Stabilizing a crack in wood?

C

ctstannard

Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
Calgary, AB
Hi all,

I have a quick question that I hope doesn't sound too silly. I recently acquired my first lever action which is a used Model 94 Lever Action Rifle, as such it is meant to be just a functional piece to learn with. I noticed while examining it that there is a small crack approximately an inch long forming along the the wood forend. What is the best quick way to stabilize this crack so that it doesn't get worse and doesn't look badly bubba'd. I know there is no fast way to do it 'correctly' but since this is my first lever action I would rather a fairly simple fix just so that it doesn't get worse.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
 
Any pictures? Some cracks are more cosmetic than others. I have an A5 with a hairline crack that have not moved for 20 years.
 
I don't have pictures at the moment but I really suspect it is just cosmetic as it is just on the side near the action end of the forend. I just want to make sure it won't continue to spread.
 
Go on You Tube and look up Midway USA. They have a couple of vids with step by step instructions. It is at least a good starting point for you. Good luck sir
 
Simple way is to drill a small hole at the end of the crack that will take a small dowel. Force some carpenters glue into the crack and also the dowel/hole combination. Clamp and let sit over night. When all is set, sand dowel flush, tidy up any dried glue and touchup with finish of choice.
 
Acts, Prove and clear the house of family.
1/ Build a gun service stand which will hold the gun securely as you proceed to properly repair this rifle.
2/ Securely fasten the gun in the stand with ..... wait - did you say simple?
3/ Gorilla Tape.
4/ Shoot.
 
anchor3593 said:
Acts, Prove and clear the house of family.
1/ Build a gun service stand which will hold the gun securely as you proceed to properly repair this rifle.
2/ Securely fasten the gun in the stand with ..... wait - did you say simple?
3/ Gorilla Tape.
4/ Shoot.
Click to expand...

Haha nice.

Thank you all for your other suggestions I will research them thoroughly and see what I can find.
 
Post a picture.

Pretty good chance there is some amount of oil contamination if it's been there for a while.

Lee Valley sells a glue they market as "chair doctor" or something like that.... it's formula allows it to creep into tight places and I believe it swells the fiber to help join small cracks.
 
Is it one of the regular 94's with a barrel band? If yes then the band will prevent the crack from spreading on it's own. If you want to seal it up more than that there's a couple of options. First though is to degrease the crack with some brake cleaner shot in and drained out numerous times to aid in flushing out any gun oil.

Next is to pick a glue based on the width of the crack. If you can fit a business card in the crack then it's a candidate for epoxy or other resin such as Acraglass. If you can't then I'd simply use a finger to push in some common wood glue thinned slightly with a touch of water. Consider it a "poor man's" Chair Doctor like glue.

Mind you if you can't fit in a business card then I'd say that it's stable enough anyway and your efforts are more towards simply making it look a little nicer or doing something to avoid it catching on clothing and the like.
 
BCRider said:
Is it one of the regular 94's with a barrel band? If yes then the band will prevent the crack from spreading on it's own. If you want to seal it up more than that there's a couple of options. First though is to degrease the crack with some brake cleaner shot in and drained out numerous times to aid in flushing out any gun oil.

Next is to pick a glue based on the width of the crack. If you can fit a business card in the crack then it's a candidate for epoxy or other resin such as Acraglass. If you can't then I'd simply use a finger to push in some common wood glue thinned slightly with a touch of water. Consider it a "poor man's" Chair Doctor like glue.

Mind you if you can't fit in a business card then I'd say that it's stable enough anyway and your efforts are more towards simply making it look a little nicer or doing something to avoid it catching on clothing and the like.
Click to expand...

This is essentially what I ended up going. It was a pretty thin crack. I ended up using the point of a toothpick to gently open it enough so I could use a cleaning tip to apply some wood glue and just clamped it good for a couple hours. It seems to have made it quite a bit more solid. Again that might not be the "right" way to do it but at least this keeps it from getting worse and it actually isn't noticeable.

Thanks again for the suggestions all.

On that note I have to say I am loving the feel of the lever action. This is the first one I have owned and really held for any amount of time and I can see why so many people enjoy them. To me it just feels so much more comfortable and balanced than most other actions. Plus there is something fun about a classic prairie rifle. I still enjoy my bolt actions don't get me wrong but I can see the appeal and my collection of lever actions growing.
 
Next to my single shot rolling block and Uberti Highwall my lever guns are top dog. I like 'em all from the .22 to the .30-30.

The excuse to buy another lever gun or two is likely why I got into cowboy action shooting too.... :d
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom