John Waynes yellow gripped Colt

[mjfleather]

For years I've read posts and articles about John Wayne's catalin yellow grips and when they first appeared supposedly in the War Wagon in 1967. Has anyone really watched his westerns? Take a look at The Sons of Katie Elder in1965 and see if you agree with me. In the grave yard scene you can see it I'm sure. I have movie stills also showing a yellow handled Colt that are definitely The Sons of Katie Elder.

 

[Saddlebag Preacher]

Youtube has a video from the NRA Museum with one of his guns in it. The one you refer to is a 44-40 Colt SAA that had the yellow grips with finger grooves on the inside left panel. Better for spinning they say. The grip frame was also from a refitted 1860 army or a reformed bisley grip, I just can't remember at this hour.

You can buy a replica from Cimarron Arms for around $500.00.

 

[rcmodel]

+1

They weren't 'yellow' grips.
They were either old, aged ivory on some of his early guns, or imitation ivory on later ones.

See this about that.

http://www.nranews.com/cam/video/jo...action-army-pistol/list/cc-sc-curators-corner

rc

 

[mjfleather]

John Wayne's catalin grips.

I know what they were and they were never real ivory. They were made of catalin. The question was has anyone noticed they first appeared in The Sons of Katie Elder in '65 and not in The War Wagon as everyone states. In the beginning they were Stembridge guns he rented for his films. The Bisely gun was actually a Bisely with an SAA backstrap and a rebuilt Bisley trigger guard so the Duke could make use of the larger finger hole. He owned this gun and gave it to Gary Hess in '78 with a halfbreed rig now in the hands of a private collector.

 

[mjfleather]

John Wayne's catalin grips

Forgot a footnote I was going to add. The two Great Western guns he owned and used in The Shootist actually had Ivory grips. Anyway, these catalin grips first appear in The Sons of Katie Elder not the War Wagon like is so often stated.

 

[35 Whelen]

You mean this one:





Cimarron makes the Rooster Shooter which is a copy of John Wayne's revolver. I was at the Cimarron store in Fredericksburg, TX a few months ago and they told me that particular model was in huge demand and that they had order for (going from memory) something like 150 of them.

I had one for awhile some time ago, and would have love to have kept it, but sold it for a nice profit.





35W

 

[Panzerschwein]

You can achieve the same effect by dying your ivory or faux ivory grips in strong tea or coffee.

 

[35 Whelen]

You can achieve the same effect by dying your ivory or faux ivory grips in strong tea or coffee.

Nnnnnope. I LOVE the look of aged ivory and I've tried everything imaginable to simulate aged ivory grips. Tea, coffee, shoe polish, leather dye, you name it!

The closest I've com is with tan leather dye, but even it wears off and turns to yellow...as in Big Bird yellow.

Here is an example of an attempt on my favorite Uberti after a fresh application of leather dye shown on an overcast day.




Then here's the same one needing a fresh application after a few hundred rounds have been fired through it:




The only method I've seen come close is the grips that have the color in the formula that's poured in the mould.

If any of you know of something that will tint grips such as these, please chime in!

35W

 

[rcmodel]

Hand oil, and dirt is what turns old elephant ivory that so attractive yellow color.

It can't be duplicated with dies, coffee, or tea.

Artificial ivory is either solid plastic, or laminated paper Micarta.

Solid plastic is plastic, and has no real open grain structure to hold, absorb, or retain die, coffee, or tea.

Micarta does have a little grain structure, and may or may not respond to dyes.


Further, anyone who would soak real elephant ivory grips in dye, coffee, or tea to artificially age them should be shot with the gun they are attached too!!!

Leave real elephant ivory alone!!

It will age to its natural creamy yellow on it's own if you handle it enough years.

rc

 

[mjfleather]

Gotta agree with you on that. Leave the real stuff alone. I did a set from Gripmaker with leather die and they look good enough but not totally real. One trick is to seal them with True Oil.

 

[CraigC]

35Whelen, great posts!

Further, anyone who would soak real elephant ivory grips in die, coffee, or tea to artificially age them should be shot with the gun they are attached too!!!

Ha ha, agreed!

 

[Stony]

I made up this set about 20-25 yrs ago. They were some of the original stuff that came out to look like ivory. I tried all kinds of stuff to make them turn yellow back then with very little in the way of results, but the longer I've owned them the more yellow they got. If you get real stag, horn or natural material like that, plain old Rit dye does a pretty good job. I've used it on antler material as well as powder horns with some good results.
The colt in the picture has been shuffled back and forth between a friend and I for about the last 20 years as he was using it for SASS....and yes that is a real 32/40 cartridge in the belt ( the same friend gave me a 94 Winchester in that caliber)

 

[mjfleather]

John Wayne's catalin grips

Here's a shot of the Gripmaker's grips done with leather die on my 45 in one of my handmade rigs.

 

[CraigC]

That looks great!

 

[opr1945]

I bought a set of bonded ivory grips. Used small wood screw to attach them to a piece of wood. then nailed wood to a fence, facing south, and left them there for two years. Left them out there in sun, rain, snow and whatever. they turned a nice shade of light yellow after that time.

put them on a model 10 and looks great. dont know if yellow will come off, but so far it hasn't.

FWIW opr1945

 

[mjfleather]

grips

Cool idea. Where did you get the bonded ivory?

 

[JackCrow]

"Further, anyone who would soak real elephant ivory grips in die, coffee, or tea to artificially age them should be shot with the gun they are attached too!!!"

Sigged!

 

[the Real Alpo]

It's dye. Die means something else entirely.

 

[opr1945]

"Cool idea. Where did you get the bonded ivory?"

bonded ivory grips are available on ebay. just read description carfully.