Oxidized grip cap

[Phil Yearout]

I assume they were bakelite in the 20's? Is there a good way to get the yellow grunge off without hurting anything?

[Aaron Beck]

I always thought ballistol might be right but im interested in the experts opinion

[Chuck Bishop]

Black shoe polish

[Brian Dudley]

Steel wool will remove it, but it would be hard to get it all out of the detail and lettering. And it will soften the detail too. If it os something you cannot live with, I suggest some of the coloring methods mentioned above. Or a sharpie.

[Mike Koneski]

Ultrasonic cleaner?

[Brian Dudley]

Ultrasonic cleaner?


That will likely make it worse. Or have no effect.

[Phil Yearout]

Ha! Am I the first guy to have the problem or to be concerned about it? Guess I assumed others had run into this before.

[Brian Dudley]

Ha! Am I the first guy to have the problem or to be concerned about it? Guess I assumed others had run into this before.

It is pretty common. Some guns experience it, some dont. I do not know what chemically goes on that causes it. It can happen with caps and buttplates.

I once tried to put an original lefever buttplate in boiling water to soften it to help it confirm to the curved butt of a stock. Just like you would with modern urethane plastic. The plate instantly oxidized in the hot water. Which is why I did not recommend ultrasonic cleaning.

If it is in fact chemical oxidation, possibly a rust removing solution may have an effect. But I am sure it is not the same thing as rusting metal.

[Dean Romig]

Before bakelite there was gutta percha which normally lightens in hue or shade with age… some caps go almost blondish and it’s not limited strictly to the surface… it can be deep within it.






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[Mike Koneski]

From dental work to grip caps and butt plates? Go figure.

[Chris Robenalt]

Phil, I use a product called, Edgecoat. It's used to finish off cut leather edges, like edges of a knife sheath. I use it on caps and buttplates when I fill a void will an epoxy, or build up a missing toe piece. I dip my finger in the bottle and rub it it on the repair or even the entire plate or cap. Let dry, then come back and buff out with a piece of t -shirt. It still shows all the details and uniforms the color. I hate epoxy fills that never match or that stand out, screaming "repair". This stuff works.
Chris, AZ

[Mike Koneski]

Which brand do you use, Fiebings Edge Kote?

[Chris Robenalt]

Yes, that's the one Mike. I've even use it on forends that have some form of discolored wood or plastic in place of the ebony. I tape off and finger paint the insert. Buff later and it resembles ebony. This stuff is great. I've use the brown on stock repairs that won't stain to match original finish.

Chris, AZ

[Frank Cronin]

This product is used to restore faded bakelite knobs, switches, etc for auto restoration. https://www.pensburymanor.com/product-page/great-knobs

I bought a bottle but never used it. People who have stated after a couple coats it works great.

When I restored my '53 MG TF I restored the bakelite with a buffing wheel. The surface was smooth so there was no fear of removing any engraving or checking like on a Parker grip cap. It took some time standing at the buffing wheel using the the white rouge for the first step to remove the oxidation and finish up with a nice shine on the flannel buffing wheel using the blue rouge.

I filled in the letters and numbers with Duplicator GM Bright white, let dry, and buffed with a Magic Eraser to the letters / numbers filled in. Once that was done, a quick buff on the flannel wheel to remove the fine scratches from the Magic Eraser.

The first picture shows switch knobs and gear shifter done after buffing. The oxidized accelerator pedal wheel before buffing for comparison.

[David Verhine]

Before bakelite there was gutta percha which normally lightens in hue or shade with age… some caps go almost blondish and it’s not limited strictly to the surface… it can be deep within it.






.

Hey I just put some gutta percha in a tooth. Go figure!