Help--oil stain on wood grip

wdavid431 · 11-09-2008, 08:45 AM

I have a very nice Luger with light colored wood grips. However, one of them has a very ugly oil stain about one inch long. I must have over oiled the firing chamber area and it ran down into the grip.
Murphy's Oil Soap and lots of washing has had no effect. Anyone know how to get the oil stain out.
I am at a loss now, so any help will be greatly appreciated.

Mauser720 · 11-09-2008, 09:23 AM

W. David -

I have one suggestion that will work but comes with big cautions, and one suggestion that I have not tied, but seems like it might work.

The first suggestion is to boil the grips in hot soapy water. This will get the oil out in even the worst cases. But the big problems are that it will also raise the wood so that any serial numbers or proof marks on the back side of the grip will disappear. Plus the grip will probably swell and may need to be refitted. So if you have a collector grade Luger, I would not do this even though it will work to get the oil out. If you have an ordinary "mix master" shooter, then these cautions may not be important to you.

Now here is one suggestion I have not tried, but seems like it has promise. Someone on this Forum recommended using "oil dry" that is used to soak up spilled oil on concrete floors for example. This stuff consists of dehydrated clay pellets that are very good at soaking up oil. It will be available in any auto parts place. It might be best to pulverize these pellets to create more of a powder. Then put the oil soaked grip and the powdered "oil dry" into a plastic bag with the grips. A food storage bag with a "zip lock" would be ideal. Then put the bag with the grips and "oil dry" in front of a light bulb so that it will get some heat. This will help the oil dry to soak out the oil., althought this might take a few days or even weeks.

I think that unless someone has a better idea, this second idea is worth a try since it is less invasive. And if you do try it, I would certainly like to know whether it works for you.

Good luck with it.

Mauser720 - Ron

MFC · 11-09-2008, 08:48 PM

Warren,
Try 'Simple Green' in a spray bottle. It is biodegradable and not harsh. It disovles oil much better than Murphy's. I've had great results with it. You can find it at your local Wal Mart.

11-09-2008, 08:45 AM	#1
wdavid431 User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Arkansas Posts: 135 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	Help--oil stain on wood grip I have a very nice Luger with light colored wood grips. However, one of them has a very ugly oil stain about one inch long. I must have over oiled the firing chamber area and it ran down into the grip. Murphy's Oil Soap and lots of washing has had no effect. Anyone know how to get the oil stain out. I am at a loss now, so any help will be greatly appreciated. __________________ W David

11-09-2008, 08:48 PM	#3
MFC User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Louisiana Posts: 1,237 Thanks: 183 Thanked 281 Times in 162 Posts	Warren, Try 'Simple Green' in a spray bottle. It is biodegradable and not harsh. It disovles oil much better than Murphy's. I've had great results with it. You can find it at your local Wal Mart. __________________ Mike C.

11-09-2008, 09:23 AM	#2
Mauser720 User Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Kansas Posts: 535 Thanks: 18 Thanked 49 Times in 33 Posts	W. David - I have one suggestion that will work but comes with big cautions, and one suggestion that I have not tied, but seems like it might work. The first suggestion is to boil the grips in hot soapy water. This will get the oil out in even the worst cases. But the big problems are that it will also raise the wood so that any serial numbers or proof marks on the back side of the grip will disappear. Plus the grip will probably swell and may need to be refitted. So if you have a collector grade Luger, I would not do this even though it will work to get the oil out. If you have an ordinary "mix master" shooter, then these cautions may not be important to you. Now here is one suggestion I have not tried, but seems like it has promise. Someone on this Forum recommended using "oil dry" that is used to soak up spilled oil on concrete floors for example. This stuff consists of dehydrated clay pellets that are very good at soaking up oil. It will be available in any auto parts place. It might be best to pulverize these pellets to create more of a powder. Then put the oil soaked grip and the powdered "oil dry" into a plastic bag with the grips. A food storage bag with a "zip lock" would be ideal. Then put the bag with the grips and "oil dry" in front of a light bulb so that it will get some heat. This will help the oil dry to soak out the oil., althought this might take a few days or even weeks. I think that unless someone has a better idea, this second idea is worth a try since it is less invasive. And if you do try it, I would certainly like to know whether it works for you. Good luck with it. Mauser720 - Ron