Whats the best way to refinish walnut grips??

[1BLINDREF]

I bought a set of factory Sig walnut grips on eBay. The grips look like a 5th grader tried to refinish them. The person I bought them from will not take them back so I'm stuck with them. It looks like someone used stain on them and apllied it unevenly. There is not any sealer or clear varnish on them.
I'd like to refinish them so they at least look respectible, they are going on a shooter. I'm thinking of trying to sand them (the un-checkered parts) to the point of them being the same shade of brown or down to the bare wood and then refinishing them. What is the best way to refinish walnut, stain or some kind of oil finish? Which stain or oil finish would be best?
Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[glassman]

That's a tough one

I'm assuming that the grain of the wood is smooth but uneven as far as color variations go. You might try applying a thin coat of clear varnish or shellac to seal the wood. Let it set real well and then work any uneven spots down with some 4-0 steel wool. Tack it off and apply the stain of your choice in thin layers. Once you get the results you want, use some spray polyurothane (I prefer satin finish as opposed to gloss but ymmv) to seal in the stain and build up the finish. Two or three light coats with a light sanding with fine grit paper in between is better than one heavy coat. Use a tack cloth to remove the dust after each sanding. Be patient and be sure that each coat is totally dry before doing any sanding.
Now the caviat: I'm not a wood worker by any stretch but have used this technique on furniture with good results. Good luck with it.

 

[LHB1]

For many years, my standard stock refinishing procedure (pistol, rifle, shotgun) is to:
1. Remove stock/s from all metal parts.
2. Remove old finish (paint remover, sandpaper 220 grit and finer, etc.)
3. Sand stock down to at least 400 grit.
4. Stain if desired. I prefer to just use TruOil on basic wood and never use stain.
5. Apply coat of Casey's TruOil with finger tips and hang stock/grips until that coat is FULLY DRY.
6. Rub/sand lightly with 0000 steel wool or 400/600 grit sandpaper to smooth finish.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you are satisfied. I usually go thru 5-10 coats until I am satisfied with result.
8. TruOil dries to a glossy finish. If you prefer less gloss, rub with Brownell's XXX (3X) Stock Rubbing Compound. If you want to add some gloss back, rub with Brownell's XXXXX (5X) Stock Rubbing Compound.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

 

[Big Az Al]

Do you know or have any cabinent makers close by?

Those guy's have all sorts of tricks to cover or recover, from those A shucks what the hech did I do moments!

Maybe you good get some good advice free or maybe buy lunch!

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

To remove the varnish or stain from the checkered areas use stripper. Get a magnifying glass and a very small pick. Let the stripper semi dry and start picking out the stain and or varnish. Works very well and you will be surprized at how quick you can do it.