Chipped shotgun stock, choice of glue!?

B_noser said:
The hide glue in stringed musical instruments is routinely re-hydrated during repairs.
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That must be the reason Stradivarius violins survive in damp cellars since the 1600s and luthiers have to hand split the glue line to repair. There is even a specific tool for that separation. Just remembered my dad's 16g. Stevens that he fell on in the the late 30s. He repaired it with hide glue. It was hunted hard on a kometic for years after, but the repair withstood freeze thaw, pounding over ice-covered lakes, in a frequently .rain soaked canvas bag. So I'm really trying to understand your point?
 
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I did not say hide glue is not suitable for a job such as this. On the contrary, although it is not the best choice for this job, it is certainly up to the task. It would not be my choice because there are better products for the job and good hide glue is not something one simply squeezes out of a tube. It comes in dried flake form and needs to be mixed with just the right amount of water and heated to a specific temperature range.

My point is that hide glue definitely can be re-hydrated. That is one, if not the main, reason why hide glue is the adhesive of choice for Luthiers. The procedure to unboard a violin is to apply moisture to the joint and, once the glue has softened (read re-hydrated), work a tool much like a pallet knife into the seam. From there, the tool is worked around the seam as moisture is applied to soften the glue. The joint is not forced open. I am familiar with the procedure and have done it several times when repairing violins. Old and not so old violins are frequently found with failed glue lines due to exposure to moisture. It is no big deal and an easy fix. Re-hydration is not instantaneous and becomes increasingly more challenging as the glue joint becomes wider. The width of the glue line combined with whatever surface sealer your dad used and the amount of time, and to what depth, the joint was actually in contact with moisture is likely why the joint on your Dad's Stevens did not fail.

Surely you now understand my point.
 
It looks like gorilla glue was already used on the stock? The gorilla glue is good when the fit between the pieces is not tight due to the expansion of the glue when curing, if it's a nice fit regular wood glue is all you need. Epoxy would work as well.

Make sure the wood is not contaminated with Oil and make sure the parts are well aligned and have not shifted when "clamping"
If you use the Gorilla glue you will need to wet the wood grain with water as per the instructions.

I like regular electrical tape for clamping these types of repairs, just stretch the tape to apply the pressure making sure that the direction of the wraps is not pulling the pieces to much as to cause a shift. I like to do some basic wraps in two places sometimes alternating the direction of the wrap if necessary, then once I see the parts have not shifted and are starting to cure I clean up any squeeze out and then wrap the entire repair tightly.

Regular wood glue sets up pretty quickly for the initial tack and sometime for difficult to align pieces I will hold them by hand for a couple minutes then do a careful tape job to secure.
 
B_noser said:
I did not say hide glue is not suitable for a job such as this. On the contrary, although it is not the best choice for this job, it is certainly up to the task. It would not be my choice because there are better products for the job and good hide glue is not something one simply squeezes out of a tube. It comes in dried flake form and needs to be mixed with just the right amount of water and heated to a specific temperature range.

My point is that hide glue definitely can be re-hydrated. That is one, if not the main, reason why hide glue is the adhesive of choice for Luthiers. The procedure to unboard a violin is to apply moisture to the joint and, once the glue has softened (read re-hydrated), work a tool much like a pallet knife into the seam. From there, the tool is worked around the seam as moisture is applied to soften the glue. The joint is not forced open. I am familiar with the procedure and have done it several times when repairing violins. Old and not so old violins are frequently found with failed glue lines due to exposure to moisture. It is no big deal and an easy fix. Re-hydration is not instantaneous and becomes increasingly more challenging as the glue joint becomes wider. The width of the glue line combined with whatever surface sealer your dad used and the amount of time, and to what depth, the joint was actually in contact with moisture is likely why the joint on your Dad's Stevens did not fail.

Surely you now understand my point.
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It also comes as powder liquid, paste and as crude as a deceased horse's hoof that gets boiled out as in my dad's day, he used spar varnish that also took a month in the NL sun(jk) to dry. 100 + being low grade and 315 the better. I'll write you in as doubtful.lol
 
Epoxy.

I have a preference for West System, as I have a Gallon of it in my basement, but whatever you use, you want the long set time stuff, and a quality brand, as the long set time gets you some penetration into the wood, and the decent brand names, get you a purer epoxy resin with far fewer filler materials added in to save money in production.

West System I have found to sand very well when it has been properly mixed and allowed to cure. Epoxies loaded up with fillers tend to snot-ball up on the sandpaper almost immediately.

Some acetone on a cloth or old toothbrush to remove the oils off the glued surfaces.

What's with the hash marks on the inside of the broken surface? Someone attack that with a rabid beaver? Or was that the result of a fantasy that it would 'help' the glue stick?

Dry fit the parts as best as they will. Mix your epoxy, apply a very thin layer to each side, fit the part in place. Apply clamping pressure. A bag of Number 64 Rubber Bands from the office supply place is a couple bucks. If you don't think they will work, go on youtube and watch a couple videos of folks exploding watermelons with them. :)

Allow the epoxy to set overnight in a warm place. Remove clamp pressure, sand any sanding, and refinish as required. Sanding dust mixed with a dab of epoxy makes a pretty fair filler for gaps.
 
West system epoxy is really good stuff, once it cures it’s strong as hell. When I worked as a ski/snowboard tech in my 20’s we used it to glue delaminated skis and boards back together. I saw the same boards come back for additional delam repairs but never in the previously glued spots, the west epoxy really is great.

I would use a couple rows of masking tape on the surrounding areas to keep overflow off the top sheet or base of the ski when clamping the piece, once it dried any excess I couldn’t remove from the area just peeled off with the tape. It also prevented the clamping blocks from being permenantly glued to the ski or snowboard.
 
PVA glue. Remove foreing matter with dental tools. Thoroughly degrease both surfaces. First do a dry run with the clamps.
Apply glue and clamp, make sure the small piece doesn't slide forward - use a clamp lenghtwise on the stock for that purpose.
Sand flat the face of the stock. Make sure the stock bolt is straight and torque properly.
 
winruger said:
The only repair to this that will last a long time is a new stock. No matter what glue you use, this piece is going to receive recoil and will crack and loosen ... but that just my opinion based on some real world observation and experience. Good Luck with that.
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I generally agree with that. If it were my stock, I might try Acraglass epoxy and pin it in two places with 1/16 stainless pins.
Drill all the way through for the pins, spin the pins with 50 grit sandpaper to ensure grip. coat freely with epoxy and press in. You need that kind of mechanical repair to have a chance of surviving recoil shock over a long period.
 
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At this point we don't even know what gauge or caliber we are dealing with.... :)

A good glue up with some quality epoxy ( the condition of the wood isn't ideal for wood glue) and that chip isn't going to blast loose from recoil..... :)
 
Its a 12GA 2 3/4 fixed full choke. I'm thinking of retiring the gun for small game and rabbits only. Besides the chip, it also has cracks near the neck in two places. I used the Midwayusa video tutorial to fix the cracks with the gorilla glue after drilling two holes on each side.

For the chipped wood, I ended up going with gorilla epoxy and press fit it for 48hr drying period.

After that I've sanded the entire butt stock and put on a single coat of linseed oil so far. More coats are still to come. The sanding process has brought to light some character in the wood that I never knew was there!

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Those stocks are common, lots of people change them out, I would keep my eyes open for another one, as don't think that will last, too many cracks.
I am not a fan of gorilla glue, no matter what their ads say.
 
Nice work, looks good and will likely last just fine. If not well it was a minimal investment with low risk..... :)

Polyurethane glues are good if you want to take advantage of their expansion properties, there are so many options out there for adhesives. Some of the fast set, spray activator glues are unreal..... you can use them to clamp difficult work and then use other glue or epoxy for the rest of the joint for strength.
 
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