Oven cleaner to clean grips ??

[AndrewC]

Hi all, the grips on my DWM are dirty and I would like to clean them up but I have a couple of concerns : grips are stamped on the inside and I am concerned about the grips swelling. Also I'm concerned about losing the stamping due to swelling. I have seen oven cleaner mentioned but no details. I have read the info in the general info section but prolonged immersion has me worried about losing the stamps....any Ideas ?? Cheers, Andrew

[crc]

Hi Andrew, If it was me, and you really want to clean them, I would get some Murphy's Oil Soap and an old tooth brush with a little bit of water and scrub them. Quickly rinse them off without getting them too wet. Pat dry, set on a dry towel for at least a day before returning them to the gun. Regards, Randy

[MFC]

Hi Andrew,
I've tried Murphy's which does work, but not as well as Simple Green. Simple Green works much better. It dissolves grease and grime easily with no harsh chemicals and is biodegradable. You can get it at Wal Mart in a spray bottle for about 3 bucks. I would only spray the outside of the grips if there are stamps on the inside. Do as Randy said, use a soft bristle toothbrush and a little water. Lightly scrub and rinse with water without getting the backs wet. Pat dry with a towel, and then let them sit in direct sunlight all day. Put a very light coat of boiled linseed oil and pat dry. You can get that at Wal Mart also, in the paint department.

[Edward Tinker]

+1 on above. I have used paint remover on grips, and other cleaners, but less is better. I have been happiest using Murphey's or that 'green' cleaner stuff? They may or may not get super clean, but thats okay. After cleaning they will sometimes look very grey after they dry, but a coat of boiled linseed oil and they will be just fine (or tung oil or the like).

Ed

[Steinar]

Just don't press too hard, they become more fragile when wet (I have broke a panel that way with surprisingly little force). Make sure they are 100% dry before you oil them up.

Btw.. the products mention by the experienced gentlemen above is probably great. But if you like me, live in a place where they are not available.. I have had succsess using baby soap with a netural Ph and a soft baby tooth brush. After all.. they are my babies

[cirelaw]

Were they they coated with anything when first issued? All of mine I leave bare and wouldnt ever put anything else on. For cleanining a small amount of toothpaste applied with your thumb works great!

[AndrewC]

Thanks to everyone for the GREAT advice ! I'm looking foward to this project and will post some before and after pictures as soon as I'm done. I have both Murphs and Simple green on hand so I'll get started right away. Cheers, Andrew

[AndrewC]

Hi cirelaw, I'm not really sure if they were coated as they do look to be pretty dirty. On the back side of the grips it looks like there may be some evidence of varnish? along the edges of the grips in some areas. Thanks for the tip on toothpaste, nothing like a Luger with a nice smile ! Cheers, Andrew

[AndrewC]

Thought I would show some before and after pictures of the grips. I ended up using Simple Green cleaner with a light scrubbing with a soft toothbrush, then a light rinse with water, pat dried with a paper towel then left to air dry for 4 days before applying a light coat of boiled Linseed oil.

[AndrewC]

The bottom three pictures don't do the grips justice, they turned out lighter than the pics suggest and have a nice rich look to them. Thanks again guys for the great advice I'm really pleased with how they turned out. A side note: after cleaning I realized that it looks like the left grip was replaced when the mag safety spring was clipped as there is no relief cut into the back of the grip. There is what looks to be a gothic S and a bell?? with something on top stamped into the back side of the grip. Cheers, Andrew

[JRS]

I have used oven cleaner with excellent results. But I have found the best solution is to go to Simpsons Ltd. or Nill Griffe in Germany and just buy a new set of grip panels. As you can obviously tell; I am not a collector; my Lugers are Shooter-Lugers.

[Merick]

Supposedly oven cleaner (lye based) is harder on wood than need be. I have used acetone on some shotgun stocks and it will pull soaked in oil and old finish off effectively, but be careful as it is about the most flammable thing that you can buy. I am a fan of boiled linseed oil, but walnut oil is sometimes available at the grocery store by the salad dressing and it is supposed to be good for walnut wood or so I hear. A single coat of tru-oil cut with paint thinner would be the most durable finish for a shooter I would think.

I would be interested to hear thoughts on preserving the integrity of the wood versus preserving historical patina.

[Hugo Borchardt]

I used this method and they looked great:

http://militariana.com/cleaning-luger-grip/

[sheepherder]

I used lacquer thinner to strip a pair of mauser C96 grips; however, there is a chip I am considering filling in so I haven't finished [Linseed oil] them yet...

They may not be original [no numbers on insides] but they fit much better than my aftermarket grips...

(New/aftermarket on left; stripped original on right)

[cirelaw]

I have tried simple tooth paste aplied with my thumb under warm water. Simple and harmless!

[AndrewC]

I tried the Simple Green and water and was pleased with the results. I willtake some more photos in better light then repost. Thanks again everyone for the GREAT advice, this pistol means alot to me and knowing their are people that have this much love and knowledge for these guns and are willing to pass it on, helps take the stress out of shooting/caring for them ! Cheers, Andrew

[Vlim]

I have a 1972 transitional Mauser Parabellum that the previous owner had 'pimped' by coating the grips in a high gloss varnish. The grips were stripped of the varnish (and all remains of original coating) using a normal commercial paint stripper. I used a thick haired brush to brush out the remains of the varnish between the checkering and then recoated them with boiled linseed. They were relatively light after the linseed was applied, but after a year or two they nicely aged to a mid brown shade.

Fortunately, we know how Mauser treated their post war grips: They were coated with linseed oil and then got a coat of varnish.

[JRS]

Vlim, you know more about Lugers than do the Germans and that includes old Georg Luger himself. I always look forward to your comments. Keep them coming.

[sheepherder]

To those of you who have used Easy-Off Oven Cleaner, Murphy's Oil Soap, Strip-Eaze, Simple Green, Cascade...How long do you let the grips soak??? An hour??? Overnight??? Til the cows come home???

And how long do you let them dry before applying the boiled Linseed Oil???

And finally, how long do you let the boiled Linseed Oil dry???

Thank You!

[MFC]

Postino,
I spray on Simple Green and lightly scrub with a soft toothbrush and rinse with water. I only do this to the outside of the grips if there are any stamps on the inside. I may repeat several times depending on how dirty the grips are. I really don't let them sit and soak. Simple Green dissolves oils and grime much faster than Murphy's. I pat dry with a soft towel and then put them in direct sunlight for several hours. I've read that a blow dryer also works. Don't freak out when the color changes to gray. You don't want any moisture/water left on the grips when you apply boiled linseed oil very lightly and pat dry. Let them sit overnight, and the oil will penetrate and some will evaporate.
It works for me.