Wrangler Walnut Grip Project

[GasGuzzler]

Got the grip panels from Mr Deerstalker and I am getting geared up to refinish and customize them for my new Wrangler. Here's where we start.

And installed for fitment.

I don't mind them being a little short of the butt but I do not like the fit being very wide near the hammer. I will thin that for sure provided I find the medallions I want.

The stainless colored screw stands out a little in appearance but also in reality. I will likely shorten the screw a little, polish it highly, then blacken it myself. I had a picture but it was a close up and very out of focus. Didn't notice until I saw it on my large computer monitor. I already put the Wrangler up so I will go and take a picture of the grips only and approximate how the screw sits.

 

[G2]

What medallions do you seek?

 

[GasGuzzler]

 

[GasGuzzler]

What medallions do you seek?

Anything interesting would be considered. I don't delete emails and found where I bought some Texas star medallions for my Blackhawk in 2017 so I and going to see if they still sell the same or similar ones. They do. Ordered medallions ...

 

[akmania]

I think I have a set of the star medallions if you want them.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Already ordered but thank you. Gonna go start removing the medallions then the finish...

 

[rugerguy]

just a note those medallions are of the early 1970s and are what Mr Bob C., used to call "squashed chicken" as they were the last of the old model medallions going into the transistion to the New models of 1973, and you can tell the escutcheons are still "black" and that screw is the wrong screw completely, NOT as Ruger screw......

 

[GasGuzzler]

just a note those medallions are of the early 1970s and are what Mr Bob C., used to call "squashed chicken" as they were the last of the old model medallions going into the transistion to the New models of 1973, and you can tell the escutcheons are still "black" and that screw is the wrong screw completely, NOT as Ruger screw......

Thank you. As noted, I am not concerned about the medallions as I am refinishing these grips for a new Wrangler. I care not about what they are supposed to go on and already noted the screw doesn't fit. If someone wants the squashed chicken medallions, they can have them for shipping as I already took them off...just like I posted I would. Just need to find my PAINT stripper.

 

[Hvymax]

Definitely a lot of room for improvement.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Yep. They'll be nice when done. Look at the ones above I did for my Blackhawk. They were obviously not even from the same gun, and did not match. Can't tell from the pic but they do now.

 

[needsmostuff]

I too have sometimes felt the need for random medallions.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Texas Stars are not random for me.

Local Walmart did not have the good caustic paint stripper so I got what they had as I was out of stock. Put some on the grips at 4:00 this morning and as of 6:00, I cannot tell a difference. That stuff will be returned and I will go to the Home Depot for the good stuff as soon as the family awakens.

 

[GasGuzzler]

After a couple hours in acetone while I was running errands...
Color isn't coming off as usual but the oils have.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

When I refinish panels I use real fine sandpaper 'tiI I like the result, then use 0000 steel wool for a supe fine surface. I then apply numerous hand-rubbed coats of Tru-Oil, smoothing them between dried coats with the steel wool. I don't steel wool the last couple of coats, but do rub them with soft cloth.

Anther approach is to get them down to the fine steel wool surface and instead of using Tru-Oil I apply two or three light coats of spray-on clear lacquer, light steel-wooling between coats. You can either leave the last coat shiny or hit them VERY lightly with the soft cloth.

Or do it any other way you desire.

 

[GasGuzzler]

I will likely follow one of the methods I used in the past. I think these will get some slight reshaping then soaked in solvent now that the majority of the finish is gone. I like doing this to bleed the color from the pores/fibers. It keeps them from looking splotchy later like some (especially rifle stocks) refinish jobs. I will likely mix my own color to stain them using Fiebing's Leather Dye. It's alcohol based so you can thin it for the correct opacity, mix colors, and it DOES NOT splotch like water-based stain. I will likely spray with semi-gloss poly clear after.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Wood is in the white now and the screw head has been fixed up the best I can. Going to get a small countersink to make the grip screw holes look better then I am ready to stain once I make sure the fitment is good. Seems like Ruger used a punch to make the holes in the wood. Sorry about the blurry pics but those screws are pretty small and hard to photograph.

 

[akmania]

Your pictures look clear to me. Looks like your doing a great job to me.

 

[Delbert]

Looks real good so far. I noticed the butt ends were a little short to the frame as you mentioned. Are you gonna use/do anything to lengthen the grips abit?

 

[jbowjm]

Pm sent to you concerning Ruger Medallions

 

[GasGuzzler]

I then apply numerous hand-rubbed coats of Tru-Oil, smoothing them between dried coats with the steel wool.

I was going to stain with thinned light brown then spray semi-gloss poly but the more I thought about this post, the more I wanted to use Tru-Oil so as to not hide the grain. The grips look really good when wet (a way to see how the will look finished) so I am in the process of applying several coats of Tru-Oil instead. I did fix the screw holes with a countersink. See below for more Tru-Oil stories.

Looks real good so far. I noticed the butt ends were a little short to the frame as you mentioned. Are you gonna use/do anything to lengthen the grips abit?

No. Not worth the effort. Would need to start with taller grip panels or modify the frame on an un-fired gun. If it really got to bother me I would get another frame and fix it up. Stay tuned later today for more progress pics.

I have used Tru-Oil before but only once on white OEM wood with no stain. It was a Remlin-era Model 60 I would have never thought could look good underneath the OEM goop they were painted with. Here's the only pic I have (I used to buy beaten 60's and odd Glenfield versions cheap and fix them up uniquely and send them away before the prices shoot up) of it. Tru-Oil made the mystery wood look good with no color. It was not splotchy at all despite the look of the forearm in this picture. Note the figure in the butt stock grain.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Yeah, really like the Tru-Oil effect. Rubbed in well and allowed to "dry" overnite, then lightly steel-wooled before another coat . . . rinse, repeat as desired.

 

[Delbert]

It's been years since I've used TruOil, but when I did I thinned it out using lighter fluid to really watery solution to soak deep into the wood pores. This way it gave better protection to the wood. I must of put on 10 or more coats of thinned TruOil, with some very light sanding between using 4-600 wet/dry auto sandpaper(had a bowl of water to keep the surface wet, and the old 1971 10/22 still looks as good today as it did 53yrs ago when I did it.

During this time also, since nobody at time sold aftermarket custom parts for 10/22's, I removed the black paint from the metal butt-pad/ barrel clamp and did a fine polishing of the aluminum metal to set things off. This was also a time when I was about 16 and in high school shop class and made a leather sling for it with my initials on the sling. It's still a fine shooter with the newer Burris 3-9x40 rimfire scope mounted on top. They don't make them like this nowadays. Too bad.

 

[GasGuzzler]

I am pretty sure the panels are ready for medallions but they're not here yet. Used some long machine screws and fender washers as handles to make applying the finish easier. Stain isn't as crucial as it gets wiped off then hung up to spray clear ... can't do that with Tru-Oil. Some dust is showing on the finish that looks like blemishes but it's not.

I removed the black paint from the metal butt-pad/ barrel clamp and did a fine polishing of the aluminum metal to set things off.

Me too except I did the trigger too which was 10X the work of the other two parts. I did not use Tru-Oil on my 10/22. I stripped a replacement stock and stained it then sprayed it with three layers of semigloss clear.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

Used some long machine screws and fender washers as handles to make applying the finish easier.

Clever "handles". Finish is looking gooood!

 

[Delbert]

Ya did nothing wrong with what I'm seeing. Looks real good.

 

[Delbert]

GasGuzzler, what you did with your trigger is exactly what I did to a lil '96 10/22 I turned into a target plinker back in late 90's. I purchased a "real" Fajen target stock(when he still had his stock business in Warsaw, Mo before selling all his equipment and retiring), changed out the factory barrel to a Butler Creek .920, 20" bull barrel, removed all the black paint from the receiver and trigger assy to give a polish, then found some Weaver aluminum see-thru scope rings, removed again the stock finish and polished the scope rings to mount my older model Bushnell 6-18x50A/O scope. Also installed a lighter trigger assy and drilled/installed a over-travel trigger stop into the trigger guard. Then installed a Harris bipod. It's been awhile since shooting it and I need to rezero the system as I refinished the stock a couple years back. It used to be able to destroy colored push pins I used as targets @50yds using CCI ammo, but forgot which type used. Need to get it back out and rehone my skills again.

 

[GasGuzzler]

I am calling it good here.

 

[Star43]

Great job Guzzler......you really did good !!