1900 AE Shooter, and questions

[4 Scale]

Well Don we can always discuss, but for the moment I will keep plugging away. Even if this thing breaks or keeps shooting high, it still has value as a parts gun!

I have done a fair amount of research on grip restoration and have some woodworking background. In my opinion, acetone is the best solution to remove accumulated material on grips. It does not harm the wood it only removes non-wood material.

I do not recommend a toothbrush, those are too stiff and corse. Rather a fine-bristled, medium-stiff artist brush about 1/2" wide, available in any better art store. Per the microscope, most of the dark foreign material is in the grooves, and toothbrush bristles are simply too thick reach the base of checkering grooves. And they are a little too stiff in my opinion, with a toothbrush there is a slightly increased chance of damaging the checkering.

I pour acetone into a glass baking pan, about 1/4", and gently brush along the two checkering directions. Typically I change the bath several times, as it gets discolored. I am 100% sure (via microscope) that I remove grime without harming wood. I work fast - a minute or two per grip. You know you are done when brushing/rinsing stops darkening the acetone. Be sure to do it outdoor or with a respirator.

I know some collectors like to treat cleaned grips with boiled linseed oil and similar. With respect, I completely disagree. The oldest wood in the world (over 7,000 years old) got that way by being kept dry, cool and out of the sun. Oil and other foreign emulsions accelerate wood deterioration, based on my research which includes looking at some Smithsonian wood preservation papers.

I did some additional cleaning today, removing some stubborn junk using a #11 Xacto knife and the 'scope. I then used a very small amount of walnut penetrating resin stain to re-darken the tiny light areas caused by scraping off junk. I applied the stain with the point of a pin, again using the microscope. Here's a before and after.