-
Legacy Member
Swede M96 with cracked stock-HOW TO FIX?
-
-
10-23-2009 12:45 PM
# ADS
Friends and Sponsors
-
Advisory Panel
I would repair such a crack with PVA (polyvinyl acetate) glue. But first, you need a rounded pad to go under the stock so that when it is clamped up the wood is not bruised. Simple answer is a piecec of PVC tube from a household plumbing/do-it-yourself suppliers, with an appropriat internal diamteter.
Cut the tube lengthwise so that you have a section of round channel. You will also need a length of flat material to go on top of the fore-end. Now if you simply force the crack open to get the glue in, the split section may break off completely, which will make it very awkward to refit.
So fit the U-section underneath the fore-end and the flat section on top, and clamp very lightly (just enought so it doesn't all fall apart) at the back end of the crack, towards the step where the barrel ring is normally fitted.
You can now wedge the crack open without splitting off the entire fore-end, and, standing the stock upright on the butt end, use a throw-away plastic syringe to press PVA glue into the crack on both sides. DO not worry about PVA on the surface, as it will not really adhere to the typical gunstock surface, which will have a certain amount of grease, grime, oil, wax etc. This is one case where it is good NOT to clean the wood before you start.
When you have squeezed glue into the cracks on both sides as well s you can, fit a couple more clamps along the fore-end and clamp up all 3 reasonably tight (so all excess glue is squeezed out of the cracks. Do NOT not try and wipe off the excess, as you will in fact force it into the pores of the wood, and it will be more difficult to clean up than if you had left it alone. Leave overnight.
Next day, remove the clamps etc. The excess glue on the outside will not have adhered well to the surface, and with a little care you will be able to scrape it off. The crack should now be barely visible.
You will now have to repair the front end, where a piece seems to be missing, and refinish the whole stock, but I thinks I have described the tricky bit in enough detail for you to have a go yourself.
Good luck!
Patrick
-
Thank You to Patrick Chadwick For This Useful Post:
-
-
FREE MEMBER
NO Posting or PM's Allowed
Patrick,
you had faster fingers than i. I have to learn highspeed typing :-)
Regards
Gunner
-
Banned
I would try "HOTSTUFF" from Brownells. Its made for that type of split. I have repaired many split stocks with it. Often the crack disappears.
-
Legacy Member
The key to any stock repair is the clamping. You have to plan it out, and try it without the glue first to make sure that the crack is held exactly closed the way you want it to turn out. The padded trigger-clamps available in hardware store in various sizes are a godsend. If you can't get exactly the right angle of compression, cut some v-blocks out of soft pine, pad them with leather or vinyl sheet. Keep fitting until you can close the joint precisely.
THEN use the glue.
Brownell's Acraglas is excellent. My own preference is Git-Rot (or similar transparent epoxy resins) sold in marine supply stores expressly for saturating dry rot in wooden boats. By capillary action it will penetrate the pores on either side of the joint but when clamped solidly it will leave little or no glue line, unless the crack itself has gotten dirty. Hold the crack vertical and drip it in until it starts to come out the bottom, then clamp, and mop up the excess before it kicks over. In dead-end cracks it can be blown in with the aid of compressed air. A lint-free cloth just barely damp with acetone will clean up the outside and save a lot of work later. Any cured drips that are discovered later can be cut away with a fresh 6" smooth cut mill file. A green nylon scrub pad does wonders blending, and a steel burnisher can make the crack almost disappear. If any wood is missing from the surface of the crack, the Acraglas or Git-Rot, being transparent, will fill it almost unnoticeably like a lens that lets the wood grain beneath show through.
M
-
The Following 2 Members Say Thank You to MGMike For This Useful Post:
-
FREE MEMBER
NO Posting or PM's Allowed
glueing the crack
Hi, how are you doing on this repair??
In our shop I would use Acraglass for this repair. After figuring how you will clamp without damage, you should pour lacquer thinner or better yet, acetone into the crack. This helps clean the oil out. Then we would put a 60 watt lamp over the crack area. Usually the lamp fixture is close to touching the wood. Leave it for 20-
40 minutes, until the wood is hot. Then mix the glass and put it on the crack. It usually wicks right in to the crack, so keep putting more on. While adding glass you also open/close (flex) the cracked wood to further work the glass into all sections. If the crack is very fine I add a few drops of acetone to the fiberglass - this thins it so it penetrates better.
THen clamp and wait. I have used this technique on $100k Purdys and Holland and Holland guns. The crack is almost invisible.