Cleaning oil soaked and stained wood grips

[rhuff]

I have had better luck with lacquer thinner than acetone or alcohol. I let them soak for a bit, and then use a soft toothbrush. It is a long drawn out procedure once one has removed the "easy part". The stains in the end grain area are tough.

[Olle]

Originally Posted by mrerick

The steamer has a wand that puts out a focused stream of steam. You put the washcloth directly over the dented area, get the steam nozzle down close to it and give a 15-20 second burst of steam.

The cloth will be wet, and the dent will gradually swell back to level.

This is an example of the kind of thing I'm talking about. I got mine at Goodwill...

http://www.amazon.com/DBTech-Multi-P...=steam+cleaner

Well, that's really neat! Never seen one before, but I think I need one.

Originally Posted by rhuff

I have had better luck with lacquer thinner than acetone or alcohol. I let them soak for a bit, and then use a soft toothbrush. It is a long drawn out procedure once one has removed the "easy part". The stains in the end grain area are tough.

I hate to work with lacquer thinner, but I'll give it a shot. I just got them out of the Strip-X, then scrubbed them with Murphys and they are starting to look pretty good now. There's just a little bit left in the end grain and some other spots, so I'll see if the lacquer thinner will do the trick. I probably need to let the wood dry for a while first, so the thinner will soak in good.

I have noticed that the very last spots usually take a while whatever you use, but it seems like repeated soaking and dabbing it with a dry rag speeds it up. Wicking out the dissolved gunk with the rag appears to be more effective than just soaking and scrubbing.

[Ron Wood]

Originally Posted by Olle

...Wicking out the dissolved gunk with the rag appears to be more effective than just soaking and scrubbing.

It takes effort but sometimes it is the only way to get out all of the old dirt and oil. I can go through a whole box of Q-Tips dabbing on solvent with one end and dabbing it off with the dry end. I'd really rather be reading a good book

[sheepherder]

I have used a combination of Citrus-Strip [and let dry] and lacquer thinner [and let dry] on these S&W K-frame grips. I just wanted to get rid of the remnants of the OEM varnish or whatever S&W uses. I'm not too particular about oil stains or chips as these are going on old police revolvers which show a lot of use on the metal parts. I just wanted a uniform glossy finish.

I spent a bit of time on the left set. Oil & grease came out pretty well with the Citrus-Strip & lacquer thinner.

To refinish, I tried BLO and it didn't look glossy at all. Strip & try spray-on polyurethane finish. Still not right (I have a new set of grips to compare them to). Strip again; same two-step process. Citrus-Strip & let dry; lacquer thinner & let dry.

Now they're dry. I'm thinking Minwax Furniture Varnish, brushed on. Neutral color.

Any ideas???

Ron???

[rhuff]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

I have used a combination of Citrus-Strip [and let dry] and lacquer thinner [and let dry] on these S&W K-frame grips. I just wanted to get rid of the remnants of the OEM varnish or whatever S&W uses. I'm not too particular about oil stains or chips as these are going on old police revolvers which show a lot of use on the metal parts. I just wanted a uniform glossy finish.

I spent a bit of time on the left set. Oil & grease came out pretty well with the Citrus-Strip & lacquer thinner.

To refinish, I tried BLO and it didn't look glossy at all. Strip & try spray-on polyurethane finish. Still not right (I have a new set of grips to compare them to). Strip again; same two-step process. Citrus-Strip & let dry; lacquer thinner & let dry.

Now they're dry. I'm thinking Minwax Furniture Varnish, brushed on. Neutral color.

Any ideas???

Ron???

I have had good luck with Formsby's Tung Oil for a matte finish, and Caseys Tru Oil for a satin sheen. It usually takes me 3-4 thin coats, and I use a soft toothbrush to remove excess finish from the checkered areas.

[Olle]

Originally Posted by rhuff

I have had good luck with Formsby's Tung Oil for a matte finish, and Caseys Tru Oil for a satin sheen. It usually takes me 3-4 thin coats, and I use a soft toothbrush to remove excess finish from the checkered areas.

I usually get a satin or semi-gloss finish with Formby's, but it's probably because I put on several coats. One coat will give you a dull finish, but I'm not sure how well that protects the wood from future staining.

However, I found a way around that the other day. I had a pair of grips that were so dry that they felt like balsa wood, so I decided to put three good coats of Formby's on them and the sheen ended up being the usual semi-gloss. Then I decided to wipe them with a little bit of tung oil, and after it dried they had a nice dull finish.

So again: What about the Easy-Off? What's the best way to use it?