Grip finishing

Hi Mike: I used a piece of 600 paper (wet/dry type) by hand with a bit of water and polished mine but I wasn't trying for a glass smooth finish. I was aiming for a kind of smooth but used look and was satisfied. I then put a little stock wax on for good measure. I would suggest a wet/dry paper whichever way you do it since the water sure keeps the dirt moving off. Chris S

I got out some 400 grit wet and dry paper while I was feeding the dogs. Just using a 2" square with plenty of water smoothed things up quite a bit. Monday, I will go to the local hardware store to see if I can come up with some 600 grit. I was thinking some Trewax would shine things up as well as give a nice non-skid surface. Sure is starting to look nice, and I have a predilection toward one-piece grips. Of course, they won't go on a Ruger because of the construction of the grip frame.
I will post a photo when I get done. I have done lots of rifle stocks, but this is my first SAA.
Thanks for the advice,

Mike

I went to the local hardware store this afternoon in search of 600 grit wet/dry paper. The best they could do was 400 grit of which I have plenty. However, when I was explaining why I wanted such a fine grit, and old geezer, even older than me, piped up and suggested 0000 steel wool as he had used it successfully on rifle stocks. I have used it, too, on muzzle loaders I have built. So, I skeedaddled home and scrubbed away with it. Shined up the grips nicely, so I put on a coat of Trewax and called it good.
Now, if I could just remember how to upload a photo...
 
Mike
 
 

 
 

 

 

 
Leather by David LaFlair of Cochise Leather. For me, this is the Perfect Packin' Pistol now. I carry it everywhere. I drops right into my jeans pocket, and the ivory feels SO NICE. I think I will work on geting this done for all my revolvers, but I will let somebody else do the work. Doing one is fun, but repeats would be weary.
 
Mike
 

Those grips look great and I love the leather too! I usually wait a few months between doing projects like grips so that I forget the pain and jump right back in again. I have probably made over a dozen or so sets of grips out of various materials over the years, everything from black micarta for my Gold Cup to birdseye maple and walnut and even hard red maple. My next goal is to get some American Holly and try a set of grips for one of my revolvers. Chris S

When I was in high school in the distant '50's, we lived on the Connecticut coast. There was a dell behind the house filled with 4 to 6 inch hard maples. It was great to carve because it was really forgiving. I mostly carves whales at the time because we lived by the Mystic Seaport, and there were lots of examples of whaler's carvings.
 
Anyway, I think I will let Joe Perkins at Outlaw grips do them for me after this. I had him do a set of one-piece competition grips out of some really nice ebony for one of my Turnbull Cowboy Classics. I did these myself because the materials were given to me in the raw.
I'm about to start casting the summer's supply of 44 and 45 bullets, so I won't have a lot of free time for grip making. Besides, it is impossible to find 600 grit wet and dry paper in the swamps of North Mississippi.
I would like to see photos of the grips you have made for your guns and a brief outline of your methods.
 
Mike

I just took my Ajax one piece faux ivory off and put my walnut grips back on after I had taken the sixgun apart. Made these about ten years ago. Chris S
 

And those are the faux ivory I had on the Colt before, sanded and polished as I mentioned in the other post. Chris S
 

These were on my Colt Scout.

These are on my old 32. Chris S

This the the walnut stock and forearm on my custom 45-70 I made from blanks. Chris S

Chris,
I have done lots of work on rifle stocks, also. This was my first foray into handgun grips.
On a side topic, does your top-break .32 have s trigger return spring, or does some other spring do double duty? The reson I ask is that my wife's favorite is our old top=break .38 H&R. A couple of years ago, the trigger stopped returning to battery. I couldn't find anything broken, and I have tried looking at all the Numrich Arms parts diagrams to no avail. I don't want to have to buy another one to find out how it works. Mine looks like yours, except for the caliber.
 
Mike

Mine was missing too and after some research I made a small vee spring and inserted under the trigger and put a dab of epoxyy to hold it in. So far it has lasted. Chris S

I just might have such a spring in my spare parts/junk drawer.
Mike

I think I read somewhere that those vee springs were always prone to breakage and I see no reason why a piece of spring wire couldn't be shaped into a workable spring and fitted to the trigger. The flat spring I made out of another spring and carefully bent it to fit. The main thing is not to get to sharp a bend as it will hasten breakage. The old springs had a nice rounded bend and on the trigger spring one leg was longer. Good luck and hope you get'er done. Chris S

Chris,
One of my old rescue books from the U. of Maine library in 1965 was the two volume set by James Howe. He tells every thing about everything in them. The secret with v-springs is to bend them around a wire or pin to keep the curve ov the v from being too sharp. I have made a few, and usually, if I do my part, they work.
 
Mike

We   used to go to MAINE often as a kid,.Did not go to university there  but went to OLD ORCHARD BEACH.    Cold enough to snap the  main spring in my  model 28-2  SMITH&WESSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!      W.C

Well, Mike & Chris put me to shame.
I'm still slowly working on stocks for my DA 38. Think I did post pics a while back, but have yet to reach the right feel, so I'm still playing with rasp and paper.
Best thing about good stocks is that they really make a huge difference in the handling of the sixgun, maybe the single greatest customizing that anyone can do.
One of the nice things about oil finished wood is that change will not destroy the finish-simply rub in another coat, and what was there deepens, and what is new will still look and feel good.

Fellas,  thanks for the pics. There's nothing like that beautiful one-piece ivory look.  Except maybe beautiful wood. I've got a 3rd gen. Colt SAA .44 Special on layaway and I'm daydreaming about what I'm gonna shoe it with. But first it's gonna head down to Eddie Janis for a little tune-up. I didn't mind stoning and polishing the innards on my Italian clones but don't have the guts for this one.  Thanks again.