Fixing hairline cracks in stock.....

B

Beadwindow

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
6   0   0
Location
Toronto
I was hoping that someone could enlighten me on how best to repair hairline cracks in my 6.5mm Husqvarna's stock. There is a hairline crack of about 1" behind the tang and one or two smaller hairline cracks behind the trigger guard. Since the rifle was of a limited production run I want to be able to have the original stock repaired in as professional a manner as possible.

Is such a repair doable for an amateur or should it be left to a professional. How much might I expect to pay for such a job? Apparantly such cracks are common in older Husqvarna rifles, that are otherwise outstanding pieces in all other aspects.

Thanks in advance,

Frank
 
Beadwindow: Would help to know what rifle you have but: cracks in the tang are usually a result of loss of proper support between the recoil lug and corresponding stock mortise. That leaves the rear guard screw and the tangs of the action and lower metal aborbing all recoil forces on their small and usually curved surfaces which start wedging the stock apart. You should check to see if the wood behind the recoil lug mortise is also cracked and similarly the thin web in the stock in front of the trigger mortise. These can both also be re-inforced and probably made stronger then when the stock was new.

If you are experienced with glass bedding, and have the tools to get glue into the cracks you can probably do a repair. It's not rocket science but it takes care and thought.
 
Beadwindow: Missed the Husqvarna mention. Yes these are frequently found cracked and it is usually due to recoil compressing the wood in the recoil lug mortise and shifting it's forces to the areas previously mentioned. It will be cheaper to have a repair done than to replace the stock unless you can get a deal on a used one. Even that might require proper bedding to fit your rifle properly. If you examine military Mausers you will note they have a steel cross bolt that contacts the recoil lug. There was good reason why they were made that way as Mauser recoil lugs are relatively small and set too far back to get the most support from the wood. They were designed to pound out unsupported wood in other words.
 
The crack can probably be repaired with some acraglass, if you mix in a metal cup and warm it up a bit with a torch (WARM not hot) it will flow much better and get down into the crack more.

If it is quite bad you can also drill a hole along the length of the crack from inside the tang area where it will not be seen once assembled, filling this with warm acraglass will let it flow into the crack and add a strong shaft for more streangth.

once the crack is repaired follow the previous advice and bed the recoil lug usong flock for added strength.

good luck
 
If you are going to use something like AcraGlas, it's best if you can seperate the crack (if possible) and degrease it before applying the epoxy. Once that's done, you can get the epoxy into the recesses with compressed air (gently).
 
I had the same problem with a crack in the wrist of a Marlin 1895 and used Hot Stuff from CA Glues (I got mine from Lee Valley; see http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=20022&cat=1,110,42966) Some industrial suppliers (like KMS Tools out here) may also carry it.

They describe it as follows:
Low-Viscosity Glue – Hot Stuff

Hot Stuff is a cyanoacrylate glue with the consistency of water. It is particularly useful for repairing hairline cracks that are too narrow to get ordinary glues into without spreading the crack, an activity that usually extends the crack or deforms the wood. The cracks can be invisibly repaired with Hot Stuff and will set within 5 seconds.
Click to expand...
The same manufacturer also makes thicker versions but for getting into a hairline crack this stuff works very well as it is thin enough to wick deep into the split by capillary action.

I ran a little lacquer thinner into the crack to remove any oil before gluing. (Lee Valley also sells blunt-needle syringes which are great for this.) The repair has remained solid, even after quite a lot of heavy loads.

Be careful to mask off/protect the stock from any runover when you squeeze the crack shut since it dries so fast. Paste wax or even a careful smear of grease (with the crack held tightly shut) should do.

:) Stuart
 
josquin said:
I had the same problem with a crack in the wrist of a Marlin 1895 and used Hot Stuff from CA Glues (I got mine from Lee Valley; see http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=20022&cat=1,110,42966) Some industrial suppliers (like KMS Tools out here) may also carry it.

They describe it as follows:

The same manufacturer also makes thicker versions but for getting into a hairline crack this stuff works very well as it is thin enough to wick deep into the split by capillary action.

I ran a little lacquer thinner into the crack to remove any oil before gluing. (Lee Valley also sells blunt-needle syringes which are great for this.) The repair has remained solid, even after quite a lot of heavy loads.

Be careful to mask off/protect the stock from any runover when you squeeze the crack shut since it dries so fast. Paste wax or even a careful smear of grease (with the crack held tightly shut) should do.

:) Stuart
Click to expand...

Great advice I'll have to consider that for my next repair, thanks.
 
Wow! You fellows sure know how to pull through for a Gunnut in need of advice.....:D

I think that I'll be trying the HotStuff route, as I do not want to try prying the crack open, and I am unsure as to whether acraglass would seep into such a tight crack. I'll check first with a friend of mine in the antique furniture business to see if he has some if just to save the $15 or so that I'd pay to order it for a one time job (it has a one year shelf life).

I took a closer look at the rifle and am happy to say that I just have the one crack in the tang, so it should be a quick fix until I get a chance to properly bed the stock.

Thanks again for all of your assistance!:dancingbanana:

Frank
 
You may just have the one crack at the tang but,if you repair it and shoot the rifle without addressing the root cause which is the recoil lug, it will simply crack some more.
By the way, to fix such a crack, I always use acraglas. I drill a 14 inch dia. hole along the crack from the inside, fill the hole 1/2 full with liquid acraglas, then push a 1/4 inch dowel into the hole. The dowel acts as a plunger and forces the glas into the crack. While drilling the hole, I clamp the stock (from the sides) to make sure the crack doesn't spread. Release the clamp, insert the dowel, then reclamp.
When you repair the recoil lug area, bed so there is some clearance at the tang. Theis way it won't split again. Regards, Bill.
 
Beadwindow said:
Wow! You fellows sure know how to pull through for a Gunnut in need of advice.....:D

I think that I'll be trying the HotStuff route, as I do not want to try prying the crack open, and I am unsure as to whether acraglass would seep into such a tight crack. I'll check first with a friend of mine in the antique furniture business to see if he has some if just to save the $15 or so that I'd pay to order it for a one time job (it has a one year shelf life)...Frank
Click to expand...
A 1 oz. bottle is $8.20 and there is a Lee Valley Store in Toronto at 590 King St W. so it shouldn't cost $15.00 unless you don't get into downtown TO often.

You can probably pry the crack open a tiny bit- I did on my Marlin. Even 1/2 mm will help.

BTW, AcraGlas can be thinned a little, although I'm not sure what the appropriate thinner is. You have to be careful not to "break the back of the glue", ie to weaken it. Perhaps another CGN'ner could chip in on that.

:) Stuart
 
Thanks Stuart for the info......it's actually just a hop on the streetcar for me to get to the Toronto Store, so I'll probably get it in the next couple of days.

Regards,

Frank
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom