refinish Italian (red varnish) grips: advice?

[wheelyfun66]

Hey All,
Loving my super tight and accurate factory conversion 1858 from Uberti (Cimarron rollmarked)....

BUT....hate the red shiny grips!

Any advice for how to properly sand the varnish off WITHOUT altering the shape of the grips? They fit great, and I do not want to screw up the fit of them.....just the finish!

Any experiences to share?
thanks!

 

[ivankerley]

been kinda wonderin the same on my new cimarron 1860 Colt, theyre not obnoxious but im thinking something a little darker...
Good luck
Gene

 

[J-Bar]

Don't sand the grips.

Strip off the old finish with Citrus Strip; paint it on let it dry, scrape it off with a wooden paint stirrer, repeat.

Stain with the color of your choice, rub it down with 4/0 steel wool, then apply Tung Oil or Linseed oil.

It's the same process used on a rifle stock:

http://www.theopenrange.net/articles/ll_uberti_refinishing.pdf

 

[swathdiver]

I do EXACTLY what J-Bar recommends on all of my stocks. I prefer Linseed Oil.

 

[BCRider]

As a bonus an oiled wood grip is also less slippery when your hands sweat up.

The downside is that oiled wood also picks up a little more dirt over time due to skin oils and sweat. But the finish is easily cleaned by washing the finish down with mineral spirits and applying a fresh top coat of the original oil and letting it dry.

I prefer tung oil because it builds a little faster and dries a little faster than boiled linseed. I'm not a fan of raw linseed simply because it stays oily for months before curing. And that just enhances the finishes ability to pick up and hold more dust and dirt. On the other hand it's SUPER easy to maintain if you wipe it down with a mineral spirit rag and re-oil regularly.

 

[the Black Spot]

If you want white grips just lightly sand with steel wool and spray with appliance epoxy from rustoleum brand

 

[dagger dog]

There are some hidden treasures under the red dye, this is what I found under the dye on a Rossi rifle, the red was stripped and dark walnut stain was applied with 4 coats of TruOil , and a 0000 wool rub between coats, then several paste wax coats.

Maybe you'll find a hidden treasure !

 

[J-Bar]

Hidden Treasure

Yep, you can find nice wood under those factory finishes!

Here is a Uberti 1866 carbine that received the Citrus Strip/Tung Oil treatment.

I like the brass looking old, so no one needs to recommend any type of polish!!

 

[BCRider]

J-Bar, just don't let it go so far that it goes to green verdigris....

I agree, some patina on the brass makes it look less pimp and more workmanlike.

 

[dagger dog]

I like the brass looking old, so no one needs to recommend any type of polish!!

J-bar,
Don't you dare clean the brass !

If you want it period correct run 50 rounds black powder through it and just clean with warm soapy water, rinse, dry and oil wipe with a soft cloth.

But come to think of it, that looks like what you have been doing

 

[Col4570]

Strip the Varnish off,Apply Raw Linseed oil and apply some Langlow Terebine Driers on top of the linseed,wipe off leaving a little of the Oil and driers on the surface.using the palm of your hand rub the surface in a circular motion,allow to dry,.repeat until you have a nice oil finish and you are holding the Walnut not a surface covering.

 

[swathdiver]

Forgot to add that I've also used beeswax to refinish two pair of stocks and really like the look and feel too.

 

[wheelyfun66]

Love all the great advice!

I'll be sure to post before/after pics as I re-finish these grips!