Bees Wax for refinishing grips?

[wheelyfun66]

Hey All,
I took some advice from this forum and stripped my grips of that horrible red varnish that Uberti applies to their grips.

I hope/think I remember someone here giving advice about refinishing grips with Beeswax?

Something about heating up the beeswax and dipping the grips in?

I'm not sure about how protective that would be, or if it gets greasy when warmed by hands?

I just bought a couple of small cakes of Beeswax, because I love the idea of something so.....natural on my grips!

Here is the before pic of my Cimarron 1858 in 45Colt:



I will thank you all in advance for any tips/tricks/advice regarding refinishing with Beeswax.

 

[LAGS]

Nice job on the grips.
I dont like the way the Bee's Wax Handles the heat here in Arizona, so I opt for stripping the grips, and finishing them in several coats of Boiled Linseed Oil, hand rubbed in.
And if you want them teally shinney for display, I put on a rand rubbed coat of Johnson's Paste wax.

 

[wheelyfun66]

Nice job on the grips.

Those grips that are pictured are NOT the stripped version, but the ugly red from the factory....LOL!

I'll post more pics when I have them re-finished!

 

[Crawdad1]

Here is one if the posts on beeswax. Scroll down as there is a bunch of good information for getting rid of the Uberti "Red".

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=725105&highlight=Crawdad1

 

[wheelyfun66]

Thanks Crawdad1,
That was the thread that I was looking for!

I bought the beeswax today, just finished stripping the grips with Citristrip this morning.....

Now I can sand with some 000 steel wool, heat the wax, dip the grips, etc...

Can't wait to have some great looking grips on my 1858!
Every time I saw that hideous red from Italy.....

 

[Patocazador]

I'm in the minority. I like that original color on the grips .. if they're like the first photo shows. I thoroughly dislike the blonde colors that seem to be popular now. It looks like pine or poplar - YUK! Give me walnut or rosewood any day.

 

[LAGS]

I like the red color too, as long as it isnt that Plastic Red color.
Minwax makes a stain that is called Gunstock that I use on light woods.
It comes out with just the right shade of red without looking like Deep Cherry, Mahogony, or Redwood.

 

[Crawdad1]

That's great!!! How about some pics after you're finished.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Pure beeswax was the original finish applied to long rifles. Since you're in Vermont, go for it. Apply a little, remove it. Repeat. You want to fill the pores.

 

[SC Shooter]

Bees wax does tend to get sticky in the heat. As mentiond previously, linseed oild is the best standard of finishing good wood. Also, Fromby's Tung oil is good after you have the old finish removed. It is also a lot easier than linseed.

 

[44 Dave]

I have used the Fromby's Tung oil on several pistol grips, it is easy stuff to work with and you can get a nice mat finish.

 

[Spitdog]

Hey Wheely, where did you get the holster? I need one like that.

 

[Don McDowell]

Bore butter will put a good polish on stocks as well.

 

[rondog]

Spitdog - kinda looks like a Hunter holster to me, I have one very similar..... http://www.huntercompany.com/

And I thought those grips looked great as they were! At least in the 1st photo. I don't know about using beeswax by itself, but Tom's 1/3 Military Stock Wax (aka Gunny Paste) works great. It's 1/3 each beeswax, tung oil, and turpentine. Good stuff.

 

[wheelyfun66]

Hey Wheely, where did you get the holster? I need one like that.

Cheapo from Cabelas...

 

[wheelyfun66]

And I thought those grips looked great as they were!

It isn't so much that I hated the red color of the Italian grips....It is that they were slick as all get-out in the hand!
(although....I hate the red too!)

 

[Crawdad1]

Also, there might be some beautiful natural wood underneath that coat of 'Red' that Uberti likes to hide. You'll never know until you strip off that factory coating.

 

[wheelyfun66]

Bees wax does tend to get sticky in the heat.

Do you think I might regret using straight beeswax?
I do live in a mighty tame spot, regarding heat...but would hate to have a gooey mess come summer!

Why do I SOOOOOOO love the idea of using straight-up beeswax?

 

[swathdiver]

In Florida here and the summer heat was no problem for my beeswax grips.

 

[kBob]

I used straight Bees Wax on a rifle stock. I just rubbed it in a bit, then stood the rifle in the sun for a couple of hours and then rubbed some more turned it over a repeated, numerous times. I repeat this every couple of years on a wall hanger that does not get out much. I think it looks nice on a rifle but have not tried it on a handgun to be worn in a holster and rubbed a lot.

I too am in Florida and it has not dripped off the wall yet.......

-kBob

 

[Spitdog]

When I refinished my grips I used Toms 1/3 mix. Do a search. Its a mixture of bees wax and linseed oil and I think turpentine.

My grips before i refinished them were just to smooth due to 0000 steel wool and the finish that was on there. It felt like I was holding glass or something,so I refishished them but used a little rougher sand paper along with the 1/3 mix and there perfect now.

 

[BCRider]

I'd rather start with a few coats of tung oil before adding the wax. The oil will harden and create a more protective base for the wood.

With the wax only handling the gun during shooting will soon mud up the wood with the wax holding all manner of dirt. Also the finish can become spotty with wax since the common gun cleaning solvents and oils will tend to dissolve and wash away the wax. That's great for cleaning the wood but it means you need to then re-wax the wood to get the finish back. On the other hand correctly cured finish oils will be quite highly solvent resistant.

If beeswax is a traditional wood finish for such things then fine. Sometimes it's nice to work with the traditional options. But don't be surprised if it turns out that the traditional finish was chosen for cheapness and ease of availability over longer term durability and appearance.

 

[whughett]

For those folks interested in refinishing/finishing gun stocks for the first time I would suggest a book entitled "Understanding Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner, Rodale Press, 1994.

While directed primarily to the refinishing if fine furniture, in my mind gun stocks are just that both in form and function.

The chapter on oils, both natural and polymerized as well as those formulate with varnish are useful as a finish on gun grips.

As mention elsewhere in this thread, waxes are not suitable as a long term finish for the wood itself, but more as a finish for the finish.

As a hobbyist builder of furniture my final finish is always a rub out with 0000
Steel wood or scotch brite with a wax.

 

[wheelyfun66]

Thanks all!
I will finish with Tung Oil before treating with Beeswax!

Pics will follow as soon as done!

 

[crazsog]

I've used a mixture of about 60% walnut oil and 40% beeswax as a wood finish with great results on the stock of my rossi rio grande. Walnut oil penetrates well and dries very quickly so I also use it to protect my knife handles aswell.