Stock Repair
- Thread starter Bearcat
- Start date
being a carpenter currently working in the furniture repair business....heres my advice
ordinary carpenters glue will work fine...as long as you apply a good finish like a built up polyurethane or spar varnish ...any cracks etc after you are done gluing should be filled with a matching colour wood filler pencil...and you should scrape and sand the old finish completely off before applying a new finish
for finishing you should apply a treatment consisting of half and half varnish and thinners for first coat 75-80% varnish and thinners for second coat and finishing with 1 or more straight varnish..depending on how glossy you want the finish...same treatment applys for polyurethane....
On the other hand....you can pick up waterproof glue powder at canadian tire and just finish with whatever treatment you like...be warned however..waterproof glue takes at least 24hrs to fully dry...and it is a dark grey colour when dry..so if you have any larger cracks etc where the glue will be seen...your finish won't be as nice
Hope that helps....let me know how it turns out
Ger
ordinary carpenters glue will work fine...as long as you apply a good finish like a built up polyurethane or spar varnish ...any cracks etc after you are done gluing should be filled with a matching colour wood filler pencil...and you should scrape and sand the old finish completely off before applying a new finish
for finishing you should apply a treatment consisting of half and half varnish and thinners for first coat 75-80% varnish and thinners for second coat and finishing with 1 or more straight varnish..depending on how glossy you want the finish...same treatment applys for polyurethane....
On the other hand....you can pick up waterproof glue powder at canadian tire and just finish with whatever treatment you like...be warned however..waterproof glue takes at least 24hrs to fully dry...and it is a dark grey colour when dry..so if you have any larger cracks etc where the glue will be seen...your finish won't be as nice
Hope that helps....let me know how it turns out
Ger
If you want the repair to be permanent and problem free, use a good grade of epoxy.
Epoxy does not soften in extreme heat and seems to be impervious to cold and chemicals. Quite often, stock repairs require some gap filling and epoxy is about all there is available that will fill gaps large and small reliably and with strength.
Epoxy can also be tinted to match the wood colour and will accept all finishes. At least all the finishes that I have tried.
I use Acra-Glas and West System for stock repairs but you might want to do a little research to find something available in smaller quantities but still offering reliable performance.
Epoxy does not soften in extreme heat and seems to be impervious to cold and chemicals. Quite often, stock repairs require some gap filling and epoxy is about all there is available that will fill gaps large and small reliably and with strength.
Epoxy can also be tinted to match the wood colour and will accept all finishes. At least all the finishes that I have tried.
I use Acra-Glas and West System for stock repairs but you might want to do a little research to find something available in smaller quantities but still offering reliable performance.
I have repaired many wood stocks using original Acraglass, Not the gel, but the original runny stuff. It just plain works!
Light amber in colour it blends with any colour wood and is stronger than the wood itself. I have never had an Acraglas repair fail.
The most impressive job I did was one of the first, a Mark V 340 Wby that I got really cheap because the stock was in two pieces, splt all the way through the pistol grip.
I mixed up some Acraglass and glued it back together using several small wood clamps to hold it all in place. Put the left over 'glass in the freezer.
The next day, when the stock repair was cured, I drilled two holes laterally through the center of the repair in the grip, got the 'glass out of the freezer and used it to bond two machine screws into the holes.
Set it aside for a week and the cut off the screws, filed them down to the stock and finished them with some emery paper. Took it to the range with Garry, River Rat on the board here, to try it out. Before firing it off the bench, I put three full power loads through it with the recoil pad against the winch bumper of his truck. The stock never budged.
Used it for years. It looked hokey, but the stock was ruined to start with anyway. Put some cold blue on the end of the machine screws to make it look a bit better. 8)
Ted
Light amber in colour it blends with any colour wood and is stronger than the wood itself. I have never had an Acraglas repair fail.
The most impressive job I did was one of the first, a Mark V 340 Wby that I got really cheap because the stock was in two pieces, splt all the way through the pistol grip.
I mixed up some Acraglass and glued it back together using several small wood clamps to hold it all in place. Put the left over 'glass in the freezer.
The next day, when the stock repair was cured, I drilled two holes laterally through the center of the repair in the grip, got the 'glass out of the freezer and used it to bond two machine screws into the holes.
Set it aside for a week and the cut off the screws, filed them down to the stock and finished them with some emery paper. Took it to the range with Garry, River Rat on the board here, to try it out. Before firing it off the bench, I put three full power loads through it with the recoil pad against the winch bumper of his truck. The stock never budged.
Used it for years. It looked hokey, but the stock was ruined to start with anyway. Put some cold blue on the end of the machine screws to make it look a bit better. 8)
Ted
- Location
- calgary alberta
My technique as well, it works and lasts far better than carpenters glue :mrgreen:
gunrunner100
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- NW Ontario
X3
Have done many using this method. Using the tinting base with the kit, it makes a nice blend.
If you have very tiny cracks - too thin to insert epoxy- you can also use Hot Stuff cyanoacrylate from CA Glues. (http://www.caglue.com/) It's available from Lee Valley tools and possibly some industrial suppliers (like KMS Tools here in the Lower Mainland of BC) I repaired a hairline crack through the wrist of my Marlin 1895 and it worked very well. It is water-thin and sets up very fast.
Make sure you clean the area with lacquer thinner first to remove any oils in the wood.
Stuart
Make sure you clean the area with lacquer thinner first to remove any oils in the wood.
Stuart
- Location
- calgary alberta
There is now a thinner for acraglass as well, that you can use to make the epoxy thin like water, works well. There are times as josquin states where the epoxys are too thick to get into the area, the thinner solves this :mrgreen:
Bearcat said:
Acraglas is a trademarked product from Brownell's in Montzuma, Iowa (www.brownells.com) However, some gun shops may carry it. Perhaps some of the fellow CGN's could chip in here. Reliable Gun & Tackle here in Vancouver usually do but that's not much comfort to you in Sask! You can order it directly from Brownell's but the shipping might be a bit steep as they do charge extra for shipping non-US orders.
I don't know how regular epoxies would compare- it may depend on how much stress your repairs will have to withstand. If you're just gluing in a chip somewhere, it prob. doesn't matter, but if you are glassing in a recoil lug it might! I don't think there is anything "magic" about Acraglass, just that it has been around for ages and is considered to be very, very good.
Stuart
- Location
- calgary alberta
No its a gunshop thing. Acraglass is a 2 part epoxy especially made for gun work, I am certain that Brownells does not make it, they market the epoxy under the name of Acraglass. Devcon also makes a 2 part clear epoxy that may be easier to find given your location, but you will have to try either automotive specialty shops or industrial suppliers . I know Wholesale sports carrys small quantity kits, but not sure if they will ship it. I get mine in gallons from Brownells :mrgreen:
Russel's in Calgary have Acraglas and Acraglas Gel.
I've used toluene to thin Acraglas then use a syringe to inject the mix into thin cracks. Try to spread the crack as much as you dare then inject. I usually tightly wrap the repair with surgical tubing while the epoxy is setting.
I've used toluene to thin Acraglas then use a syringe to inject the mix into thin cracks. Try to spread the crack as much as you dare then inject. I usually tightly wrap the repair with surgical tubing while the epoxy is setting.
If you have trouble getting the Acra-Glas, you might try Lee Valley Tools.
They have G-1 epoxy at $17.50 and Cold Cure at $27.50. Both of these products will do a good job for repairing damage to stocks. I don't know how well they would do for bedding actions though.
They also carry West System but the quantity and cost are pretty large for a single project.
They have G-1 epoxy at $17.50 and Cold Cure at $27.50. Both of these products will do a good job for repairing damage to stocks. I don't know how well they would do for bedding actions though.
They also carry West System but the quantity and cost are pretty large for a single project.
Avoid 5 minute epoxy. (Not strong or waterproof.) Also avoid the products with a lot of fillers. (JB Weld, Devcon aluminum paste, etc.) Marine store (hmnn do they have those in Sask?) might be a good source of epoxy. Also the stores that stock stuff for guys who make flying model airplanes always have it. Also with epoxy do not clamp your work so tight that you squeeze all the glue out of the joint.
