Handguards too dark & need lighter color ???

[Bear57]

I have several Garand handguards that are very dark in color and want to refinish them. What's a good way to lighten up the color? I have scrubbed with acetone, but that only goes so far. Put them in the dishwasher? ......Thoughts and suggestions, please.....

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[Devil Dog]

Dishwasher...NO. The wood is too thin to handle that much hot water. It can warp or crack. Try a paint stripper then maybe a wood bleach. You can sand to get rid of the dark top surface, but many older H.G.'s do not have a lot of extra wood to allow much sanding. Sometimes it is easier to stain the butt stock to match the hand guards.

[Chief]

Friday night I was watching the Military channel and they were showing "The Color of War" and I was struck by the appearance of the M1s in the show. Many hand hand guards and stocks that were mismatched. All appeared to be shades of walnut.
regards,
Chief

[Rick B]

You will have to darken your stock to match or look for lighter guards. Walnut came in many shades depending on where it was cut in the tree and what time of year it was cut. You’re trying to clean a naturally dark piece of wood and it just won’t happen.

I have had dark pieces I worked on and my hands were black speckled from the juice in the wood just like the fruits. I am guessing it is the time of year the tree is feeding the walnuts. Rick B

[Gus Fisher]

From many original handguards I've seen, the grain seems to be tighter than on many stocks and that suggests more serious heart wood for the handguards . My SWAG for years has been that they were a lot more picky about the wood for the handguards (for strength) than they were for the stocks.

[Milsurp Collector]

Try lacquer thinner or Kleen Kutter Refinisher. It will remove most or all of the old finish, so make sure that is what you want.

[JimL]

Or, try TSP.

[Sunray]

"...lighten up the color?..." Clean 'em with any wood cleaner, but do not use a dishwasher. If they're walnut, they won't ever be 'light' in colour.

[geberl]

Well this is harsh but it has worked for me, I took a washcloth and lathered it up with dial bar soap and scrubbed a set of black wood. I did the stock and both handguards and the gunk came off. In my case the wood wasn't in the best condition and I was going to the extreme to see if it would come clean and it did. In my case the wood was so black there was no grain apparent just dirty oily wood, in the cleaning process some repairs came to light that couldn't be seen below the garbage. I ended up finishing the wood and putting it on a drill rifle that I donated to the local historical society, it came out looking respectable. I can not offer any guarantees that the soap won't do long term damage to the wood but it should get it clean if it is dirty and oil soaked.

[gunner]

Hi, you also can use this method. At first you have to remove any varnish or so.

You need as follow:
Hydrogen peroxide [H2O2] 35% (Ready for use from the pharmacy)
Caution: Hydrogen peroxide is dangerous for the skin and eyes => clothing, at least gloves, goggles, hair protection (otherwise hair platinum blonde!)
Clothes protect their colors are destroyed by splashes (bright spots)!

Procedure :
First, hydrogen peroxide with a cloth (gloves!) Apply and dry. Then with ammonia 910 (25% ) neutralize. The quantity of ammonia, which incorporated into the wood, you need 1 / 10 the amount of its hydrogen peroxide. No metal parts (brush / dish) use!

Be careful and use the protection (also protect the rifles metal parts ) as above. Test it on the inside of the handguard. I can give you no guarantee but it has worked in many times. The longer you last the hydrogen peroxide on the wood the lighter it will be.

Regards,

Gunner