[moosedog]

I have had great results with "Howard's" Orange oil followed by their"Feed & Wax". Availible at Hardware stores.

 

[rj]

greetings , I recently purchased a clean set of stocks ( or grips) which ever you perfer for a late 1960's colt det special and the wood is very dry , what can I use to put some life into the grips that will not stain my clothes and not be slippery as i do carry this old colt , please advise rj

 

[asa]

If the finish is worn off, one method is to use Tru-Oil thinned 50-50 with mineral spirits. If some finish remains, steel wool it (0000) off. Apply the oil sparingly to the checkering with a toothbrush and with a finger in the uncheckered areas. Rub until it feels dry (it really isn't) and let dry at least 24 hrs. Rub everything gently with 0000 steel wool and repeat the process until you get the results you like. One coat is usually enough in the checkered area so the grooves don't fill up. If you want a darker finish, add some walnut stain to the mixture. I've done this with several old Colt grips and they end up looking great. -Asa

 

[Robert W. Simms]

For wood grips that have shrunk with age, is there any method that will expand them back to their original size (steaming, for example) so they fit correctly again?

 

[lonewolf]

David Chicoine,in his book,Gunsmithing Guns of the Old West,goes over this. If I recall,it is to make a very thin "spacer" the size of the grip frame out of a very thin wood,such as basswood(?) as used by modelers,then attach the shrunken grip to it and "feather" in the grip and thin wood spacer to match. I will try and look this up later,when I find the book. Bud

 

[Gatofeo]

I like Old English Oil, lemon, readily found in the furniture polish section of any store. It has the consistency of water and will creep into the finest spaces.
I have a nice piece of driftwood I found 30 years ago. A year ago I noticed that it felt very light and seemed like it was getting "punky."
I used a new paintbrush to slather the wood with that oil and it soaked it up immediately. Did the same thing the next day. It brought out the grain in the wood and stopped its drying.
I've used it on rifle and shotgun stocks, and handgun grips, for many years. It's good stuff and very inexpensive.
I also like Howard Feed N Wax, made in Paso Robles, Calif. See their site at www.howardproducts.com
Their Feed N Wax is made of beeswax and orange oil and leaves a nice, dull shine on wood. The kind of dull shine that the old Winchesters and Colts had long ago, before plastic finishes became the rage.