Aging fake ivory grips ??

[user 52142]

Thanks for all of the great replies everyone. Lots of advice and wisdom shared.

I tried the leather dye I had, no results. Dont want to purchase any dye for experimentation, to costly.
Tried soaking in tea like some suggested. That didnt work either. This must be some tuff poly/plastic etc.

Arizona grips seem to have some nice aged ivory and aged stag looking grips. Think I will give them a try. Will post some pics once I get them.

Have a great week
Bill

 

[OldMaineWoodsman]

I used to visit the late Roy Fishpaw at his home/shop in Lynchburg. He was one of the best grip makers in the country. He put Dall Sheep horn grips on one of my unmentionables.

He had an Italian Colt replica Navy revolver that a guy wanted genuine Ivory fit to. I didn't understand why you would put at the time $650 grips on a $300 replica revolver but to each his own.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

A Bisley frame would be too obvious.

Wick, he used his pair of Great Western revolvers in "The Shootist", but the Colt with the plastic grips was a Bisley with a standard Colt grip frame. It looks odd when seen up close.

 

[Bad Karma]

Great Western is a SAA, what am i not understanding in your post?

It’s a replica of a Colt SAA, as the other poster noted.

 

[Bad Karma]

I believe that Ivory brought into the States before a certain time is legal. I do not remember what year the ban kicked in. For my self, there isn't a pair of grips on the planet worth hundreds of dollars. My ego isn't that big! (LOL) I have several Rugers, original three screws, and they all wear original correct grips. Also my Smiths are all original numbered stocks. Works for me.

T-grips rock.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

Thanks for all of the great replies everyone. Lots of advice and wisdom shared.

I tried the leather dye I had, no results. Dont want to purchase any dye for experimentation, to costly.
Tried soaking in tea like some suggested. That didnt work either. This must be some tuff poly/plastic etc.

Arizona grips seem to have some nice aged ivory and aged stag looking grips. Think I will give them a try. Will post some pics once I get them.

Have a great week
Bill

Be aware that some fitting may be required due to dimensional variations common on two piece grip frames.

 

[user 52142]

Be aware that some fitting may be required due to dimensional variations common on two piece grip frames.

Thanks Tom. They do ask for the manufacturer date. They say Pietta has small variations thru the years on the 1851.
But minor fitting might be required.

 

[GYJ]

I've used leather dye to fair effect on imitation ivory. You have to soak it for days and check it often. It will usually penetrate the surface.

Arizona Custom Grips will fit theirs to your frame for about $200 but their "aging" is painted on the surface.

I have my first set of River Junction giraffe bone grips on the way right now. The cost is not bad compared to other outlets like Nutmeg.

Thanks Tom. They do ask for the manufacturer date. They say Pietta has small variations thru the years on the 1851.
But minor fitting might be required.

Pietta has two very distinct Navy grip patterns.

The gun the duke wore was a not even a Colt. It was a Great Western Firearms Co. with plastic grips.

The gun with yellow grips he carried for most of his career was a Colt with catalin grips. The pair of engraved guns he had in The Shootist were Great Westerns.

I believe that Ivory brought into the States before a certain time is legal. I do not remember what year the ban kicked in. For my self, there isn't a pair of grips on the planet worth hundreds of dollars. My ego isn't that big! (LOL) I have several Rugers, original three screws, and they all wear original correct grips. Also my Smiths are all original numbered stocks. Works for me.

There was an interstate ban that kicked in in 2016 that pretty much eliminated new products made from ivory.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I made mine from some pieces picked up at a local gun show many years ago.

 

[Eutycus]

I haven't finished them yet but I slowly making myself a pair of fake grips for a J frame. Larger pieces of PVC pipe are what is being utilized. Got the pieces under a C clamp to take some of the bend out. Not really a bright white, which is what I going for. Fake ivory is just that...fake.My "ivory" grips fool almost everyone but me. I hear the faux ivory is much stronger than the real thing anyway.

 

[lonewoofs]

Fyi:
Ritz dye will stain/ color zip ties....ties placed in hot(bring to boil! Steep parts )water with the die in it.....not sure of grip material...

 

[user 52142]

Thinking about these, without the medallion
What do y,all think ?
Or would plain look better on the nickel engraved 1851 ?

Thanks
Bill


https://www.ebay.com/itm/2749617725...tguSQFWRxe&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[Bad Karma]

I haven't finished them yet but I slowly making myself a pair of fake grips for a J frame. Larger pieces of PVC pipe are what is being utilized. Got the pieces under a C clamp to take some of the bend out. Not really a bright white, which is what I going for. Fake ivory is just that...fake.My "ivory" grips fool almost everyone but me. I hear the faux ivory is much stronger than the real thing anyway.

Apply heat and you can make pvc do darned near anything. Without heat it will tend to spring back (albeit slowly) to its original form.

 

[Eutycus]

I was considering that. Heat as in a hair dryer or steam heat

Apply heat and you can make pvc do darned near anything. Without heat it will tend to spring back (albeit slowly) to its original form.

? The hair dryer probably wouldn't be hot enough, right?

 

[Bad Karma]

I was considering that. Heat as in a hair dryer or steam heat
? The hair dryer probably wouldn't be hot enough, right?

A heat gun would do it. you could also heat the pipe over a charcoal grill.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

I've formed delrin and kydex using a heat gun. Works great. Just keep it moving and don't get too close to the surface. I also use this to blush aqua fortis.

 

[springfield art]

A good ivory substitute is bone. I don’t know if there are bone grips out there for sale, but would bet they would look more authentic than fake ivory. Also, bone could be stained where plastic would be harder to stain.

Here’s some guys that do bone grips.

https://www.riverjunction.com/4764
I haven’t used them, they came up on my google search.

The replica ivory grips now-a-days are made of a very authentic material, resin, which is almost impossible to tell from real. Please look into it, you may be surprised.

 

[springfield art]

I've used leather dye to fair effect on imitation ivory. You have to soak it for days and check it often. It will usually penetrate the surface.

Arizona Custom Grips will fit theirs to your frame for about $200 but their "aging" is painted on the surface.

I have my first set of River Junction giraffe bone grips on the way right now. The cost is not bad compared to other outlets like Nutmeg.



Pietta has two very distinct Navy grip patterns.



The gun with yellow grips he carried for most of his career was a Colt with catalin grips. The pair of engraved guns he had in The Shootist were Great Westerns.



There was an interstate ban that kicked in in 2016 that pretty much eliminated new products made from ivory.

World demand for real ivory has nearly killed off all the wild elephants. No one should be using or buying them. Same for rhino horns, which the Middle East wants for dagger handles.

 

[user 52142]

A heat gun would do it. you could also heat the pipe over a charcoal grill.

PVC will become soft around 170 – 220 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

[Eutycus]

I don't have a heat gun handy, it got borrowed. How about boiling it in a tin can of water?