Best Way to Repair A Chipped Grip???

sheepherder · 06-10-2011, 05:10 PM

It's not a Luger grip, but the method should be the same...

My Gasser grip has a chip out of it; it chipped with the grain, pretty much in one plane...

I'm wondering how to graft a piece of wood in to repair it...

Sand/rout it flat and glue a piece on with as little glueline as possible showing??? Shape the new piece to fit the existing contour and let the glueline be what it wants to be??? Dovetail a new piece in???

What kind of adhesive??? Glue??? Epoxy??? Polyester resin???

Shaping it afterward should be pretty straightforward...and it will always look 'fixed'...so what would a period armorer/smith have done to repair it???

I've seen gunstocks with some elaborate wood repairs [Enfields]...

How would an Austrian or German have repaired a chipped grip???

hgreer2 · 06-10-2011, 05:26 PM

I'm not sure what the Germans would do , but what I do is send my grip problems to Hugh Clark in Texas. I know for sure in can repair a Luger grip better than most.

Harry

936 5497946

[email protected]

sheepherder · 06-10-2011, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hgreer2

I'm not sure what the Germans would do , but what I do is send my grip problems to Hugh Clark in Texas.

I don't want to spend an amount that is half of what I bought the revolver for...as someone on Still's site suggested...and I would rather it stayed (for the most part) 'unrestored'...

I may just mix up some sawdust & resin and pour it in and belt-sand it down...or rout it flat and epoxy a piece of whatever pallet is lying around at work onto it...

"Field expedient repair" is what I am shooting for...but everyone has their own pet method for 'fixing' chips, gouges, cracks, etc...

It'll never look new and I don't want it to...I just want it to look complete...

(Read Eric's thread about finding the lost chip for his Luger carbine...it's pretty amusing, really...I'm not quite that particular...)

mlmahon · 06-10-2011, 09:02 PM

I agree with hgreer2.

I've been to Hugh's 'man cave' and seen, first-hand, many examples of his grip work. He can perform miracles. Fix a grip to where you cannot tell it was ever repaired and his prices are reasonable.

Check him out.

-ML

Hugh · 07-01-2011, 06:56 PM

"I'm wondering how to graft a piece of wood in to repair it...

Sand/rout it flat and glue a piece on with as little glueline as possible showing??? Shape the new piece to fit the existing contour and let the glueline be what it wants to be??? Dovetail a new piece in???

What kind of adhesive??? Glue??? Epoxy??? Polyester resin???"

Postino,
This may be too late, you may have already repaired your grip!

Sand the grip area to be sure it is completely flat.
Sand the repair piece to be sure it is completely flat.
Be sure they will mate up with minimum to no space between the two pieces.
Be sure the grain of the wood in the two pieces runs in the same direction, and the closer they are to the same color the better.

Apply super glue to to grip, stick the repair piece on, move it around a little to spread the glue evenly onto both pieces.
Hold them together for a minute or two until the super glue dries. Wait an hour or so before sanding to shape, to allow the glue to cure completely.

sheepherder · 07-01-2011, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hugh

Postino,
This may be too late, you may have already repaired your grip!

Sand the grip area to be sure it is completely flat.
Sand the repair piece to be sure it is completely flat.
Be sure they will mate up with minimum to no space between the two pieces.
Be sure the grain of the wood in the two pieces runs in the same direction, and the closer they are to the same color the better.

Apply super glue to to grip, stick the repair piece on, move it around a little to spread the glue evenly onto both pieces.
Hold them together for a minute or two until the super glue dries. Wait an hour or so before sanding to shape, to allow the glue to cure completely.

Thanks for your comments! No, I haven't tried 'fixing' it yet...

I established, from various pictures of excellent condition Gassers, that the 'checkering' was more like 'lining'...the checks are flat topped, not pointed, and the 'checkering' was lines cut into the grip...and the checks were double-bordered...

I could never even begin to touch up that type of checkering...So I was thinking of maybe perhaps asking you if you would be interested in giving the grips a look and seeing if you could re-trace the original 'checkering'...(and fix any chips, too)...

Here's a couple pics of a good condition grip to illustrate...

(BTW: Gasser grips are not symmetrical)

lugerholsterrepair · 07-01-2011, 08:48 PM

Hugh is your man for grips! He is a miracle worker. His work is where the rubber meets the road!

Hugh · 07-04-2011, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lugerholsterrepair

Hugh is your man for grips! He is a miracle worker. His work is where the rubber meets the road!

Thanks Jerry! The next pair you send me will get my special treatment!

Edward Tinker · 07-04-2011, 12:03 PM

Hugh, can I copy your posting and make it a sticky.

heh, heh, glue, adhesive, sticky, heh, heh

Hugh · 07-04-2011, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edward Tinker

Hugh, can I copy your posting and make it a sticky.

heh, heh, glue, adhesive, sticky, heh, heh

Stick it up there!

lugerholsterrepair · 07-04-2011, 03:23 PM

Hey! I think Hugh told me to do the same thing!

cirelaw · 07-04-2011, 03:39 PM

Gerry turned me on to Hugh who repaired a chip in my luger carbine grip, Perfect, can't even tell there was a repair. Super reasonalble~~

suum cuique · 07-04-2011, 03:57 PM

Hugh repaired my Luger grips which had two pieces of wood chipped off and recheckered them. After they came back they looked like new!
Hugh did an outstanding job!

I can highly recommend him

wlyon · 07-05-2011, 12:08 PM

We luger collectors are very fortunate. We have Hugh for grip repairs, Jerry for all leather work, GT for any mag work , Luger doc for parts and advise. It doesn't get any better than these. Bill

hgreer2 · 07-05-2011, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wlyon

We luger collectors are very fortunate. We have Hugh for grip repairs, Jerry for all leather work, GT for any mag work , Luger doc for parts and advise. It doesn't get any better than these. Bill

Some of us have Charles Danner for restorations.

Harry

sheepherder · 08-04-2011, 09:52 PM

Got my grips back from Hugh today...Checkering/lining looks excellent; chip repair is unnoticeable...

I'll let you guys judge...

hgreer2 · 08-04-2011, 10:16 PM

Some of us knew that in advance, Hugh is the best !!

Harry

Ice · 08-05-2011, 06:59 AM

We are lucky to have such gifted people here to help us.

Charlie

cirelaw · 03-26-2016, 06:29 PM

Hugh is the man for anything luger wood repair or restoration!!

Sergio Natali · 03-27-2016, 08:09 AM

Bill is absolutely right, the Luger enthusiasts living in the States are lucky: Hugh for grip repairs, Jerry for all leather work, GT for any mag work , Luger doc for parts and advise, the States are undoubtedly a big Country and the percentage of gun enthusiasts is surely higher than here in Europe, this is one of the cases in which I somehow regret not to live there...

Happy Easter to all!

06-10-2011, 05:10 PM	#1
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,183 Thanks: 1,400 Thanked 4,442 Times in 2,330 Posts	Best Way to Repair A Chipped Grip??? It's not a Luger grip, but the method should be the same... My Gasser grip has a chip out of it; it chipped with the grain, pretty much in one plane... I'm wondering how to graft a piece of wood in to repair it... Sand/rout it flat and glue a piece on with as little glueline as possible showing??? Shape the new piece to fit the existing contour and let the glueline be what it wants to be??? Dovetail a new piece in??? What kind of adhesive??? Glue??? Epoxy??? Polyester resin??? Shaping it afterward should be pretty straightforward...and it will always look 'fixed'...so what would a period armorer/smith have done to repair it??? I've seen gunstocks with some elaborate wood repairs [Enfields]... How would an Austrian or German have repaired a chipped grip??? Attached Thumbnails __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter...

06-10-2011, 09:02 PM	#4
mlmahon User Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Port Neches, TX Posts: 80 Thanks: 51 Thanked 23 Times in 12 Posts	I agree with hgreer2. I've been to Hugh's 'man cave' and seen, first-hand, many examples of his grip work. He can perform miracles. Fix a grip to where you cannot tell it was ever repaired and his prices are reasonable. Check him out. -ML __________________ Knowledge is Power. Trust but Verify.

07-01-2011, 06:56 PM	#5
Hugh RIP Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Southeast Texas Swamp Posts: 2,460 Thanks: 2 Thanked 165 Times in 64 Posts	"I'm wondering how to graft a piece of wood in to repair it... Sand/rout it flat and glue a piece on with as little glueline as possible showing??? Shape the new piece to fit the existing contour and let the glueline be what it wants to be??? Dovetail a new piece in??? What kind of adhesive??? Glue??? Epoxy??? Polyester resin???" Postino, This may be too late, you may have already repaired your grip! Sand the grip area to be sure it is completely flat. Sand the repair piece to be sure it is completely flat. Be sure they will mate up with minimum to no space between the two pieces. Be sure the grain of the wood in the two pieces runs in the same direction, and the closer they are to the same color the better. Apply super glue to to grip, stick the repair piece on, move it around a little to spread the glue evenly onto both pieces. Hold them together for a minute or two until the super glue dries. Wait an hour or so before sanding to shape, to allow the glue to cure completely. __________________ *TRUMP FOR PREZ IN '20!*

07-01-2011, 08:48 PM	#7
lugerholsterrepair Moderator Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Arizona/Colorado Posts: 7,772 Thanks: 4,940 Thanked 3,124 Times in 1,434 Posts	Hugh is your man for grips! He is a miracle worker. His work is where the rubber meets the road! __________________ Jerry Burney 11491 S. Guadalupe Drive Yuma AZ 85367-6182 l[email protected] 928 342-7583 (CO & AZ) Year Round 719 207-3331 (cell) "For those who Fight For It, Life has a flavor the protected will never know."

07-04-2011, 03:23 PM	#11
lugerholsterrepair Moderator Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Arizona/Colorado Posts: 7,772 Thanks: 4,940 Thanked 3,124 Times in 1,434 Posts	Hey! I think Hugh told me to do the same thing! __________________ Jerry Burney 11491 S. Guadalupe Drive Yuma AZ 85367-6182 l[email protected] 928 342-7583 (CO & AZ) Year Round 719 207-3331 (cell) "For those who Fight For It, Life has a flavor the protected will never know."

06-10-2011, 05:26 PM	#2
hgreer2 Banned Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 309 Thanks: 1 Thanked 29 Times in 20 Posts	I'm not sure what the Germans would do , but what I do is send my grip problems to Hugh Clark in Texas. I know for sure in can repair a Luger grip better than most. Harry 936 5497946 [email protected]

07-04-2011, 12:03 PM	#9
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,936 Thanks: 2,034 Thanked 4,533 Times in 2,093 Posts	Hugh, can I copy your posting and make it a sticky. heh, heh, glue, adhesive, sticky, heh, heh

07-04-2011, 03:39 PM	#12
cirelaw Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PORT ST LUCIE, FLORIDA Posts: 12,216 Thanks: 6,209 Thanked 4,133 Times in 2,173 Posts	Gerry turned me on to Hugh who repaired a chip in my luger carbine grip, Perfect, can't even tell there was a repair. Super reasonalble~~

07-04-2011, 03:57 PM	#13
suum cuique User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: MD / Currently about 9000 klicks east of the Potomac Posts: 497 Thanks: 100 Thanked 47 Times in 35 Posts	Hugh repaired my Luger grips which had two pieces of wood chipped off and recheckered them. After they came back they looked like new! Hugh did an outstanding job! I can highly recommend him Attached Thumbnails __________________ Regards, Andy There's No Place Like Home (Wizard Of Oz)

07-05-2011, 12:08 PM	#14
wlyon Lifer 2X Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: May 2005 Location: Somewhere in Montana Posts: 2,637 Thanks: 3,175 Thanked 2,562 Times in 956 Posts	We luger collectors are very fortunate. We have Hugh for grip repairs, Jerry for all leather work, GT for any mag work , Luger doc for parts and advise. It doesn't get any better than these. Bill __________________ Bill Lyon

08-04-2011, 09:52 PM	#16
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,183 Thanks: 1,400 Thanked 4,442 Times in 2,330 Posts	Got my grips back from Hugh today...Checkering/lining looks excellent; chip repair is unnoticeable... I'll let you guys judge... Attached Thumbnails __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter...

08-04-2011, 10:16 PM	#17
hgreer2 Banned Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 309 Thanks: 1 Thanked 29 Times in 20 Posts	Some of us knew that in advance, Hugh is the best !! Harry

08-05-2011, 06:59 AM	#18
Ice User Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 552 Thanks: 13 Thanked 69 Times in 57 Posts	We are lucky to have such gifted people here to help us. Charlie

03-26-2016, 06:29 PM	#19
cirelaw Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PORT ST LUCIE, FLORIDA Posts: 12,216 Thanks: 6,209 Thanked 4,133 Times in 2,173 Posts	Hugh is the man for anything luger wood repair or restoration!! Attached Thumbnails

03-27-2016, 08:09 AM	#20
Sergio Natali User Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Somewhere in Northern Italy Posts: 2,646 Thanks: 1,082 Thanked 1,783 Times in 1,007 Posts	Bill is absolutely right, the Luger enthusiasts living in the States are lucky: Hugh for grip repairs, Jerry for all leather work, GT for any mag work , Luger doc for parts and advise, the States are undoubtedly a big Country and the percentage of gun enthusiasts is surely higher than here in Europe, this is one of the cases in which I somehow regret not to live there... Happy Easter to all! __________________ "Originality can't be restored and should be at the top of any collector's priority list.