Stock Help

[donb]

I found this stock.

How do I get the cracks properly repaired, I'd hate to mess it up?

Thanks

[John Beard]

You'll get several different opinions regarding stock repair. Here's mine.

Using a tool such as a screwdriver, open the crack up very slightly. Then flush the crack out very well with acetone or lacquer thinner. Then set the stock aside and let it dry for about 24 hours. Wood contains oil. And glues, regardless of type, don't stick to oil very well. Acetone and lacquer thinner are excellent solvents and will remove virtually all traces of oil. Acetone and lacquer thinner are also very volatile. They will dry quickly and thoroughly and leave no residue.

To apply the glue, proceed as follows. Using a screwdriver or tool, open the crack up very slightly. Then starting from the wide end, work glue into the crack using your thumb in a rolling motion. Make sure that you force the glue into the crack very well before easing forward, the reason being that you do NOT want to trap an air bubble in the glue. So start at the wide end, roll glue into the crack, then ease forward and roll more glue into the crack, one increment at a time, until you get to the end where the crack disappears. Once you get the crack filled with glue, remove the tool and clamp the wood shut until the glue cures. When you clamp the wood shut, glue will ooze out. So you will need to clean it up.

I strongly recommend Franklin Tite-Bond Wood Glue. You should be able to get it at Home Depot or Lowes. And here's why I recommend Franklin Tite-Bond Wood Glue:

(1) The working time is in excess of 30 minutes.
(2) The glue has low viscosity and works into cracks very well.
(3) It is translucent and matches most woods when cured.
(4) It cures in 24 hours.
(5) It produces a joint stronger than the original wood.
(6) And most importantly of all, it cleans up with plain tap water (remember that all glues will ooze out when you clamp the crack shut, and that's when you'll have a clean-up mess on your hands if the glue is not soluble).

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

J.B.

[donb]

Hi John,
There to help as usual! I appreciate your advise and will follow it. I have a can of acetone, works great for cleaning old stocks, just need the glue.
I'll post some after pics when I'm done.
Thanks Again
Don

[Fred]

Well I sure do appreciate all of that good information. Thanks John!

[WarPig1976]

If it were mine I'd basically do as John suggests but go a step further on this particular stock by running oak pegs on angles from the butt especially on the toe crack. Also I'd use rubber tubing as my clamp to get'er tight from one end to the other.

[donb]

Rubber tubing - great idea, I was trying to figure out how to clamp it. The oaks pegs might be above my pay grade!

[John Beard]

I regularly use rubber bands for clamps, depending on the application. One rubber band doesn't exert much force. But a dozen will exert a huge force! And a dozen rubber bands are dirt cheap, come in all different sizes, and are readily available.

If there's any chance of glue getting on the rubber band and sticking to the stock, then I put wax paper over the glued area. Glue won't stick to wax paper.

If you get the crack clean and glued with Franklin Tite Bond Wood Glue, then you won't need oak pegs. The bond will be stronger than the original wood.

J.B.

[WarPig1976]

If you can't find tubing "medical supply store, not the local pharmacy or Brownells sells it" just cut strips out of a bike inner tube, works just as well. You should be fine without pegging it's just more "professional" and durable. Good luck!!

[donb]

Thanks! I'll post some "after" pics - after.

[StockDoc]

Determining how and why it cracked will determine the repair. If from shooting it, I would clean out the crack, say with "spray Brake Cleaner" , let it dry a few days. Then use a thin or medium instant bond, an accelerator would help as well. The joint will be stronger yes, but other fiber will now be weaker. I would get a new stock to shoot with.

http://www.rockler.com/search/go?asug=&w=titebond&Search.x=0&Search.y=0&sid=v9100&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=(roi)+finishing&utm_content=titebond&utm_term=titebond&utm_creative=p

Added: I would make Taper sticks to gently force the cracks apart, in this case.

On some wood cracks (not Gun stocks) I have glued clamping blocks to the surface with "Hot melt glue", on both sides. Then clamp the blocks. Give a nice even pressure, you just want to hold the crack together. With this method I used either an epoxy or Elmer's glue. You could also use the glue blocks in reverse to spread cracks with the appropriate clamps.

[1mark]

As the lower crack is through the butt plate screw hole, You may want to drill and set brass pins from the inside of the lower hole. The butt plate screw may reopen the crack when installed. If you can pin the crack through the lower sling cut out which is also a good place. The repairs cannot be seen.

[Remington03]

I like to force the crack open a little bit and then use compressed air to blow the glue in as far as it can go. Then clamp it down tight and wipe off the excess glue with a damp rag.

[donb]

OK - Update. I cleaned the cracks with acetone, then tried to clamp them closed without glue to see how it would go. Well, despite tightly wrapping the stock with surgical tubing and then with a stretchable exercise band (finally got some use out of that!) I didn't get good results. It appears that the lower crack is tightly closed on the right side, but not closing on the left? The upper crack seems to be very shallow, more like the wood shrank at the surface and opened slightly at the surface. Your thoughts will be most appreciated!

[John Beard]

Many times, when wood cracks, fibers in the crack will break and dislodge and prevent the crack from re-closing fully. About the only solution is to open the crack slightly and straighten or remove the obstructing fibers.

Hope this helps.

J.B.

[WarPig1976]

Humidity can effect how the wood mates too. To be honest it's hard to tell what your dealing with over the internet. I'll add no matter what you'll still see the seam.