Gun cleaning and wood grips?

[donut757]

I've always been told not to wipe down the wood grips and stock with oil when cleaning a gun.

What harm does it cause to the wood?

And......

I'm gonna try and polish up my 686 and security six.... What's the easiest, most effective way? Not looking for any " bling bling" type look just a new clean look as both guns are over 20 years old.

They also have a few scratches here and there... Nothin deep but just Knicks... What then best way to get them out?

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[ar15ed]

oil is very detrimental to the wood parts. it will quickly darken the wood, and will eventually rot it. on some more modern guns with a "finish" on the wood, oil can actually break the finish down, depending on what it has been coated with.

keep the oil and harsh cleaners away from the wood, and use something like renaissance wax on it. a good high-quality furniture polish works fine, too.

 

[rugerguy]

you can wipe them down, just don't "slather it on or soak 'em" as said, the oil can get into any unfinished grain, and "oil rot": in time, but Smith grips are coated, so you can wipe them down...............take the grips off and wipe under them as well as the grip frame....over time, they can get gummy and rust up under the grips, ESPECIALLY them "rubber baby buggy bumper" ones (Pachmayrs, Hogues,Uncle Mikes,etc....)
we've seen LOTS of LONG guns over the years, sprayed down with oil, especially inside the action, and then "stood up in the corner" and the excss oil would run down, and soak into the butt stocks, ruin them............

 

[bub]

ar15ed has good advice about the wood. Keep as much gun oil as you can off of the wood.

As to cleaning up the guns, I've found that NevrDull wadding metal polish works real well on stainless and should clean the 686 up real well. Takes out all the dirt and grime, shining up the stainless without polishing it. I've never used it on blued and you didn't say what finish your Security Six is. If it's stainless, the NevrDull will work well. If it's blued, I don't know what to tell you. I wouldn't use the NevrDull without finding out if it will remove the bluing, which some metal polishes will.

As for the nicks, I'd leave them. I think that some honest wear looks good on a gun, as long as it doesn't effect function. Not to mention, it's often hard to take out nicks and scratches and have the repairs match the factory finish without them standing out like sore thumbs, unless you have the whole gun refinished. Just leave them and enjoy shooting the guns.

Bub

 

[Tony_The_Liger]

Hi, when I clean my guns I remove the grips. Oil will eventually damage wood, rubber, or CT lenses. The length of time it takes for damage to occur is dependent on the properties of the grip, i.e. type of wood and finish.

I like to remove the grips, clean the gun, remove any cleaning residue thoroughly, then re-install the grips. Following use and cleaning, it is a good practice to lightly buff the wood on a surface like denim jean pants (read: rub em a few times). This should keep them looking nice and allow them to age naturally without unnecessary chemical baths.


In the event you get a little on the grips, don't sweat it, they'll probably be fine. But I try to avoid this if at all possible by simply removing them before cleaning and buffing every now and then.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I made my living as a woodworker for over ten years, This is the first time I have ever heard that oil will damage wood. Boiled linseed oil has been applied to wood as a finish for hundreds of years. Varnish is not a whole lot more than linseed oil and solvent. I used tung oil preparations on wood for years. Right now I'm looking at a cherry dining room table I made over 20 years ago that I finished with tung oil. I don't see any rot or damage.

Please explain how oil damages wood.

P.S. If I got a little bit of gun oil on some wood grips I would just wipe it off and not sweat it.

 

[caryc]

Well, let's see......would you wipe down your expensive antique armoire with gun oil? Would you lube the moving parts on your gun with Tung oil? I don't think so. Remove one little screw and those grips come off. Why be lazy about it?

I think if we're talking about gun cleaning, the solvents come to mind, not oil. Solvents and gun grips do not make a good match. I would think that gun lubricating oil has no good effects on wood whatsoever.

To make a pair of gun grips the ideal wood has been kiln dried down to about 6% moisture content, or aged and air dried down to that. Introducing any kind of moisture to it after that is very ill advised.

My grips are sealed with Tru Oil front and back but I still say keep solvents away from that finish on my grips or any others.

Come on guys.....this is stupid to argue about. Just use a little common sense.

Or be lazy and worry about it.

 

[Rclark]

Or be lazy and worry about it.

... That's me :). Grips stay on when I clean. If a bit of solvent (Hoppes) gets on the grips... it gets wiped off. If a bit of gun oil gets on the grips. Just wipe it off. I've never seen this thing called oil-rot on my grips either. Wonder how many years that takes to show up :) . I don't sweat the small stuff.

 

[Tony_The_Liger]

Driftwood Johnson, my gun "oil" is an amalgam of substances. I assumed the OP uses a commercially available product which is also likely not just oil.

Furthermore, the care and maintenance instructions for my wood grips include this in bold "Avoid prolonged contact with oil and moisture" as well as the statement "it is recommended that you remove your hardwood grips prior to cleaning the gun".

http://www.getgrip.com/PDF%20files/Instruction%20PDF%20files/Wood%20MonoGrip%201.pdf


However, Thank you for the comments and corrections.

 

[Shadow]

For the most part, I tend to agree with Cary C's observations when pertaining to grips, however I disagree, to a point on this one. If one uses a CLP like Ballistol, there's absolutely no need to remove the grips when cleaning your firearm. This product was formulated over a century ago for the imperial German Army, during the war, to maintain the metallic parts of a rifle, and protect the wooden stocks and their leather boots & gear. Ballistol has a wide range of applications, and I have safely and confidently used it for over 30 years, to not only protect and preserve the metal on my firearms, but also use it on grip materials, such as; ivory, bone, MOP, exotic burls, etc, with fantastic results. While most other cleaners/lubricants oxidize relatively quickly, causing the oil to begin to get thick & sticky, and become hard, this will not occur with Ballistol, because it contains anti oxidants and special oils, which makes it less susceptible to aging.

Ballistol was introduced to my Dad, some 40 years ago by an outstanding gun smith/gun builder friend of his, by the name of Al Capone (not the infamous mobster), and then owner of King's Gun Works in Glendale, CA. I remember that Al had a contact in Italy where he would purchase Ballistol at the time. My Dad was very meticulous and began using it on all his firearms, becoming extremely impressed with the results. In the late '70's, I purchased a new US Arms Abeline .44 mag with the rare (few produced) brushed chrome (Magnaloy) finish and 7.5" bbl. After shooting some rounds through it, I cleaned her inside and out with Ballistol, including the grips. I wrapped the gun in a gun rag, placed it back in the original box, and stored it the first 10+- years in my home (no safe back then), less than 1/2 mile from the beach in Santa Barbara, CA. It's been stored the last 20 years in a safe, but except for checking it for corrosion, it's remained in the safe. Fast forward 30 years, and after reading Lee Martin's very informative and well chronicled history of US Arms/US Sporting Arms, on his website: singleactions.com, I was encouraged to take it out for a spin. Anyway, long and short of it is, that the guns metal & grips were amazingly preserved in the same pristine condition as new, considering being in storage for over 30 years, with nothing done other than coat it inside & out with Ballistol. IMHO, a darn good testament to this products merit.

It's obviously apparent to me that if you use Ballistol, it is absolutely unnecessary to remove the grips! Only my opinion, based on my proven personal experience, and other "proof positive" results experienced by my gun owner friends.

Shadow

PS I'm going to contact Ballistol and inquire whether they need a good PR man on the West Coast? The above almost reads like an advertisement ...... but in all honesty, IT WORKS!

 

[hittman]

If both your guns are stainless you can use a Scotch Brite pad to recreate the factory "brushed" finish. I prefer to keep mine looking "factory" but some folks polish them up until they look chrome plated.

For cleaning I use Hoppe's, Metal Care Cloths, Lead Clean Cloths and Silicone Cloths from Pro-Shot Products in nearby Taylorville, Illinois.

There's nothing more you need ~ simple is good. Oh yeah, maybe some Break Free CLP spray for the semi-auto's.

Wood grips get a quick wipe with the Silicone Cloth and then a dry rag.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Ballistol is just mineral oil with some additives, one of which makes it slightly alkaline, which helps neutralize acids in powder residue and finger oils.

While I wouldn't worry about getting a little oil on the wood I'd wipe it off pretty quick. I have seen grips that were ruined from soaking in oil, to the point they swelled and/or delaminated. My own MkIII Hunter's nice cocobolo panels were wet with oil from the factory when I first disassembled it.

-- Sam

 

[caryc]

Hasn't anyone here ever heard of using wax on wood? I don't understand the concept of using weird things on grips.

A good quality paste wax works well at protecting grips. And......I don't mean car wax.

 

[DeletedMember275]

I put Johnsons Paste Wax on my grips and stocks; it's sometimes difficult to find in the big box stores, but Home Depot or Lowe's usually have something comparable. Works pretty good as a low-velocity cast bullet lube, also!

For stainless guns, try Mother's Mag Wheel Polish.

 

[caryc]

People put wax on their cars to protect the finish but seem to want to put solvents and oil on their wood grips? Like I said, the whole thing kind of confuses me.

 

[hittman]

Cary, if I had grips made by you I'd certainly treat them accordingly.

However, all my guns are working guns with basic plain Jane factory stocks. No museum pieces or collectors items here so ~ mine get a quick wipe with whatever's handy and back in the safe (or holster) they go.

 

[Shadow]

caryc ........ another good point about waxing wood grips. I got so wound up about the virtues of Ballistol in my previous post, that I forgot to mention the merits of Renaissance Wax (RenWax). If my intention were to store a firearm for longer periods of time, I always coat it inside and out, including whatever grip material is on the gun, with Ballistol before retiring it to the safe. However, on the exterior of the firearms I shoot on a rotating basis, I apply Ren Wax on all metal and grip materials. It's also an outstanding product, like Ballistol, but with a little different application.

It's used to preserve and restore the metal on valuable antique firearms, woods of any kind, fine furniture, jewelry, leather, fine art, etc. It was formulated in the 1950's by a scientist from the British Museum to find the "perfect wax", thus Renaissance Wax was developed, only after meeting the museum's exacting standards. It is chemically neutral and completely safe on any museum quality surfaces. I apply a thin layer, let dry, and buff to a high sheen with a microfiber cloth, wearing white cotton gloves. It will restore, enhance, polish and protect your valuable firearms. Need I say more! It can be purchased on line from Restorer Supplies at: restorersupplies.com.

Shadow