Gunstock cracks. Fill ideas.

[trevj]

I'm doing a rebuild on an older, Beech wood (looks like maple, softer), airgun stock, that looked like it had been stored somewhere wet.

As a result, there are some pretty serious cracks running through various parts of the stock. The worst is the one out of one of the butt plate screws, on the butt, but there are a number of smaller ones around the stock.

I have no expectations that this one will ever look factory fresh again, but have sanded the grotty fingerprints and stained wood away, and am slowly working through cleaning up the checkering, some with a 3 square file, and some with a checkering tool, as required.

I have been considering using wood dust and super glue (CA glue) to fill some of the cracks, and considering also, the use of epoxy (West System) with wood sandings to form a paste to squeeze into the gaps.

Sorta pondering the effects in the long term, of how this will affect the finish going on it later.

So far, I would like to stain the wood dark again (as it was factory) then give it a coat of an oil finish.

Wondering if anyone has anything to add? Gotchas?

Worst case, the stock gets the full filler and sanded treatment, then a paint job, but that does not really look the wy I would like this one to end up.

Cheers
Trev

 

[Duck_Hunter]

Use some regular woodworking glue, try to get some in the cracks and then clamp the stock to apply pressure. A properly glued joint will be stronger than the surrounding wood. IF you can apply proper pressure the crack will be minimal and not as noticeably once finished.

 

[trevj]

Not these cracks!

The wood has pulled apart on the end grain. I suppose they would better be described as checks than cracks. Most are not in clampable locations, either. At least not without going to extreme measures, like gluing on sacrificial clamping blocks.
Even then, most of these would not close up without enough pressure to wreck what's left.

I have to come up with a fill method for these, that won't cause all the surrounding wood to shed any finish I try on the stock.

No lie. The stock looked like it had seen some storage time under a dock. At least one of the owners in it's past, was happy enough to use it with greasy and filthy hands. A lot.

The worst of the staining has been reduced to a darker area, the watersoft, fuzzy surface of the wood wood has been mostly sanded away, and the stock looks like it will be serviceable at some time in the future.
More than it did, anyways.

Getting it back up to snuff after a catastrophic breakage would be less work...

But it's fun, so I carry on!

Cheers
Trev

 

[hobo]

See if you can find a source for shellac sticks .they come colored ,Brownells will have them or a local gunsmith. Heat a small palette knife or putty knife to melt shellac in crack let harden an sand with finishing paper.

 

[hobo]

Also if any of the cracks are clampable i would use expoxy leaving a space to finish with shellac

 

[hicaliber]

Shellac sticks should not be that hard to get, check your local woodworking supply shop or Lee Valley Tools.
Also if you could post some pics it would be easier to offer some suggestions.

 

[sunray]

Fill the screw hole cracks with epoxy. It dries clear and doesn't take stain, but that doesn't matter if you have a butt plate. One of the needle appliers should work well.
Regular wood filler will do for the rest of 'em. It'll fill in the deeply sanded parts too and most of it is stainable. There won't be any wood grain though.
Varsol should clean up the grease stains.

 

[trevj]

I have been talking this one over with one of the local guys I know, and am gradually resolving myself to a combo of several different methods.

I am certain that some of the repairs will be visible after the work is complete, I'd just like them to not be terribly obvious.

I still have some more sanding to do, to get past some of the water staining, if I can without changing the profile of the forend much, then the plan is to stain the stock to a bit darker color than it is now.

I figure to fill the cracks using mostly, an epoxy and wood dust mixture, colored to match the stain, then put a semi-gloss or flat clearcoat on the whole thing. I figure that the clearcoat will soak into the checkering (it'll be thinned a bit to help that along) and will strengthen that a bit, then I can finish cleaning it up.

Kinda wish I had taken a few "before" pictures. It was pretty grotty looking.

I'll look at the shellac sticks next time I'm in Lee Valley, and see what they look like for color and cost.

I'll take a picture or two here.

Thanks for the ideas.

Cheers
Trev

 

[marshall]

Something that I have used in this case to cover up repairs
that will not take stain - as in glue and sawdust as the glue will
not stain up is to use brown felt markers, you can also add a bit of
grain with fine tipped ones-looks O.K. on cheap stocks.