I wish I had before pics but of course I forgot.
I started by soaking the grips in Acetone for a little while. I took a soft bristled brush to them and got all the original varnish off.
After that I made sure to wipe them down real good with some cleaner(I just used rubbing alcohol). Make sure not to use cotton balls as you end up with specks everywhere.
I then sanded down the wood with various grits of sandpaper, starting with a harsher grit and ending with a smoother grit. I then taped off the S&W emblems and the checkering.
I then started applying "Tru Oil", a product of Birchwood Casey made just for wood gun parts. This stuff hardens like a lacquer. I put on coats with a gun cleaning patch. I would put it on thick enough that it filled in the pores but not so thick that it runs. Less is better in this part. Between coats I used fine steel wool to break down the shiny layer in preparation for the next layer. I waited at least a day between coats but more would be better. I put a light coat by brush on the checkering and in the groove.
After the final coat, I steel wooled it down real good then cleaned it off. I then took Renaissance wax for wood and lightly buffed it into the wood. I then took another rag and buffed it clean. There are several areas that I want to touch up, and a few areas that I could have done better on the sanding, but overall it is a MUCH nicer look than it was originally!
