I just got my first gun, Winchester 1892 Short, blued and in walnut. Long story short, I was trying to clean off the packing grease using alcohol wipes and mineral oil (all I had), and found that the wipes were coming out reddish when I wiped the greasy wood areas. I thought it was the wood finish coming off, got scared that the alcohol or mineral oil was destroying the wood, so I probably dug myself a bigger hole by wiping the wood in a damp hot dishwash soaped rag.
The wood on the grips feel a little rough or gritty now when I run my fingers across it. Water getting into grain? Anyway I can fix this? And is there something I can apply to prevent further damage?