Since the widespread school closures due to this Coronavirus has me sitting home for awhile, I figured it was time for a project.
The recent news about Kim Ahrends closing shop prompted me to order a set of Retro Targets for my new to me 27-2 nickel. I have a set on my M17 and I LOVE them.
I ordered a set of Caribbean Rosewood stocks, and even though there was a photo, the grips were much pinker than they looked in the picture I saw. Plus, the one thing I DON"T like about Ahrends grips are his standard finish. Its like the water based poly on the wood trim on my windows.
Here is what they look like as received
So I started stripping them, a Hardware store type paint stripper peeled the finish right off. I am a scraper more than a sander. That Boker knife is SHARP, and I scraped the residual finish off fairly easily.
Very minimal sanding followed, really just to sort of roughen and open up the pores on the wood surface. I really just barely kissed them with 220 and 320 grit paper.
And I very sublty roulded off the bottom corner. Mr. Ahrends likes sharp edges!
I then hit them with a coat of Art's French Red stain and filler, which I think gives them a pleasing chocolaty not TOO dark brown hue.
Part II will follow. I plan on doing a hand rubbed tung oil finish, sanding the first few coats in so that the wood dust/oil sludge fills up the pores. I've done a lot of those, they always turn out nice.
I'll post pics when they're done.