How do you refinish checkered 1911 grips?

[S&WM&P40]

How do you sand down the grips and remove the stain on them now, without sanding down the checkering as well? I want to refinish the grips and save money, but I cant see a way of doing it without removing the checkering during the sanding? I'm sure I could google it(I still will) but I wanted to see what my fellow members would do/have done.

 

[redneckfuller1977]

what is the grip made of wood/composite/plastic?
maybe an eco-friendly stripper, most of them aren't very harsh
just check the direction and warnings BEFORE you buy it

 

[S&WM&P40]

what is the grip made of wood/composite/plastic?
maybe an eco-friendly stripper, most of them aren't very harsh
just check the direction and warnings BEFORE you buy it

It's wood. It looks to be a light brown stain. I'll post a photo of it tomorrow when it comes home from the gun store with me. I have read that the polyurethane can cause your hands to be rubbed raw? After I stain it should I use a more hand friendly oil such as Linseed oil?

 

[redneckfuller1977]

i would use an oil... you just wont get that high gloss look

 

[DavidH1]

Do not sand your grips. there are plenty of products on the market that will strip the finish, and products that will bleach(for lack of a better word). Check out some woodworking sites,, rockler.com and others. 1911 grips are so thin you could ruing them really quick. Just my two cents. There are also some good clear coats that are very good, but at bee's wax or some type of oil, I wouldn't use linseed it never really dries and is not very good on your skin.

 

[S&WM&P40]

Do not sand your grips. there are plenty of products on the market that will strip the finish, and products that will bleach(for lack of a better word). Check out some woodworking sites,, rockler.com and others. 1911 grips are so thin you could ruing them really quick. Just my two cents. There are also some good clear coats that are very good, but at bee's wax or some type of oil, I wouldn't use linseed it never really dries and is not very good on your skin.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll hit up the Orange box(HD) and see what kind of stripper they have. I already have the stain just need some polyurethane. After it's dried, hit the grips with some fine steel wool to smooth them out?

 

[Hunter125]

I have used stain and polyurethane on countless projects and have never had either adversely affect my skin, other than a little stickiness, so don't worry about that. You can always use latex gloves as well if you are worried about it. Stripper is another matter altogether, it will burn your skin on contact so definitely wear gloves and make sure you have eye protection as well, it's pretty nasty stuff.
To refinish your grips I would get a wood stripper. They make different kinds, some will pull up the poly and the stain just by sitting on them, then you either scrape it off or wipe it off with some mineral spirits. That might pull most of your stain out. Then you can reapply or scrape the stain off the checkering with something like a very small chisel, screwdriver, or putty knife. You will have to be very careful to go with the checkering and not take any wood material off. If you can find something small enough with a 90 degree bevel on it (if that's the angle of your checkering) you might be able to fold some very fine grit sand paper around the angle and sand with that.
Also, I'm not sure I would put polyurethane on it, I think it would fill up your checkering and you wouldn't get the texture afterwards for your grip. I would put whatever stain you want on it and then finish it will oil, like linseed oil or something like it. You might need to reapply it occasionally, but it will finish nicely. It will be tedious, but if you do it right, it will look good. Good Luck!

 

[S&WM&P40]

I have used stain and polyurethane on countless projects and have never had either adversely affect my skin, other than a little stickiness, so don't worry about that. You can always use latex gloves as well if you are worried about it. Stripper is another matter altogether, it will burn your skin on contact so definitely wear gloves and make sure you have eye protection as well, it's pretty nasty stuff.
To refinish your grips I would get a wood stripper. They make different kinds, some will pull up the poly and the stain just by sitting on them, then you either scrape it off or wipe it off with some mineral spirits. That might pull most of your stain out. Then you can reapply or scrape the stain off the checkering with something like a very small chisel, screwdriver, or putty knife. You will have to be very careful to go with the checkering and not take any wood material off. If you can find something small enough with a 90 degree bevel on it (if that's the angle of your checkering) you might be able to fold some very fine grit sand paper around the angle and sand with that.
Also, I'm not sure I would put polyurethane on it, I think it would fill up your checkering and you wouldn't get the texture afterwards for your grip. I would put whatever stain you want on it and then finish it will oil, like linseed oil or something like it. You might need to reapply it occasionally, but it will finish nicely. It will be tedious, but if you do it right, it will look good. Good Luck!

I was more so talking about your skin rubbing on it all day at the range. I know if you put polyurethane on an Ax handle and swing it without gloves it tends to rub you raw after a while of using it. I have some wire brushes around the house some place( I think they may even be brass). I'll apply the stripper and let it soak, then hit it with the wire brush and then wipe it down. I have the stain and a whole can of MINWAX finishing paste wax from a bureau I just refinished. I don't think I'll use the wax on the grips, but maybe some tung oil finish, or some teak oil.

 

[NRA Lifer and Proud]

I use linseed oil on both my M1 and M1A. It protects the stocks without a high gloss finish that would be out of place on a military stock. I reapply it once a year or sooner if they have been exposed to harsh weather. Can't go wrong with good old fashioned oil IMO.

 

[S&WM&P40]

I use linseed oil on both my M1 and M1A. It protects the stocks without a high gloss finish that would be out of place on a military stock. I reapply it once a year or sooner if they have been exposed to harsh weather. Can go wrong with good old fashioned oil IMO.

How long does it take to dry? I also don't want an oil that feels like crap. I can't wait LOL, counting down the hours! I pick it up at 1:20 today, I have to decide if it's going to be a Him or a her so I can name it LOL. May even sneak in a Ruger LCP for the wife(Shhh, don't tell her, LOL)

I picked up 600 rounds of ammo for it yesterday so I can bust it's cherry.

 

[homershoots]

S&WM&P40 if your not sure what type of wood it is use caution when sanding. If they are cocobolo the dust is poisonous.

 

[NRA Lifer and Proud]

How long does it take to dry? I also don't want an oil that feels like crap. I can't wait LOL, counting down the hours! I pick it up at 1:20 today, I have to decide if it's going to be a Him or a her so I can name it LOL. May even sneak in a Ruger LCP for the wife(Shhh, don't tell her, LOL)

I picked up 600 rounds of ammo for it yesterday so I can bust it's cherry.

So long as you don't go too heavy with it, overnight should do it. You can always do a second coat if the first one soaks right in.

 

[S&WM&P40]

S&WM&P40 if your not sure what type of wood it is use caution when sanding. If they are cocobolo the dust is poisonous.

Good to know! Really not sure what kind of wood it is. I'll be sure to ware a mask when stripping it.

 

[S&WM&P40]

So long as you don't go too heavy with it, overnight should do it. You can always do a second coat if the first one soaks right in.

Place them on the heater over night. Or maybe a heat gun.

 

[DavidH1]

Thanks for the heads up, I'll hit up the Orange box(HD) and see what kind of stripper they have. I already have the stain just need some polyurethane. After it's dried, hit the grips with some fine steel wool to smooth them out?

oooo will do the job

 

[S&WM&P40]

oooo will do the job

Good to know. I picked some up today with the rest of the stuff.

 

[rudiepop]

Stipeaze. gel You can get it at Lowes or Home depot. Put the gel on and let the chemical do all the work. Get laquer thinner to clean it afterward. Use an old toothbrush or a cheap paintbrush with the bristles cut down to about 1 inch to get in all the checkering. Make sure all the old finish is off and cleaned thoroughly before you start the finishing process. If its not repeat the process. Your grips should be nice and smooth with no tace of old finish.
Polyurethane is not the best choice and is harder to strip off if you should ever have to do this again. A good quality nitrocellulose laquer wouild be preferred or you can go old school and use linseed oil. However if you handle your weapon alot, your grips will grow darker with time if you use the oil. That is not necessarily a bad thing It looks kinda cool to me.
Use of laquer: put 5 coats on it and THEN lightly wet sand it with a small piece of 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper. (don't hit the checkering to much or you will go through the finish) wipe it off with a tack cloth and make sure you take a CLEAN bristle brush to the checkering just to removeany small particles. Put 2 more light coats of laquer on it and let dry. Good to go.

 

[S&WM&P40]

Stipeaze. gel You can get it at Lowes or Home depot. Put the gel on and let the chemical do all the work. Get laquer thinner to clean it afterward. Use an old toothbrush or a cheap paintbrush with the bristles cut down to about 1 inch to get in all the checkering. Make sure all the old finish is off and cleaned thoroughly before you start the finishing process. If its not repeat the process. Your grips should be nice and smooth with no tace of old finish.
Polyurethane is not the best choice and is harder to strip off if you should ever have to do this again. A good quality nitrocellulose laquer wouild be preferred or you can go old school and use linseed oil. However if you handle your weapon alot, your grips will grow darker with time if you use the oil. That is not necessarily a bad thing It looks kinda cool to me.
Use of laquer: put 5 coats on it and THEN lightly wet sand it with a small piece of 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper. (don't hit the checkering to much or you will go through the finish) wipe it off with a tack cloth and make sure you take a CLEAN bristle brush to the checkering just to removeany small particles. Put 2 more light coats of laquer on it and let dry. Good to go.

I would have loved to use linseed oil for the grips, but HD only sold it by the gallon jug. I would never use it all and have limited space to store it. I used a paint stripper called Citristrip(smells like oranges) it was kinda like a paste. I let it sit on the grips for a few hours, then took a brass wire brush and brushed some of the stain off. I left some of it on and stained over it, it made the stain come out darker. I used a damp rag with water to remove the residue of the stripper. Then used the brass brush on the checkering again to remove any left over stripper stuck in there.

I applied about two coats of the stain and then two coats of polyurethane, used the 000 steel wool on the grips before the second coat of polyurethane. It smooth it out vary nicely, but it did not work well on the checkering. It pulled the pad apart and left steel wool stuck to the checkering.

They are all done now and reinstalled on the gun, I'll post photos of them in a little while. Not sure if y'all will be able to tell the difference or not, my photography skills suck!

 

[NRA Lifer and Proud]

I would have loved to use linseed oil for the grips, but HD only sold it by the gallon jug. I would never use it all and have limited space to store it. I used a paint stripper called Citristrip(smells like oranges) it was kinda like a paste. I let it sit on the grips for a few hours, then took a brass wire brush and brushed some of the stain off. I left some of it on and stained over it, it made the stain come out darker. I used a damp rag with water to remove the residue of the stripper. Then used the brass brush on the checkering again to remove any left over stripper stuck in there.

I applied about two coats of the stain and then two coats of polyurethane, used the 000 steel wool on the grips before the second coat of polyurethane. It smooth it out vary nicely, but it did not work well on the checkering. It pulled the pad apart and left steel wool stuck to the checkering.

They are all done now and reinstalled on the gun, I'll post photos of them in a little while. Not sure if y'all will be able to tell the difference or not, my photography skills suck!

Just for future reference, a smaller hardware store usually carry smaller containers of boiled linseed oil. I got mine at the Ace in Bedford, I think it's a pint. That will last me and my wood stocked rifles for a long time LOL

 

[S&WM&P40]

Just for future reference, a smaller hardware store usually carry smaller containers of boiled linseed oil. I got mine at the Ace in Bedford, I think it's a pint. That will last me and my wood stocked rifles for a long time LOL

That's what sucks about big box stores,when they came into town all the mom and pop stores that had been around for years all closed up. We have one left that still sells nails and screws by the pound, I love going there Vs a box store that forces you to buy a whole box when all you need is one or two.

I was researching wood bleach, it seems to work nicely at removing stains on wood(water stains,paint etc..)

I miss mom and pop stores, they treated you like a friend and knew what the hell they where talking about. Go to Lowes, Home Depot etc.. The store employee knows nothing about the product your looking for/wanting to buy, outside of the five minute computer training class are forced to take. It's like Wal-Marts TLE departments, they are staffed with people who know nothing about oil changes, car batteries etc.. People who worked as a door greeter or deli clerk and now playing car tech. Sure the prices are higher at mom and pop stores, but so is the customer service.