Grip materials

[tuner]

since I keep them oiled, they just wipe down fine. The bit about ivory getting more grip when wet is something I learned from an old gunsmith. Grips in the 1800's were not coated with anything, just oiled. He also taught me how to keep ivory from cracking with age. while my blanks were starting to crack slightly, since I treated them they haven't gotten any worse.

Ok, so are you going to let the rest of us know the secret?

 

[CraigC]

Conventional wisdom is to oil the back side of ivory grips with baby oil every so often.

 

[jpdesign]

put them in a double boiler with mineral oil covering them. forces the oil much deeper into the ivory, then when you oil them you are just replenishing whats on top, the poil deeper in the ivory stays there. I saw a set of grips that had been treated like this 20 years previously. they didn't have a single crack that I could see.

 

[REP1954]

put them in a double boiler with mineral oil covering them. forces the oil much deeper into the ivory, then when you oil them you are just replenishing whats on top, the poil deeper in the ivory stays there. I saw a set of grips that had been treated like this 20 years previously. they didn't have a single crack that I could see.

You dont do that with 1pc. glue up do you? Any reason not to use a light weight gun oil on ivory.
As far as the pith on elk grips, fill it with some gun stock filler.

 

[caryc]

put them in a double boiler with mineral oil covering them. forces the oil much deeper into the ivory, then when you oil them you are just replenishing whats on top, the poil deeper in the ivory stays there. I saw a set of grips that had been treated like this 20 years previously. they didn't have a single crack that I could see.

With mineral oil covering them? Are you talking about them being submerged in mineral oil. or rubbed with a coat of mineral oil?

Personally with heating ivory grips, I'd be afraid of warping them.

 

[jpdesign]

subnerged in oil. since the heat is though water vapor, and not direct, and you realy only have to get it around 200 degrees, not much chance of warping.