Original finish on Colt percussion grips?

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Panzerschwein

Panzerschwein

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Hello everyone!

I am very much interested in cap and ball revolvers, and know there are some good companies out there making them. I own a Cimarron/Uberti 1851 Colt Navy, here it is:

Colt_Navy.jpg

I love this gun, but one thing has been bothering me. Do you see those shiny, red Italian grips? Did the original Colt Navy grips actually look like that, and were they finished in the same way? If not, then in fact how did they look and what materials were they made from/finished with?

If at all possible, I am going to try and make the grips look more authentic. I have read of some refinishing the Uberti wood furniture on various long guns, but I haven't found much on the Colt style revolvers or what would be the correct way to go about doing this.

I am not a cowboy action shooter, so for me authenticity is paramount short of buying a real $50,000 Colt Navy! So if anyone out there can help me out, I'd greatly appreciate it. I also plan to buy an Uberti 1847 Walker at some point in the future, and would appreciate information on it's original grip finish as well if anyone has that.

Thank you so much for your time, and have a great day everyone! :)
 
The Colt model 1851 revolver would have had grips made of walnut, since it is a hardwood and inexpensive to provide and shape and finish. Even in the 19th century, factories were concerned about materials costs and keeping the profits in line.

Someone here might be able to provide original accounts, like Berkley's post #12 in the thread, "Holster carry of charged & capped percussion revolvers".

The NRA Museum may have the best examples of Colt revolvers in fine to mint condition for public viewing to see the original finish of the revolver. You could call the Museum and ask that question to the Curator of the Museum. The staff at the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, WY might be another source able to provide answers.

Perhaps, the resident craftsmen here can guide you on refinishing.

The Cimarron/Uberti revolver is the best there is for replica revolvers, IMHO.
 
During the last half of the 19th Century Colt, as well as most others used American, English and Turkish (Caucasian) walnut, and on rare occasion, Oak to make stocks. Each of these woods had their own characteristics, and color.

The best way to learn is to look at high-quality photographs that have been collected in coffee table books, such as R.L. Wilson's Steel Canvas or The Peacekeepers.

Colt commercial revolvers sported a "piano finish" that resulted from a laborious hand rubbed varnish that produced the sometimes reddish tint that you referred to, but this was more caused by the particular wood rather then the finish applied to it.

None of it looked like the gaudy red stain the Italians (and later Colt) used on 2nd Generation and later cap & ball revolvers clones.

Actually the 1851 Navy replica you included in the first post is very close to what you want, but anything running from very dark brown to a more reddish tinted brown is correct.

When working with a particular stock (one piece) or two panels I often mix walnut stain with a small amount of red mahogany, and test it for color applied on a spot on the inside with a Q-Tip. You will find that each set - made from different wood - requires its own formulation to get exactly what you want.
 
Thanks Kibbey!

Looks like walnut to me, maybe an oiled finish? Of course these have aged quite a bit, but they don't look much like the current Uberti Walker grips or I could just be off? :confused:
 
The difference from the replicas is not the finish, which was ordinary varnish, but the wood itself. The original wood was black walnut, a more open grain wood than that used by the Italians. So you need first to find the right wood and it should be in one piece like the originals, Then you have to fit it to the gun, a tedious "cut and try" process made harder by the need to protect the finish of the metal (the factory polished wood and metal down together). Once the wood is finished, the grain filled and the wood stained to the right color, then you can use any good varnish to finish them. Oddly, this is the easy part; you can use spray spar varnish as long as you know how to apply a spray. If you want a reddish color (though Colts don't often have it), you can get a stain from an outfit called Tapaderas.

(Yes, you can use a three piece grip, gluing in a center block once you finish the grips, but that won't be authentic.)

Jim
 
... oh!

Well that sounds involved! :uhoh:

Could I just strip the factory "laquer" whatever coating, re-stain the bare wood, and then finish with a laquer or something?

What materials should I use to do this? The grips on my Navy look very red... these images I'm seeing of the original Colts looks more brown in colour.
 
I had the opportunity just a few hours ago to check the finish on an original 1851 Colt. The revolver is cased and in very good condition. The finish on the grips is not a real high gloss, considering the age, but not satin or dull. It is like a lacquer/ varnish finish you might find on older musical instruments.:cool:

I know... more confusing.
 
Cool thank you!

So does anyone have any recommendations on how I should start refinishing the grips on my Navy to look more authentic?
 
I would leave it alone. I have handled original Navies that had stocks identical in in color to the picture in post #1.

Should you decide to purchase one or more of the books by R.L. Wilson that I previously suggested you'll see exactly what I mean. ;)

Actually the 1851 Navy replica you included in the first post is very close to what you want, but anything running from very dark brown to a more reddish tinted brown is correct.
Click to expand...
 
I did mine. Started with Citristrip applied with a paint brush and after it started to bubble up scrapped of with a plastic scrapper. I cut a 4 inch square out of ice tea gallon jug and just used that. It come off pretty easy. I had to apply several coats of Citristrip to get it all off. Some guys use steel wool to get that little bit off but I used real fine sand paper to get that last remnants off the wood.

Now you should have bare wood. I washed the wood in mineral spirits and let dry overnight. The I put a couple coats of Minwax natural stain and finished up with several hand rubbed coats of Truoil.

I still don't like it because I should have used a slightly darker walnut stain as oppose to the natural stain I used. But others here have had better results than I had. She's getting a set of elk grips here pretty soon so I'm done. :)

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Nice!

So the grips on my Colt Navy look authentic? That's nice to know!

But what about the replica Walker? Specifically, the Uberti made Cimarron guns? I plan to buy one soon, but want the grips to match the original Walkers as much as I can.
 
There is a problem with Walkers. Only 1000, plus a few hundred more were made. Most were rode hard and put away wet. A fair number self-destructed when a cylinder blew up.

Bottom line: I don't know if any survived with the original stock finish still intact - but I will look around.

Side note: Years ago I attended an NRA convention in Phoenix. Therein was a long row of the finest Paterson and Walker revolvers, on loan from the best collections in the country. I was in hog heaven. :cool:

If you ever get a chance to attend an NRA Convention, make a point to go - and bring a decent camera.
 
I dissolved the plastic finish from the Eropean Walnut grips of my two Cimarron 1861 Navies and then stained the wood and then oiled with linseed. They turned out great.
 
I'm re-doing my Walker grips with Fiebings and Laurel Mtn finish, having stripped them with citrus stripper first.
 
Here is the difference between a factory finish on the '49 Pocket and my 1860 Army both built by Uberti that I refinished. You can see how red the factory finish is.

attachment.php
 
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Oooh.... DADDY LIKE!!! :D!

If I get my Walker Colt and it's grips are too red, I'll be thinking of doing this.

If anyone still knows of anyone who makes and fits real American walnut grips to percussion revolvers, please let me know!
 
The Walker, Paterson and Dragoon aren't originals but the rest are. FWIW... not that you can tell exactly what they looked like when they left the factory. Handling/oils/etc. will change/darken wood over time.

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No flash

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"...for me authenticity is paramount..."

"Well that sounds involved!"

A contradiction there, Cooldill. You can't have authenticity with that wood on the gun. Period. It looks nice, and will wear fairly well, but it will never look like an original Colt.

Jim
 
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