Restoring Wood Handles - How would you do it?


 
C

chad

TVWBB Member
I bought an older weber kettle with wood handles (that are looking old and faded) and I would like to bring them back to as close to new as possible.

I know that I could sand them down and put lacquer on them but I dont know if that will yield the best result - what do you suggest?
 
Oops... I just re-read your post. The following won't make the handles look like new, but it will protect them from the weather.

All the lacquer was gone from mine, so I just sanded lightly and applied a coat of mineral oil. When the wood starts looking too dry, I apply more oil. The last time, I cleaned the wood with trisodium phosphate before oiling it. Note that mineral oil is not a "drying oil" like linseed oil. If you want to go all out, do a search for "finishing gun stock" and you'll find a lot of information on how to put an incredible finish on a piece of wood.
 
There are a lot of wood/deck/fence brighteners out on the market which are basically chlorine bleach mixed with water.
You could try to make your own mix with an oxy or chlorine bleach diluted with H20 in a small spray bottle and see if that does anything.
We use a pump up sprayer with chlorine bleach and water to spruce up construction lumber that has been sitting out in the elements for a while.

Tim

Edit.. Not sure how that would react if you have the older Teak handles...
 
I have an old pre 70's 18.5 Redhead that the handle was losing it's finish. I just sanded it down with some fine grade sandpaper and stained it with Minwax walnut finish. I'm waiting for the second coat to dry so that I can put some Minwax polyurethane sealer on it afterwards. I am also staining my newer 1995 wood handles since I prefer the '70s style walnut finish. The later wood handles look too pinkish blonde against the red lid. The dark walnut handle/red lid combo looks sharper.
 
About sanding/refinishing, if I use the following regiment is it overkill or about right

120 grit - first round
- clean with tack cloth

240 grit - second round
- clean with tack cloth
- stain first coat

400 grit - thrid round
- clean with tack cloth
- add wood sealer

Thanks
 
I just looked at my old and faded wood handles. It sounds like you have a good plan to deal with that. When I sand furniture I'm making I do what you suggested except I don't go past 320 for the final sanding. If all you have is 400 it will work too. Because it's an outdoor item I would use Spar Varnish. Ace, HD, and Lowes all carry it in quart cans.
 
lightly sand to 400,rub with fine steel wool,then apply a few light coats of tung oil,allowing to dry in the sun between coats. Looks great and won't yellow.
 
Originally posted by Jim Rudman:
lightly sand to 400,rub with fine steel wool,then apply a few light coats of tung oil,allowing to dry in the sun between coats. Looks great and won't yellow.
Click to expand...

This. If you're using pure tung oil and not a modern tung oil finish you'll want to wait a day between coats.
 
The original wood handles I have on my go-anywhere and EE redhead have more of an opaque stain on them. Not completely opaque but hides a lot of the wood grain. It is more of a red-brown than a real wood color. Its a flat finish and not smooth.

I like wood stains that show more of the wood and don't cover it up and I wanted the surface smoother so it cleans up better.

I sanded the handles with 220 grit to remove all remnants of the old stain and the wood was very light. I finished with 300 grit after wetting the handle to raise the grain and sand again.

I used two coats of minwax colonial red stain. I used four thin coats of Cabot "harbor master" urethane varnish that I thinned 50% with mineral spririts. I wipe it on with a rag in really thin coats and don't have to worry about sags and runs on the shaped handles. You do have to let the urethane dry for

Based on the color of your grill you can select any stain you like from dark walnut to very light yellow pine tints. The natural wood doesn't have much character. If you don't sand all the way to "light wood" the new stain will not cover up the dark streaks in the wood. If you like that look you get more of a grain pattern and texture.

Urethane Varnish (look for anything "marine") is best since it is flexible, heat resitance and doesn't chip like laquer. The cabot varnish and others also have sunscreen in them.

I'll post pics when I get a chance.
 
Originally posted by chad:
I bought an older weber kettle with wood handles (that are looking old and faded) and I would like to bring them back to as close to new as possible.

I know that I could sand them down and put lacquer on them but I dont know if that will yield the best result - what do you suggest?
Click to expand...

Chad...if you don't want to spend all that time sanding with different grits, laquer, etc etc...just contact Brian Oneal on the board here. He makes them and they are awesome and will look better than you can do with your weathered ones.
 
That's what I do....lol..give Brian a shout. His work is amazing !!!
Although, I did re do my handle on my black Performer. I put a wood handle on it that I had from another kettle, cleaned it up and stained it black. It goes with the black kettle pretty nice.
 
Ken, Jeff ... you know the thread IS from 2011.....

However, I will take every opportunity to also suggest The O'Neal handles. They are phenomenal.
 
Originally posted by Gerd H:
Ken, Jeff ... you know the thread IS from 2011.....

However, I will take every opportunity to also suggest The O'Neal handles. They are phenomenal.
Click to expand...
dang..I should pay a bit more attention to that..lol..
 
Here are a couple pics

Before (Red) and After (Blue) Refinishing

Refinished Handle

Weathered Handle


I do some wood working but I also like the idea of renewing something old and giving it another life. The blue OTG I picked up free and pounded out a few dents. I used urethane finish because it is heat resistant and flexible to resist chipping. The spar varnish I used has sunscreen to protect against the sun. If I had a new grill I might pimp it out with some teak handles and renewable oil finish but that seems too nice for a couple of 90's era workhorses with another good 20 yrs left in them. :)
refinished%20handle.jpg
 
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