Grips on a 1917 DWM- color OK? or is cleaning needed?

[RShaw]

Hi All,

Enclosed below is a photo of a Luger P08 (not my own). The color of the grips in the photo is virtually identical to the color of the grips on my 1917 DWM. My DWM is shown in my avatar, but the grip color in that photo is not accurate.

My question is, is the color and condition of the grips in the enclosed photo OK? Or would you experts say they need cleaning? If cleaning is needed, what's the best way to do that?

I have not had the grips off my DWM at all... have not attempted any cleaning at all. Appreciate any and all comments. Thanks

[wlyon]

Grips look fine. Whether or not to clean the grips is up to you. I personally do not clean my grips. It bothers me to see a 95% or so luger with brand new looking grips. Grips and metal should have the same use look. But the luger is yours to do whatever pleases you. Bill

[RShaw]

Ahh thank you. Then I won't clean them at all- saves me the work, as well as the risk of causing irreparable damage. Good point you bring up- "Grips and metal should have the same use look." I hadn't thought of that.

What I want to do with this gun is to preserve it and keep it in good condition. It's my first one ever; I originally bought it to shoot. After going through the "shoot or not to shoot a colectable" debate, I decided that this gun should be kept safe for posterity. Keeping it in good shape meant to me to bring the grips to a more realistic condition if the color were off or they were excessively dirty. Your reply answers my question very well.

In the meantime I've found a 1918 reblued DWM which I can't wait to shoot! I'll have to be patient though- I'll be able to bring it home this coming August.

[rhuff]

If you feel that your grips have a bit of "buildup" in the checkering, I have used a soft toothbrush to remove any. The toothbrush will not harm the wood, nor will it change the color of the wood.

If you ever decide to remove one or both grips, then you can look at the backs of the grips to determine what the original color of the wood was when they were made. That will give one a bit of an idea of the "aging" of the wood over time and usage......also if oil was applied to the grips.

[RShaw]

Very straightforward .... should have thought of that myself! Great!

[Ron Wood]

Grips in that good condition with uniform color I wouldn't touch at all. As Bill said, the appearance is commensurate with the condition of the gun and properly reflects the age of the piece. JMHO.
Ron

[RShaw]

I'll leave them alone then... Thanks!

[4 Scale]

Below are before and after pictures of some M1900 grips that I cleaned. It was an easy decision as the grips seemed 'too dark', left grip had the safety chip and the pistol was a shooter.

Description of process in this thread:
http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=34747

It's now been over a year since I cleaned these, and some others. What I have found is after cleaning, the grips slowly darken a bit as the months go on. Likely, darker material below the surface wicks up to the top over time.

[RShaw]

"1900 AE Shooter, and Questions" is a VERY informative well written thread!! Thank you

[Sergio Natali]

Several years ago I sort of tried to clean some old and very dirty grips, but now I wouldn't do it again. In the FAQ of this site there are answers devoted to your question with good advices, but if it was mine I would just clean them very gently with an old toothbrush and nothing else. IMHO.

[RShaw]

Ok.... thanks! "Less is more" with many things I think....

[Olle]

Originally Posted by 4 Scale

It's now been over a year since I cleaned these, and some others. What I have found is after cleaning, the grips slowly darken a bit as the months go on. Likely, darker material below the surface wicks up to the top over time.

A lot of the darkening is just an optical illusion, dry wood just looks lighter than wet wood. You dry out the surface when you clean the grips, and this makes them appear lighter. After a while, the natural oils (and like you said: old deposits inside the wood) will migrate to the surface and this makes them look darker. Adding some oil after cleaning will make them darker (and usually prettier) immediately, and it will also protect the grips so they don't get dirty again.

[RShaw]

Of course, the type of oil one adds is critical, what do you use? I would think it's difficult to get a uniform appearance over the entire grip surface... think I'll try some other pieces of wood to see what happens before I mess with my original grips... mmmm.... should probably just leave them alone

[ithacaartist]

Boiled linseed oil was the original unless I am mistaken, but any fairly light oil type finish will be fine--Danish oil, Brazilian rose oil, etc. Although also a good finish, polyurethane is avoided by many collectors. The darkening, or patina, consists of stuff that permeates the top, visible layer of the wood. Dirt and oils combined, mostly. I'd try to gently remove as much dirt as possible physically. Organic solvents will remove the oils and a little more of the microscopic crud.

A pair of grips can be made to look virtually brand new by chasing the checkered pattern with the proper tools, to remove the thin layer of wood that contains the accumulated color. One might do this for a gun which has been refinished, to complete the look--in keeping with Bill's advice.

To tell what a piece of wood will look like after a fresh finish, just wet it with your tongue. I'm not sure what you mean by uniform appearance...what most are trying to accomplish by applying a finish, in part, is to bring out the "character" of the wood, which is the variations of color that the grain of the wood presents.

[RShaw]

Uniform appearance = absence of spots or streaks due to uneven application of oil. Acetone is a volatile solvent which has a high affinity to water and other organic oils. Therefore, I would think that while it is great for removing dirt, dark oils and other unwanted things, it would also severely dry out the wood. This I would want to avoid... comments in the grip cleaning thread link posted by 4Scale, are interesting- his finished grips look really good!!

[4 Scale]

I agree acetone drys wood, but not excessively when used rarely. I don't agree any oil or similar material should be added to wood to help preserve it. I have tried to support my views with empirical evidence including using a microscope to inspect the grips before/after cleaning. More data in these threads:

http://forum.lugerforum.com/showthre...hlight=acetone
http://luger.gunboards.com/showthrea...hlight=acetone

The good news is, the hardwoods used in Luger grips are tough and can withstand a great deal of abuse - oiling, improper cleaning, too much/too little cleaning etc. In most cases most of the time, if the grips are not clearly in need of cleaning, they should be left alone to match the appearance of the pistol. In my opinion grips that look like those in post #1 are fine as-is.

[RShaw]

4 Scale: Great!! Thanks for the links and comments... very very helpful )
Appreciate your trouble!

[Olle]

Originally Posted by RShaw

Of course, the type of oil one adds is critical, what do you use? I would think it's difficult to get a uniform appearance over the entire grip surface... think I'll try some other pieces of wood to see what happens before I mess with my original grips... mmmm.... should probably just leave them alone

I use Formby's Tung Oil, mostly because it's convenient. It does everything linseed oil does, and I haven't seen any negative long term effects of it. It's very thin, penetrates very well and dries much quicker than linseed oil, and if you have ever used linseed oil you will probably appreciate something that dries quicker. On Luger grips you only need to apply enough to "wet" the wood, and it will normally give you an even color. The only time you run into problems is when you haven't cleaned the wood good enough, the oil doesn't only darken the wood, it may also darken the grime you accidentally left and accentuate it. Still, you'll see the same effect if you let the wood darken naturally.

I believe Formby's is a mix of tung oil and some kind of varnish so it's probably not for the purists, but it works great and is easier to work with.

[RShaw]

Don't know that product- appreciate the suggestion

[rhuff]

I, also, have used Formby's Tung Oil for years with very satisfactory results on many wood products. It is simple to use(my brain needs that), and produces a very natural finish with good protection. I purchase/use the satin finish one. I haven't used boiled linseed oil in many moons.