Bubba strikes again... Opinions welcome.

mikeystew

mikeystew

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I don't think I'd say this is gunsmithing exactly, but figure there are likely some creative folks here who could help me come up with some ideas.

I picked up this sks a little while back in a timbersmith stock, and once I got it home I discovered some bird brain had embedded a Russian snipers badge... In the cheek piece of all places, and hidden it under a shell holder for his EE pics. Not even flush mounted, more like half buried. That said, I got it cheap and it wasn't enough of a pi$$ off to send back so here I am

Now it's otherwise a nice stock, so my main goal is to make the contour of the cheek piece smooth again. Luckily the badge was half ass glued in with contact cement so it popped out quite easy.

The options I've come up with so far are;

1, jB weld. Probably the simplest option. Fill it in, smooth it out, bob's your uncle.

2, hogging it out deeper, putting the badge back in so that its sub surface and encasing it in clear epoxy, then buffing it up till its glass clear. Not sure about this option, as I've never tried to buff epoxy clear before.

3, putting something else in there, and epoxying over it similar to option 2.

4, anyone else got a better idea? I'd like it to look somewhat tasteful. At least, as tasteful as possible all things considered. But I'm sort of out of ideas...

Thanks.



 
I really like idea number 2, it's kind of a neat crest and makes it unique. Anything else you do will look like an obvious batch job unless you cover it with another butt stock cover of course.... it could be a fun little project to do correctly!
 
I'd try option #2. I think it would look pretty good like that. I've been threatening to do the same with a little anchor, as a little tribute to my cousin and his crew who were lost at sea.
 
Holy cripes. Looks like the guy used a butter knife to chisel out the relief.

Here are my two options.

Option 4:

Use a Dremel with a router base and router bit to carefully make the inlay area deeper and even so that the badge sits flush.
Rough up the back of the badge with some 100-200grit sandpaper and wipe down with acetone or isopropyl alcohol to remove any oils etc.
Use black epoxy to attach the badge back to the stock. Use ample epoxy so that you get enough squeeze-out to fill in around the sides of the badge, especially the ugly side with the gouges.

Wipe off surplus epoxy with paper towels.

Option 5:

Plane down the cheek rest profile and refinsh stock and get rid of that nasty bubba job.

My preference is for option 5.
 
With that, does anyone have any experience with getting epoxy clear as glass? To have it fit the contour I'm thinking I'll need to build it up a bit, sand it to contour, then finish it somehow. All without damaging the stock around it and having it as seamless as possible.
 
Removing the cheek piece and refinishing the stock is something I have already considered and ruled out. Mainly because I don't want to have to refinish the stock and I like having the raised cheek piece. I just want it smooth, with no badge grinding my face.
Plus, the area at the top of the badge looks to be dug out beyond the depth of the check piece, so there is a chance I'd end up with a really funny looking super thin butt stock.

I think I'm going to sink it subgrade and give the clear cast resin a shot first. If that looks bad and still isn't as smooth as I'd like, it would still be better than how it was. I think regardless I'm gonna keep the shell holder on there anyway. So this is all just for something to do... Really.
 
You can reshape the cheekpiece. I'd plane or rasp the area around the "badge" inletted area, reprofile and refinish. Will look as good as new. Forget ideas of filling or inserting a piece in the divot as they will show. Ron.
 
I second reshape the cheekpiece. Leave it high, but taper it towards the muzzle and dish it a bit where your cheek will go. Quit with the rasp early. But when done it'll look on purpose.
 
Varathane is what is used on bars and pub tables with things like coasters and bottle caps embedded inside. Its waterproof and can be polished.
 
How about filling the area and then capping it with a veneer (just on the cheek piece) ? You would have to finish the veneer but there are several options in regards to species and dye color.
 
I'm not going to be sanding down the cheek piece. The divot is too deep. I'd have to not just recontour, but remove the cheek piece completely and then the stock would not be straight as the main section of the butt stock is offset to one side to accommodate the cheek piece. Plus I really don't feel like refinishing the entire stock to make it look good.

I'm trying to keep this fairly simple, and just want the darn thing smooth and not too hideous. It'll live underneath the shell holder anyways.

McCDan I'll look into the Varathane. I know I can get that without making a trip to town, which I'd have to do to get clear cast resin.

Flange... That's an interesting idea. I'll think about that one.
 
A trick I learned while building fly rods to get the epoxy free of bubbles and crystal clear is to pass a source of CO2 briefly over the surface. I have used a wooden match, BIC lighter and a propane torch for various jobs. It is NOT the heat, it is the CO2 product from combustion so do not overheat. That removes bubbles for some reason. I would try that epoxy used to create table tops. Once your crest is deep enough, flood the recess a bit at a time and gas the new surface each time to clear any bubbles. Over-fill the recess so there is a very slight meniscus and set aside to cure. Buff and sand until the surface suits you.
 
Damage to the stock is already done . I like the idea of recessing the medallion and the clear cast resin to make it flush. if it was mine that what I would do
Still gonna shoot just as good tho.
I'd add a personal touch , maybe roman numeral date or family name in russian below or on the other side or some saying . You could even replace it with something that is closer to family. lots of options
It's an SKS , tune it up and see how accurate you can get and have fun, shoot it as much as possible and if you wear it out , you can say the stock outlasted the gun.
That's a nice and fairly uncommon stock too, I'd keep it , but if its not for you , it would probably go quick on the EE

Tagged , would like to see how it turns out
 
Maybe it was done in the old USSR, you have now destroyed some original Red Army, piece of propaganda, from the old days, Nice work
 
Grock-co said:
Maybe it was done in the old USSR, you have now destroyed some original Red Army, piece of propaganda, from the old days, Nice work
Click to expand...

Lol... Right. The timbersmith stock is only a few years old and was purchased at hical. So no worries there...

Ol Flinter, thanks for the tip. I have a Co2 tank here i use for making and serving beer. I'll try using that for the bubbles.
 
Make ahh CGN Beever Mahdallyun and gitt'er'in thar.
Find a bigg'un old historical coin and replace it with that.
Boar a hole rite tru and router the edges round.
Then yewse gartzs a hanging hole.
Oh wait, the t.p. will fawl awff the bawrell.
 
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