheap. However, if they were varnished originally, go for it.

[ViggoG]

Raw Linseed Oil vs Boiled Linseed Oil

Boiled Linseed Oil is a misnomer, The Linseed Oil is termed "Boiled" when it contains a small amount of drying agent such as "Japonica" or any of several commercial drying agents available at most Hardware Stores or Art Supply Houses.

Raw Linseed Oil practically never dries to a "Tack Free finish" without the addition of a drying agent. It is well known for gathering dust and/or sticking to anything that it remains in contact with for a short period.
And at such times it usually leaves a small amount of its sticky oil behind where it was in contact.
FYI.
ViggoG

[Ron Smith]

The best stuff I have found to replicate the original finish, is "Watco" danish furniture oil. It penetrates and dries fairly rapidly, and does'nt darken the wood like linseed. Three light applications is about right.I use cotton balls, and "dab" it on. And then use an old toothbrush to remove any cotton fuzz that may be left behind.

Ron

[Luke]

Agree with Ron. I have experienced good results with Watco Danish Oil. I believe Hugh uses this same oil on refinished grips.

Luke

[Hugh]

Watco it is!, made of Tung Oil which is a better finish than Linseed Oil. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

[rayalbers]

I also jut got a set of the CMR grips. I intend to use the Watco oil BUT - I notice that Watco comes in several colors (e.g., light walnut, dark walnut, etc.) - what do you recommend?

Ray

[Edward Tinker]

Ray,

Grips are generally darker, but I think part of that is age? Grips came in light to darker colors, I personally like the darker, but also enjoy the wood if it has a nice grain to it. So, I would be tempted to buy some that was more medium, and go with that.

NOTE: I moved this discussion to General Discussions, since it wasn't specifically for a Military P08.

Ed

[rayalbers]

Thanks much, Ed.

I've ordered some medium walnut (as the grips are walnut) and will try that. Think I'll do small part of the back first, to see how that looks.

Ray

[Ron Smith]

Ray, I think you must be looking at the Watco with stain added. I use Watco Danish Oil marked "Natural" for original grips, after I clean them. However, if they are pale repros, then by all means use what you prefer. I just would'nt advise using anything but "natural" on original grips. Watco is the best I've found.

Have a Great 4th! Ron

[Sieger]

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by vern:
<strong>I just bought some walnut grips from CMR in England. They are very nice.

Vern</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Hi Vern:

Tell me, does the quality of your CMR Grips compare to that of the currently available Nil Grips?

How much do they run delivered?

How do I order a pair?

Sieger

[Luke]

The problem I have found with all repro grips, with the exception of Nil, is that they tend to be thinner under the safety lever and do not fit well there. This thinner part leaves a sharp metal edge exposed on the upper left side of the pistol grip. Not good.

I have heard that the CMR grips do not have this problem. Hope that is correct.

Regarding Watco: I have experienced good results with the Watco "Natural" as mentioned by Ron above. Actually, even the natural Watco will darken wood to some degree. It would be wise to first apply whatever Watco you choose to the back of the grip to determine if it is too dark. If it is too light, you can always make the grips darker. Making them a lighter color after staining is possible but not an enjoyable experience.

Luke

[Lugerdoc]

An old time gunsmith turned me on to Watco's Natural 30 years ago for that hand rubbed oil finish on stocks. It also does a nice job on Luger stocks. TH

[rayalbers]

Well, I ended up using the Watco "medium walnut" version - dabbed on several times, letting it dry half hour to couple of hours between, to get it a little darker. I'm very happy with the result (not 100% uniform shading, but OK) and the grips fit very nicely.

Ray