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Horn grips damaging ss grip frame.


Baltimore Ed

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I tore down my ss Ruger Vaqueros the other day to replace the flat ss hammers with wide spur super blackhawk hammers and found rust and corrosion on the grip frame where it contacts the buffalo horn grips. This was not new damage but it was worse than before. I haven't really messed with these revolvers in years.  Initially [late 1990s] my safe was on a screened in porch and humidity was an issue. And then we got flooded 6 yrs ago [house was elevated then] but that was after enclosing the porch. I cleaned the frames with bronze wool and 600 grit paper and sanded the flat of the grips to clean them up. I’m assuming that something in the horn is attacking the ss. as moisture is not an issue anymore. Anyway, my question is how do I seal the horn to keep it from damaging the steel any further? True oil, gun oil, epoxy, polyurethane? Suggestions?

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Would be interested if this is an issue.  I just made a set of Buffalo horn grips for a compact 1911.  I recently made a couple of sets of grips out of Giraffe Bone,  I stabilized the Giraffe bone with a material called Cactus Juice.  The grip material is placed in a pressurized container for a period of time allowing the material to completely absorb the stabilizer.  The grip material is placed in an oven.  The heat catalyzes the stabilizer (forms an epoxy like finish).  I did not stabilize the Buffalo horn.  It didn't appear to be porous enough to accept the stabilizer.  

 

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My grips were a commercial brand, maybe eagle brand but they don’t show buffalo horn on their current website. The ss frames on both rugers are pitted and rusty looking. There is no finish on the flat side of any of the grips. When I sand with 400 grit paper I get brown dust. Do you coat the gun side of your organic grips with anything special?

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My grips were a commercial brand, maybe eagle brand but they don’t show buffalo horn on their current website. The ss frames on both rugers are pitted and rusty looking. There is no finish on the flat side of any of the grips. When I sand with 400 grit paper I get brown dust. Do you coat the gun side of your organic grips with anything special?

I never have.  I have a pair of Ubertis that have custom Giraffe bone grips; I had a pair of stainless Rugers that had Elk Antler Grips, and I have a blued 1911 with Stag.  I have never had a problem with any type of corrosion under the grips as long as they received a periodic coat of gun oil.  But these grips have all been stabilized. The Buffalo horn is the first set I've had, so when I saw your post, I wondered if there is some other type of corrosive action to the material.  I have never heard of anything.

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I love stag grips.  I have not had any similar problems with the grips on my revolvers.  I have no experience with buffalo horn.  

 

It seems to me that a very thin film of grease applied to the metal frame contact surfaces with your fingertip would provide an effective barrier between the frame and grip.  It’s easy, cheap, and can’t hurt anything.

 

Check for problems more frequently and if the grease barrier doesn’t solve the problem, go from there.  But I bet it works.

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Off topic - but I have a suggestion: while you have the grips off, fashion some spacers to support the grips where the grip screw goes through. My Vaquero grip frames measured 1/2" wide. I cut two 1/2" sections off a Bic pen tube & used that for support.

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An oil coating doesn't last forever, might want to take your guns out more often to clean and oil. Bone is a natural material, and like most, will absorb moisture. Wood does the same thing which is why, I have been told, machinist's tool chests are made of wood, to pull any moisture away from the metal. But you still gotta oil all the tools. I have bone grips on a 1911, a S&W pocket pistol and on a Webley, and haven't noticed any problems, and the grips set have been on there for years.

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Stainless steel is not a "rust-proof material" it is rust resistant.  Rusting is just delayed but eventually it will rust.  Occasional oiling of the metal grip will further reduce the chance of rusting.  Perspiration or sweat will accumulate between the grip and the metal and if left there for a long time, oxidation will occur.  

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Stainless steel is not a "rust-proof material" it is rust resistant.  Rusting is just delayed but eventually it will rust.  Occasional oiling of the metal grip will further reduce the chance of rusting.  Perspiration or sweat will accumulate between the grip and the metal and if left there for a long time, oxidation will occur.  

+1

I bet if you take the grips off after shooting and clean/preserve the metal in question, you will have no more problems.

A little oil on clean metal will do wonders. Good luck.

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Here’s a photo and they are eagle grips. If you look where the damage is, mostly along the back, just a little on the front and none on the bottom. This would be exactly where the sweatiest part of your hand would be. The sweat and salt from my hand would have seeped between the grips and frame. These revolvers were my only cas revolvers for many years and got a lot of use. I only shoot duelist so the right hand side is worse. If you have horn on your guns and shoot during the summer heat this is something to watch for.

4FA689D2-A210-4C75-81F5-8342D5558330.jpeg

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Any sealer you put on the inside of the grips is likely to react with and be altered by any oils put on the metal parts.  I would suggest frequent removal, drying, cleaning and oiling, especially in high humidity.  

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Just left a message at eagle grips. We’ll see what they say. But I decided to give the grips a couple of coats of tru-oil to seal them anyway.  I’ve always liked the stuff and have had good results. It’s definitely oil and sweat proof. I’ll also put a drop of oil on the frames too. 

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Horn will hold moisture, just like stag or any natural material that hasn't been sealed.  In this case, it's holding it next to a rustable material, as stated above, SS is only rust resistant.  Rugers are a form of 300 series SS, which is less rust resistant than some other SS's.  The best long term protection is paste wax.  Clean the rust off again, then seal with a good car wax.  I would also seal the backsides of the grips with wax.

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wow - never thought to check this out but now i will , i learn more here by accident than i ever imagined id need to know , but i do not need my match guns or my backups deteriorating in a concealed location because i neglected to look , 

 

i shoot smokeless , i dont tear mine down to the bones like my friends that shoot BP do after ever days use , this is an eye opener -- thanks , 

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I have had problems with guns that seemed to be prone to rust.  It seemed that no amount of cleaning with oil and solvents would stop the rust.  I read somewhere that rusting is accelerated by salts of various kinds which are hygroscopic (water attracting).  Salts are not soluble in oils they are not removed by cleaning with solvents and are just sealed in by the oil.  
 

Since salts are solvent in water, I would suggest stripping the guns down and clean both guns and grips with hot soapy water.  Dry them good and apply whatever preservative you like from the excellent suggestions above.

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