Wood Grips

S

Sixer

New member
I just picked up a Sig P239 a few weeks ago. I got a pretty good deal on it, so I spent some extra $$$ on refinishing the slide, etc. I also found a cheap pair of wood grips ($30) that I thought looked pretty sharp.

I expected them to be a bit fatter than the factory grips... and they are. Too fat IMO, but a new set of checkered Nills are just not in the budget right now. So my problem is - I really like the look of the wood grips but theyre just too dang thick.

My question is - has anyone ever tried to sand down and re-finish a set of wood grips? I dont see any reason why it couldnt be done. Anyone ever tried it or have any suggestions or ideas? Thanks:)

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Yes you can thin the stocks. Just make sure you don't compromise the strength of the wood. If the stocks become too thin in the wrong place they may crack under the stress of shooting.
 
yup; I did it to a set of S&W K-frame grips that were too wide for me up top, which would mean the recoil would go straight into my thumb bones without being distributed into the webbing of my hands (ouch). Sandpaper and patience did the trick.

I don't have a picture of it right now, though...
 
kle,

If you get a chance, do you think you could post a pic? Any tips on refinishing after sanding would be great too!
 
My other hobby is woodworking, therefore I have done grip work for a friend including hand making ebony grips. For reworking existing grips I used a chemical stripper. Sand the grips to taste and use a warm, damp rag over the grip. This raises the grain of the wood. Do a final finish sanding with a very fine grit sandpaper. Some guys use a standard polyurethane finish, but I don't like the idea on a grip. I used an oil based finish made for rifle stocks and rubbed it on following the supplied directions.

For a new, custom grip I take some stock and cut it down on a tablesaw. Make sure the stock you are using has no checks, splits, warps, or other imperfections. WARNING: Some exotic woods used for grips require the use of a respirator when cutting and sanding. I tape on two handmade templates (one for the top and one for the side). I then cut with a bandsaw and tape the cut piece back on. I turn the piece of wood on the side and cut the other pattern. When I'm done I have a rough grip. The rough sanding on the sides can be done with an oscillating drum sander. I usually use a sanding block for the faces of the grips. Make sure your new grips are true since a poorly made grip can ruin accuracy or become uncomfortable during a long practice session.
 
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I don't think you could honestly tell just by looking that the new contour of my K-frame revolver grips are flatter than the original contour, unless you held them side-by-side with another, un-modified set.

But the process I followed was one I learned in high-school shop:

1: start out rough with 60- or 100-grit sandpaper to get the basic contour--sand with the grain where possible
2: smooth out with 200-grit, sanding off any existing finish on the other un-touched parts of the grip (so that the new finish is even; again, follow the grain)
3: final-sand with 400-grit (follow the grain)
4: wipe it down with a wet rag to get the dust out and to raise the grain a little
5: apply a light coating of TruOil
6: allow to dry (2 hours minimum)
7: buff with 0000 steel wool (following the grain isn't necessary here)
8: repeat steps 5-7 as desired

One day I'd like to get into making grips/stocks from scratch; I haven't found many grips that fit me perfectly, and there seems to be a lack of good, traditional-looking grips for Ruger GP100s and SP101s...
 
Exactly the advice I was looking for. I will probably get started on these tonight. If all goes well I will post some "before and after" pics. I appreciate you guys listing out the steps, its extremely helpful. Wish me luck :)
 
yeah...if you've never worked with wood before, it's going to feel a bit weird at first--you might wanna play with a scrap piece of wood to really figure out what you're doing before doing it to a perfectly good set of grips. At least, that's how it feels when I put sandpaper to wood. But then I remember that I'm fitting the grips to me, and something that someone else made can't possibly be perfect for me.

Remember to be patient, go slow, and check your work often.

You might want to employ a sanding block if you want a less organic, more machined look.
 
Thanks KLE, I am by no means a woodworking "expert" but I learned alot by modifying my factory 10/22 stock. That was a few months ago and I started the project with ZERO experience. It was a great learning experience and pretty frustrating at times but it turned out pretty good...

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309989

I started with 60 gr and worked it to 800 gr sandpaper, so I got a pretty good feel for the whole sanding process ( did enough sanding to wake up the next day with sore forearms and shoulders :D)

I had a pretty wide margin of error with that project, and there were plenty of errors! I wont have the luxury of covering up any mistakes with Bondo this time, lol. I guess worst case scenario Im out 30 bucks and chalk it up as a learning experience.

Dont be suprised when I send you and 44Magnum a couple PM's if I get stuck!
Thanks again.
 
oh, yeah, if you can do something like that, then a set of little wood grips should be a piece of cake =)

It's just that now, like you said, you don't really have the luxury of covering up any mistakes with putty or paint.

Be sure to take pictures!
 
Beware of sanding on the front of the grips where the wood is already thin. You might end up with something that will break easily if any part of the grips is too thin. Concentrate more on the fatter parts. And don't remove where the wood meets the back of the tang underneath it as it will look undersized there. The factory grips are thin but I went to wood because I don't have tiny hands and the grip just did not feel secure enough due to their size and the texture was not very slip resistant, even though it looks rough. Keep in mind a new set of Hogues wood grips will cost 50$ if you make a mistake. I had a new smith redo some oversized rev. grips for me recently. He put on an "oil" finish of some sort, but the drawback to that is they felt tacky for a long time.
 
Very doable. It's easier if you have an oscillating sander and a spindle sander, but they're not neccesary if you go slow and are cautious. I'd be glad to help answer any questions if you PM me with them.
Good luck!
Sarge43
 
I see you're in Missouri. If we're close enough, you could come by and use MY oscillating sander and spindle sander. :D
 
Thanks for all the advice fellas, it was a great help! I was able to find a little time this weekend to thin these out and refinish them. I took a few pics just in case anyone else was thinking about doing it.

Of course I forgot to take good pics of the grips at different angles BEFORE I started sanding them down. I know this makes it hard to see a real difference in the overall thickness before and after, but I can definately feel it!

The first thing I did before sanding was to fit the grips to a piece of scrap wood as if they were on the gun. I found a small piece of scrap (very close to the same thickness as the frame) and drilled small holes in each side. I then screwed the grips onto the wood, which allowed me to keep the grips firmly in place while sanding.

This may have been the most important step, as it was much easier than trying to sand each grip panel individually and still keep them even. It also allowed me to get a good feel of the grips w/ out having to put them back on the frame every 10 minutes.

I started with 60gr paper on a block to remove the original finish.

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I tried to be extra careful around the edges and places that were already thin enough. After the 60gr paper I moved up to 150gr and then to 400gr.

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Before applying any finish, I put the grips on the frame to check the feel.

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I used at least 5 coats of high gloss "Tung Oil" for the final finish, making sure each coat had plenty of drying time.

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Here is a look at the thickness of the factory grip vs. the sanded wood grip. The wood grip is still a bit thicker than the factory plastic but also qutie a bit thinner than it used to be.

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And here's the finished product! It turned out pretty good. The finish looks better than the original and they fit my hand like a glove!

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Thanks again for the great advice and encouragement :)


Sorry about the pics, I need a new camera!
 
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Probably couldn't have done it better myself. Excellent work! I could immediately tell that the grip was thinner when I saw the finished picture. They look better that shape too. :cool:

P.S. Nice gun, too.
 
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