wood grips - new color?

[hrt4me]

I find myself now with too many Rogers & Spencer revolvers, but unfortunately I do not really like the light color of the wood grips on my favorite one (which is the last I will sell). I have tried swapping around some of the grips from the others, but the grips are each unique enough such that they are somewhat custom to their specific revolver.

Now I ponder the feasibility of sanding these grips so I can then restain a new different darker color, but I wonder whether I would even be able to sufficiently remove enough of the original color without having to remove too much actual wood material...?

Here are just 2 of mine, and I am specifically referring to the grips on the right... (I prefer the darker, almost Rosewood, color of the grips on the left)

 

[Old Hawkeye]

Most of the wood finishes used by manufacturers tend to have the "color" in the finish not in the wood. Use a chemical stripper like Citri-Strip and you may find you need very little sanding, if any, to prep the wood for staining. Using spirit based stains will give you better control over tone & you can add some Ebony stain to your colored stain to darken. Don't try to get the tone in one application, you can put spirit stains on in coats to darken to your desired level.

 

[hawkeye2]

No matter how light your sanding is they will come up undersized. Chemical strip and very light sanding only if it raises the grain.

 

[Brokenbear]

I have never seen the insides of an R&S pistola but if you can ......
Run your tests on the inside of the grips ..
Don't use sand paper ..Scotchbrite RED scuffing pad or 0000 steel wool ..unroll a single wool pad ..fold like a handkerchief a wash cloth ..wrap the 24" long bundle of 0000 wool you have unwound around the folded wash cloth keeping the wash clothe folded flat ..you now have a padded steel wool scuffing device ..move the wool/wash cloth pad with the grain with the wool's length opposing the grain
just a thought

Bear

 

[hrt4me]

here is a Rogers & Spencer disassembly video from YouTube:

 

[hrt4me]

also here toward the end:

 

[nhmoose]

Easy, Strip finish with chemical stripper, neutralize, then stain darker, apply new finish. Be careful and dimension change will be minimal to nonexistent.