Can somone give me contact info to get my grips refinished?

[JonnyBlue]

You guys mentioned sending in the grips to have the paint removed and "fixed"

You suggest that this is a good idea correct?

If so who could I call, do they have a website?

Also, what about shipping, i'd hate to have them cracked or damaged, I know to wrap them and box them good...

But i guess thats a risk you always have to take when shipping

Anyways any info regarding this would be appreciated

[Edward Tinker]

Johnny, folks were talking about Hugh, he goes by Hugh on the forum (see 1916 Erfurt he just sold in the last day or so).

I would get the smaller priority mail box, cost $4.05 to ship, wrap the grips in small bubble wrap individually and tape around them. It would be hard for them to get damaged, taking them off is more likely to damage them. Take off the grip screw, then gently push from inside with a finger and pry gently from the outside with your thumb or finger. Sometimes they stick and you can break them, esp the corner by the top, so take your time.

You could just use paint remover, although this is rough on the wood, I use orange smelling paint remover, it is fairly gentle, that and an old toothbrush, of course off of the luger.

Let them completly dry, then;

Well, they will look bad afterwards, but then you put on linseed oil and they look nice.

Ed

[Ron Smith]

Ed and Johnny,

I know that everybody has their favorite method and they use what works for them, but I would never use linseed oil. Linseed oil penetrates wood fibers and causes them to separate and become soggy. The very best product that I have found is Watco Danish Furniture Oil (natural). It doesn't damage the wood and about 3 good applications with a cotton ball, brings out a very rich natural and original finish to Luger grips. Dab it on with a saturated cotton ball. I "garon-tee" you will like the looks after ward.

I usually use warm tap water Dawn dish soap and a tooth brush and clean the grips first. Only get them wet enough to form a lather and brush gently until the lather turns brown Rinse and repeat. Rinse the soap off and dry them very well. Then apply the Watco.

Ron

[Edward Tinker]

Ron, never heard that before! I will try to remember not to use linseed oil. S#$%, now what do I do with that gallon of linseed oil....

[shadow]

Johnny,

There is a grip cleaning restoration page under the general information page in this site. I followed these instructions several months ago and the results were good. I felt funny soaking the grips in paint stripper jell but they looked great when the jell was removed. The Pilkington Classic Red Brown Linseed stock rubbing oil really added a nice color to the grips.

There are several pictures of Hughes work on this website and from what I can see his work is outstanding.


Hope this helps,

Chris.

[Hugh]

Johnny,

Ed has good advice about using the orange paint remover, that is what I use and it works great. If you follow his advice on shipping your grips, they should be ok.

If you want to try cleaning your grips yourself:
Remove the lacquer with the orange stuff. Then use Ron's method or my method to clean them. After they are completely dry, apply a little Tung Oil or Watco.

I use Simple Green to clean grips. It is a degreaser sold at Wall Mart and most auto supply stores. Scrub them with a soft toothbrush and then wash off. I agree with Ron that Watco is much better than Linseed Oil. Tung Oil is also very good. I usually brush on a little Tung Oil after checkering and staining grips. It really brings out the color of the wood.

If your grips need the checkering freshened after cleaning them, the price is $55 including return P&I. If you want me to clean and/or rechecker them, I will strip, clean & oil for $20 including return P&I. If they need recheckering after cleaning, I will only charge $10 for the striping & cleaning + $55 for checkering & return P&I.

My address is:
Hugh Clark
Box 598
Devers, Tx 77538

hhclark@wildblue.net

[Hugh]

For pictures of my grip work, go to the Members Gallery, page 11, Hugh's Grips & Toys, then open the first album.

[DaveinTN]

A wise friend once told me, "If you don't want to know the answer, don't ask the question!"

That being said, does cleaning the wood grips make a pistol any less desireable as a collector's piece.... or should they just be left alone?

Personally, I like the contrast of a lighter wood grain against the metal of the pistol itself, but if I found that it detracts from the value of the piece, then I would keep hands off.

Any thoughts?

Dave in TN.

[Ron Smith]

Dave,

Cleaning the grips of ages of grit and grime is preservation, not restoration. Removing as much dirt and crud as reasonably possible will preserve the grips.

If you bought a collector quality luger caked with dirt and residue, you would want to clean it as soon as possible. The same goes for the grips.

Ron

[lugerholsterrepair]

Jeeze..I have to agree with Ron..He must be reading up in his spare time...Jerry Burney