Sentryduty's No.4 Mk I Repair and Restoration

[Patrick Chadwick]

Yes, it's beech. The distinguishing characteristic is those tiny dark specks or "eyes" that can be best seen on the patch, in the photo that follows the one with the dog. Glad to see you are using the scraper/burnisher method. The smoothing action, by pressing down the wood fibers, produces a denser surface that is finer than anything you can create with any cutting action, such as with sandpaper or wire wool, since that always leaves some fiber roughness.

Take your time, and you will gradually recover a beautiful blonde stock!

The originals were dunked in a tank of linseed oil and really soaked for some time. But that means gallons of oil and having to let the stock dry off afterwards. For the first application of oil - which must, of course, be applied everywhere, including the receiver cutout and the barrel channel - and, especially if the wood is bone-dry, for instance because you had to use acetone to remove stains - apply the oil with a rag moistened with natural turpentine. NOT turps substitute! The turpentine will help the oil to penetrate quickly and deeply into the pores of the wood. Let the turpentine dry out, polish off with a lint-free rag, and then use the burnisher. The pressure of the burnisher on the surface pores raises a fine sheen caused by a very thin film of oil. When you have burnished all over, let the stock sit for a couple of days, and do it again. As long as you can see that the burnisher is pressing oil out of the surface, do not apply any more. When that application has really dried out, apply a few drops with a rag, and repeat. Repeat occasionally on wet weekends for ever!

If at any stage you find that there is too much oil in one spot, and it has gone a bit gummy, use the rag moistened in turpentine to soften the affected area and polish it out.

It's slow, but as long as you use only linseed oil (BLO or artist's oil*, it doesn't seem to make any difference with this method) and natural turpentine, you can always go back and polish up an area that seems duller than the surroundings, or refresh it if it has become grubby. And instead of that "in your face" glass-hard look of a lacquered/painted/sprayed surface, you will gradually achieve that deep, soft sheen of a mature military stock.

The main requirement is patience!

Have fun, and keep up the good work!


*Actually, I use comestible oil that was bought once upon a time, forgotten**, moved a couple of times, is now about 25 years old, and runs like comb honey.

** I don't think my workshop is quite as extreme as that of Jmoore (at least, I haven't yet lost a lathe in it!), but if you look at the photos he posted once, you get the general impression. Too many projects going on at the same time, I fear. Sometimes it's quicker to go out and buy another tool than find the one that's gone missing!

[Peter Laidler]

Our woodwork used to go into a warm-to-touch linseed tank held down by a wire grille. For ages afterwards you could see the wood releasing thousands of small bubbles as the air came OUT and the liseed was getting IN. Then it was left to drain off. Even in the constant humidity and monsoon weather the rifle woodwork remained good

[Sentryduty]

Thanks for the posts everyone, I will be resuming work on the stock this weekend and I will have a couple of questions about my intended repair once I can photograph the issue properly for everyone to examine.

The replacement front guard screw (thank you Brian) is apparently waiting at the post office according to my parcel notifications so I can get that tomorrow and check the bedding of the action.

[Sentryduty]

Now for the next most pressing issue. This stock crack. It has broken out around the reinforcement band and is easily spread with a wedge.

Should I glue and clamp it, or should I install one or more dowels and glue and clamp it?

Other suggestions?

[brent65]

Looks to me like you have two cracks, the second one about 1/2" in from the one you're highlighting.

[CINDERS]

Follow P L's advice clean it with acetone and use aircraft grade adhesive not 5 minute araldite, then you could also use screw wire or an oak dowel to further strengthen it, I am sure others will be along but I am just going on what Peter normally suggests.

[Peter Laidler]

Yep, just as Cinders suggests. But really I'd say it's too far gone. But there's something personal about trying a repair first. Clean, glue clamp and then dowel. I'd take the strap off too and replace it at the end.

It looks like the brass pin has already pulled through the strap. So when it's clear, heat up and dolly that end round. THEN dolly it along its length in order to mechanically 'stretch' it a bit. That way you'll have a few extra thous when you come to peen it over when you replace the strap. If you can get a new length, all well and good - said the actress to the bishop!

[Sentryduty]

Well I can always replace it if the repair fails I suppose. I will give the repair an attempt, nothing to lose but my time at this point.

More to follow!

[Peter Laidler]

It'd be nice to see a repair at that break point. Not much room to peg now that I've looked at an old fore-end. But where there';s a will there's usually a way