S&W grip repair questions

[imashooter2]

I have a pair of factory S&W grips with a couple of big chips off the heel. I don't have access to any matching wood to cut in a patch, so I'd like to repair them as best I can with some filler, stain and refinish. I think these are late 80s or early 90s vintage and they have silver S&W medallions that appear to have the tails riveted slightly on the interior wood. There are no washers as I've seen on some older grips. Anyway,I have a couple of questions before I start...

Will zip strip damage the medallions? If so, what is the proper way to remove and reinstall them?

What filler would you recommend? I should think something that would accept stain would be best. It will need to bond to the wood pretty well too, or it'll just scab back off with use.

Is there a standard factory stain color? The wood is a lot closer to picture one than the chip closeup. The flash really made the color look lighter.

The original finish looks like polyurethane. I'm thinking to use oil as the new finish. Any issues there? Problems with the medallions maybe?

Any help appreciated. Thanks!

http://www.imashooter2.com/pictures/grips.jpg http://www.imashooter2.com/pictures/chip.jpg

[AZ Pete]

I don't think that you need to strip the grips to make a repair. I don't, as a rule.

What I do is but out the damaged part with a good sharp file, then glue (epoxy) a new chip of wood into the grip to be shaped and finished after the glue sets. Careful shaping with files and sand paper should bring the repair to meet the profile of the parent wood. You should use the grip screw, with a 1/2" spacer between the grips, to hold the grips together when you shape them. This should prevent you from rounding the mating surface of the grip.

Then touch-up the finish, (stain/varnish as appropriate to match), to see how it looks. You can pick up a scrap of walnut locally, for the repair. Even if it doesn't match really well, it will look far better than "bondo" "wood putty" or other plastisized fillers.

I would not recommend that the grips be stripped or sanded down for this repair.

[KCSO]

+ 1 for AZ Pete. He's got the right idea. I will expand this far if the replacment chip and the grip are free of oils I would use either Acra Glass or Gorilla glue for the fix as the cheaper 5 minute epoxies don't hold as well. If you work slow and carefull you shouldn't even be able to see the break.

[imashooter2]

Thanks for the advice. Are these walnut? I thought S&W used Goncalo Alves in their grips. Not sure where I could pick up a scrap locally.

[Wayne Smith]

Do you have a Woodcraft store near you? They either have or can get Goncalo Alves. Likewise Penn State Industries - they usually have it in their catalog. There are lots of exotic wood suppliers on the internet.

[imashooter2]

Thanks.

I went looking on the net a bit last night. The issue is the tiny bit of wood I need vs. The chunk they want to sell me. I found a guy on eBay that will ship 3 Goncalo Alves "pen blanks" .75 x .75 x 5.25 for 6 bucks even. The damage is only .5 wide so the size will work, and the 3 blanks might give me a better chance of getting a decently close color/grain match. I'm going to look a bit more before I buy though.

I'd still like to completely strip these and put on a new oil finish. Any advice along those lines?

[725]

After the repair, I would, as others have suggested, go with some polyurethane. I use spar varathane and find it very durable. The poly's will mask / blend somewhat with the glue you use. Oil will not take to it like it will to the rest of the wood. If you have your heart set on oil, I'd thin some Watco Danish oil and do many, many light coats. The oil will clog up the checkering a little unless you sand the grip smooth. Good luck and post a photo for us when you're finished.

[imashooter2]

Good luck and post a photo for us when you're finished.

I will, but my woodworking skills are summed up by the old ditty "putty and paint makes a man what he ain't." I doubt anyone is going to be much impressed.:oops:

[Sprue]

I've been anxiously watching this thread. I've wanted to ask questions too but didn't want to hijack your thread.

Firstly, good luck with your repairs.

Anyway, I've got a set of S&W Goncalo Alves needing repair. I've been wondering if there was anyone on the board that does repair work on grips. I don't think it would be too involved but then I've got enough irons in the fire.

These came from an older 629. Sadly, I don't think it had even been fired (only dropped) but the owner installed goodyears on it.

Imashooter2, you need something to practice on LOL ?

http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh266/spilihp_2007/DSCF0888.jpg

[Wayne Smith]

Be very, very careful that all excess surface glue is thoroughly cleaned off before it drys. No finish will stick to the glue. If it's not all removed you will have to sand it off. You will need a piece bigger than your damage simply because you need to have enough to shape. Have a clear picture of what it's supposed to look like before you begin.

Glue: you will probably want to use a super glue on this piece, one of those formulated for wood or other absorbent materials. This gives you a relatively small open time and a quick set so you don't have to figure out how to clamp it! Actually, if you decide to go with a wood glue for the strength it gives a simple of tight tape with a large rubber band over it will be adequate.

Once you have it glued the challenge begins. If possible sketch out on the repair what needs to be removed and what stays. This is a guide only, it can't be three dimensional. Use no power tools, they remove wood too fast. Files and sandpaper are your friends. Knives, unless you have a lot of experience carving, are dangerous.

Remember, you can take it off, you can't put it back!

[imashooter2]

My plan for shaping was to put the halves together and trace a line then shape until they fair on all points. I was planing on either epoxy or wood glue as it would break my heart to go to the trouble of fixing this to have it scab off again with a little knock.

I'm convinced to go with polyurethane again as well. But I'm wondering how it's going to look with new poly on the repair and the old stuff everywhere else. I really want to remove the medallions and refinish complete, but I'm scared of chipping the grips taking them out.

Sprue,
Feel free to ask any questions you like. You won't step on my toes. Any information you get can only be a help to me. As for practicing on your grips... I'm going to feel bad enough butchering my own stuff.:)

[SwedeNelson]

One of the local pawn shops here has a box of old
"take off" grips that I can some times find some good
wood in. You might check a local one out.

Swede Nelson

[Sprue]

Great idea Swede !

Tks Ima

[imashooter2]

Well, after aging this project for a year, I tackled it over the holiday. I decided to go with a simple oil finish, because I like oil and I may as well make myself happy. 8-) Carving the Goncalo Alves to match the insert with a crappy Xacto knife was a bit of a challenge. A better color match would have been nice too. If nothing else, a project like this clearly demonstrates the difference between a hack and a craftsman. The results:

The patch is clearly visible, but from a couple feet away it doesn't leap out at you. They'll be functional for sure.

http://www.imashooter2.com/pictures/repair3.jpg

The oil is just a half a dozen coats of thinned boiled linseed. A few folks mentioned that oil really pools on the checkering, so I used a toothbrush to push the drying rag down into the grooves to clean them after every application. I'm pretty pleased all in all.:)

http://www.imashooter2.com/pictures/repair5-sm.jpg