Cleaning oil soaked and stained wood grips

[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?