After several weeks of work on my Richard's Microfit fiddleback Bastogne walnut stock, I managed to get the action down in the wood with careful scraping and filing.

However, there is one gap spoiling my work on the left side of the FN Mauser's triggerguard- the inletting machine made a 'wide' pass both opening the guard area and removing most of the internal web behind the magazine box. The gap is a generous 1/8" or so at the screw end tapering to zero where the box starts...

My question is- What is the best way to fill an inletting gap?

I know the woodworker's trick of wetting the wood and applying a hot iron to get the wood to swell but would it stay swelled? I want to avoid filling the gap with glue/sawdust or bedding compound as the rest of the inletting is damn near perfect and this would really show...

Any tips from the stockmaking pro's appreciated...

DeBee: I'm just completing a stock that had a similar fault. It was actually the second stock from the same semi-inletter. The first one had the same problem and I returned it. The second one had such nice figure that I elected to repair the machining flaw. From the piece removed from the butt for fitting to length with recoil pad I was able to cut pieces of wood that matched so well it is almost (not quite) impossible to see the repair. I used a good cabinet makers glue which left no dark glue line. I had to cut the butt piece in sections looking for the sides where the pores and grain flow matched the wood along one side of the trigger guard. As I only had one inch of wood length to play with I had to splice three sections together using a long angle to get a piece long enough to fill the area. The other option is to fill it with bedding compound which will show. Every thing about this inletters work tells me he is rushing his work and not doing any quality control inspection. He is quite new in the business and I'd like to help him along but these make numbers 2 and 3 of 3 stocks that came with glaring errors. A now retired semi-finisher who I previously dealt with rarely sent out a stock that wasn't right. He also discounted any that did have machining flaws which sometimes occur if the cutter pulls some grain or if the set-up slips a bit between centers while machining. best.

DeBee--

Stocker has the right idea. It's called a "Dutchman". If you pick the right piece of wood the fit can be nearly undetectectable.

When doing a Dutchman concentrate on the fit and blend of the new piece to the stock. Make sure the wood in fresh and smooth and use strong clamps to get a really good fit......THEN, re-inlett the metal to the new part. It's better than trying to fit both sides at one time as a sliver or wedge.

Something else you could also try, that might be easier than making the full depth of the repair with wood, is to build up the area with clear bedding material, let it harden, then get a smooth, even surface on it 1/16 - 1/8" below the woodline in that area. Then, you can epoxy a thin veneer of grain matched wood on top, so that it ends up slightly "proud" of the wood you are matching it to. When you sand it flush, it will probably not be noticeable. This idea is very similar to the process of repairing a "sanded through" defect when you're working with thin veneers on plywood.

This will probably get a better result than trying to fit an odd shaped piece of wood into an odd-shaped defect. Then you'll end up with glue-filled gaps, which will be noticeable, etc.

I wish there was a way to draw it for you, when I read over the above paragraph it doesn't sound very clear. Oh well.

Good luck,

Todd

*Not a stockmaking pro by any means, but a decent woodworker for the past 10 - 12 years!

[ 06-29-2002, 20:03: Message edited by: Todd Getzen ]

Thanks for the replies. That's the exact reason I kept the stock was for the attractive fiddleback (which I am a sucker for) running almost the length of the blank.

I was hoping to avoid the 'Dutchman' solution but the more I look at the problem, it seems to be the best fix- I like the veneer idea too. I halfheartedly attempted to glue in small wedge before I posted but it failed. I'll use a bigger purpose cut strip from the forend. In the past I would just fill with bedding and forget about it, but I am trying to take my work to a higher level...

So I have to fit a much larger wedge of wood and re-inlet to fit again... Somehow metalworking seems easier sometimes! I have standard Elmers carpenter glue, Gorilla Glue (which foams not good), and Brownells Acraglass gel. Should I shop for cabinet makers glue?

Now, where did I put those little C- clamps...

DeBee: C-clamps wouldn't work in my case due to curvature of the exterior of the stock. I made two wood wedges. One being belt sanded to fit the circular tang area and tapering to a point at the magazine well end. The other was square ended (one end) and inserted from the magazine well end. Once you get your piece fitted check the second wedge to be sure it can be tapped in far enough to make a good jam fit against the first wedge and the opposite side of the mortise. If you're satisfied it'll force the patch tight to the side glue her up and tap your second wedge in to hold. Use a strip of wax paper between your patch strip (Dutchman) and the wedges and opposite mortise face. That'll prevent the pieces getting glued together. You can exert a lot of force with this system so be careful you don't overdo it and split the stock (either through the grip or along the sides of the guard mortises). If you see any sign of the wedge wanting to back out take a piece of 1/4" bungee cord and tie it around the grip and feed it over the wedges, through the magazine well and back to where you can tie it off on the loop at the grip. The glue I use is made by Weldbond. Elmer's may work but I haven't used it and don't know if it leaves a dark glue line. Consult with your local cabinet makers if in doubt. best.

Stocker :
Great minds think alike. Just about everything you discribed is what I was thinking. If your ever out of work come to Lewiston and build cabinets(and gunstocks on the side). Pete

Pete: Well that's a kind offer and I am out of work- sort of- (retired) for 4 years. I've built a few cabinets over the years and restored quite a bit of furniture. I find I'm the only guy in town who knows how to do woven cane back chair restoration. Working on stocks is my first love just because the wood can be so fine and I've done that as an avocation for 40 years. I wish I could turn back the clock and take what I've learned with me and start again. Can you imagine making a dining room table out of exhibition quality walnut? So can I and only the cost holds me back not to mention the screams all the other stockmakers on the continent would direct at me. Have a good one.

Another alternative is to make a lot of very fine sawdust out of the excess wood and mix it with clear epoxy and glass the area with its own wood. You can also use a magic marker and make the repair lines look like dark walnut grain.It is in a area that is normally not seen, so you lucked out there..It should have been sent back to the turneee...

Personally I would make pistol grips out of it and start over and not use pre turned wood, unless it was done by an expert on a Honig stylist.