Wood Color, Grips and Bottoms???

[G.T.]

Hi to All! It would seem that everyone who looks at Luger wood, sees a different picture, both of what it is, and also what it should be! I think that sometimes in our quest for correctness, we overlook the obvious.. And that is, most likely, that very little was done to the wood to finish or preserve it, or protect it from use! I personally believe, after examining 100's of original magazine bottoms, that very little was done in this area.. I do think the following to be most possible... 1) I believe a definite effort was made to select excellent quality European Walnut heartwood of a uniform color and grain.. 2) I believe they also took great pains to make sure the lumber was sawn the same way, most likely riff cut.. 3) I believe any finish type was fast & fuss free... as in Linseed oil with a dryer, Danish type oil, and at times, a very thin, fast drying varnish... I don't think it mattered, only that it was fast, and not messy... probably batch done, heat dryed... I have on rare occasion seen reminents of varnish on the top parts of P.08 mag. bottoms that were never before removed from the magazine shell, until I got my grubby little paws on them! And they definitly showed signs of a non-penatrating finish, but it was very rare... so that would explain the normal soft, or satin look to most Luger wood... Less is more, so to speak.. How about color? 1) again, uniform wood selection. 2) very,very light analine dye (in with the finish)... again, less is more.. Tone contrast? This is a tough area... this is where we talk ourselves into things... somehow, we have the perception that Luger wood should be dark if it is old! Well, it didn't start out dark.. the color/tone of the backside of the grip, is the same as the front side was, when it was new! The difference should be significant, but not drastic.. Also, 100 years of age, is almost impossible to reproduce, without 100 years of time!! Handling, oils, sweat, grease, grit & grime all add to the ageing effect you now see! That is NOT the same as stains or dyes that usually hide the grain, or provide a cloudy cover... Burnishing from use is also a factor... actually a big one, and again, is something that can only be accomplished with use and time... So I guess the point of this little speal, is, don't have a set color in your mind as a benchmark.. Better yet, is to use the color on a protected area of the wood part, and draw your conclusions comparing the rest of the object in question, to that area! Commercial units may have a different set of parameters.. but I'm pretty set on the military stuff! Best to all, til...lat'r...GT