I am not given to profanity but many, many four letter words are streaming through my mind right now. Along with vast disappointment.

I have posted on the project I have been working on for about one year now. The stock began last semester.

I had bedded the barreled receiver and had gained enough time from the books to do the triggerguard. I was very careful to make sure everything had wax on it. Taped over the double set triggers and then made sure no gaps under them with some modeling clay. Triple checked everything. Mixed up a wad of epoxy and put it in.

I guess I was not careful enough. Those of you who have double set triggers know there is a very small flange that runs along the sides. No more than 1/32" deep or so. Under the pressure of tightening it looks like some epoxy flowed under it on the right side, displacing the modeling clay. I was looking at these areas prior to bedding the thing and knew if any got under there it would be a problem since I couldn't get the guard out with the epoxy there.

Tapped the front screw estucheon and the guard came loose. I tapped on the rear of the magazine and nothing. I gave it a sharp rap, no more than I have done on any of the previous rifles I have done. I didn't feel anything different. The guard came out about 1/2 inch and I then pulled it out carefully.

That is when I saw the crack, the wood has split due to the epoxy being under that flange. It ripped the stock alongside the triggerguard inletting into the bolt recess.

I could just cry. I would too if it would do any good.

I will go ahead and clean the stock up just as I normally would, and finish it up. I will then evaluate whether or not this can be saved. I am thinking I could mix some epoxy and suck it into a syringe after making it very hot and liquid. I will have a helper use a small, sharp object to just lift the cracked, split wood, Maybe a flat fronted chisel would work, lift it from inside the inletting. Then I will inject epoxy into the crack as best as I can and use several wraps of surgical tubing around the area to hold it closed.

Man I am one bummed pup.

You are on the right track. It happens. It is best to disassemble everyting from the barrelled action before you bed it. That said, you can thin the epoxy out with lacquer thinner and let it run into the crack. When the thinner evaporates it leaves the epoxy to set up. Usually, a crack like that is very clean and can be repaired so you will be the only one to know it is there. Good Luck.

Jim

Rodger,
When glassing, one should strip a receiver of all its parts, fill the gaps with wax or clay...but I suppose you know that now...

I'm sure it happens to all of us sooner or later, I glued one in about 30 years ago, never again has that happened to me since, and it never will....

Instead of heating the expoxy you might try what a gunsmith I used to work for did. He thinned the epoxy and spread a small amount over the split. He then used an air compressor with a nozzle on it to "blow" the epoxy into the crack. I watched him do this on a very finely checkered german made SxS shotgun that broke at the wrist. He wiped the excess off and you couldn't tell there had ever been a crack there.

Wel...I am having a cup of coffee and I am going to do some homework. I have three weeks until final exams and I'm not going to worry about anything until those are over.

I am not even going to look at the stock tonight. I will clean it up over the weekend and see what I can do from inside the inletting. I think drilling small holes (3/32") along the crack in several areas, maybe peel off a little splinters here and there for better access. It is done and I am not going to cry over spilled milk. Oh well.

What type of thinner will work with the Acraglass?

Roger, sorry to hear about the problem. Just use it as a good learning tool. Hate to add this at this time but you do not need to glass the bottom metal. There is plenty of wood flat to take the bearing. (Now he tells me!!!)

There is also some glues that are sold at Woodcraft (there is one in Seattle - they are also on line) and it is like a super glue. I will get you more info on it. You can fix that crack with no problems.

Roger:

I broke a beautiful piece of walnut in half about a month ago when pulling the HVA barreled action out of the stock after bedding. The stock is very slender through the action area anyway and what happened was the front guard screw rececptacle in the bottom of the action bound [it was too tight a bedding job] and I pulled to hard. Broke the stock completely in half about mid action.

I was able to do a repair that is hardly noticeable. I got some 2500 lb strength devcon epoxy. Set up a jig, glued the pieces, then put them back together exactly as they had broken. The break was jagged, but the pieces fit back together like a puzzle, but perfectly.

After the Devcon cured, I then laid up carbon fiber and S glass cloth on both sides of the inside of the stock [action mortise area]. I think it is now bullet proof and you have to look real hard to see the break on either side of the action. This stock was broken completely in half.

So, repairs are feasible. Hope you can repair yours and depending on the nature of the break, you might be able to make the repair near invisible.

Jordan

Roger, My condolences. I came close and that with the old stuff that used just a few drops of hardener, that heat didn't want to soften.
Monty Kennedy was famous for being able to repair fine old pieces that had been in car and train wrecks & airplane crashes, He thinned with Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) and the joints looked like wood grain when completed. He said that it worked with both the few drops and the 2 part Epoxies. The light air blast sounds good ,too

Roger,

I am sorry to hear of your misfortune. Hopefully the good suggestions that have been offered here will help to salvage your project.

Best of luck,
Jim

Roger---

I feel your pain....

Can you get to the crack with an intersecting 1/8" hole that starts inside the inletting somewhere??

If so........here’s WHAT YOU NEED…….
______
One kit (two tubes) clear 24 hr epoxy.

A long “aircraft” drill of about 1/8”. Check the surplus stores and cheap tool shops. Most of them have the six and eight inch bits for fifty cents or so. I bought a handful of 12 inchers 30 years ago and still using them.

One piece of stainless steel rod 1/8” diameter. Buy one stick of 1/8” 308L welding rod and break the flux off of it……..or do what I do and pick up stubs anytime I go in a welding shop……especially those that have been stepped on and cleaned of flux. Rough up the rod and degrease it with alcohol or brake clean and KEEP the end that’s going in the wood clean……no fingerprints.

Two feet of surgical tubing. Home Depot has it.

You have an electric drill, don’t you?

Now all you need is NERVE!

Hold the crack firmly closed with clamps or surgical tubing (best), and drill the hole *across* the crack but not broken through to the outside. This is important: DON’T break through, and make SURE the crack is TIGHTLY closed when you drill. I’ll leave the lining up the right angle and calculating how deep you go to you.

You CAN’T start an accurate hole on an angled surface…….take a small chisel and cut a ledge that’s square with the bit and center punch it before drilling. Now measure and look and sweat and ponder until you get the nerve to drill it.

Once it’s drilled make sure your rod will slip all the way into the hole. You want a “slurp fit”………Loose enough you don’t need a hammer and tight enough it won’t fall in………...now trim it so it’s below the wood line by .010 or so. (Don’t be a dummy and get a piece of non magnetic rod stuck in the stock!!) Run the rod in and mark the wood line with a scribe then cut it off shorter than that….it fits, don’t try it.

Now, using a fine wire or toothpick force the hole as full as you can get it with clear 24 hour epoxy. No need to thin it.

Now bend or bind the stock to OPEN the crack and slowly but steadily push the rod in the hole. The glue is forced into the crack hydraulically. Help it along by gently twisting and bending and closing the stock……you want to see epoxy coming out all along the crack. Once it does, keep going with the rod until it bottoms out. You can hold it in place with a straight pin or staple until the epoxy is cured.

Bind the stock up good with the tubing making sure the crack is plumb shut tight….. that’s Southernese for ‘tightly closed’.

Leave it alone for a couple days.

If you’re REALLY careful, you can wipe paste wax on the outside of the stock so the epoxy drool will come off the stock with a thumbnail instead of needing a body grinder, BUT, if you get ANY wax in the crack, the stock is RUINED. Be careful.

I’ll post a couple pictures on this thread soon.

I once had a Weatherby Mark5 in 340 Wby. leaning againt my bench for a few seconds. I bumped the rifle and it fell over on the shop floor. A large sliver about 3 inches long broke off the forend into the checkering. Needless to say I was sick. I mixed up some devcon and spread a good amount and made up a nylon bar to fit exactly in the barrel channel and wrapped it all up with surgical tubing. Was able to clean up the checkering before the excess epoxy set up. After it was done you could not even see that it ever happened. Even the rose wood forend tip was perfect. I guess that is why they say S--t Happens. I am glad it was one of my own rifles and not a customer's rifle. Never did that again!

[ 04-18-2003, 07:50: Message edited by: Bob G ]

Use some "canned air" that they sell for cleaning computers to blow the epoxy into the crack. With the plastic tube on the can, you can be very precise. Might help to thin it also, although you can really move the epoxy around with the canned air...

Roger,

I inletted my first and last thumbhole stock beautifully only to misposition the thumbhole.

Bet the gurus can't help with that one! Occasionally beautiful stockwood becomes beautiful cap/tip wood.

Yours sounds minor. Keep your mouth shut when showing the gun and see if the repair draws attention. That will put it in proper perspective.

You can use an epoxy used for boatbuilding like System 3. It mixes up thin so it penetrates wood. You can also add thickeners like microballoons and reinforcement like Cabosil. These type epoxies are very versatile.

I think a thinned epoxy would be the ticket. I recently go a beautiful inletted blank which had a severe seasoning crack intermittently through half the length of the stock. I used regular bedding epoxy and had quite a time getting good penetration.

I have used heat before on the types of cracks you describe. Heat will really thin the epoxy and let it flow in. A hair dryer is a good source, or heat the entire wood piece over an electric stove burner while turning. Be careful!

I would vote number 1 for the suggestion above of the boat epoxy. It is available in many grades and viscosities. Use either System Three or West. Whatever you use, if you thin epoxy, don't use toluene or xylene as the thinner. It is a good cleaner, but there are better thinners available. I would get an epoxy that is thin to start with to avoid shrinkage. An epoxy made for saturation would be best.

No WORRIES!!! Seroiusly, if you have all the pieces, you are OKAY! What you need is called ZAP! You can buy it at any hobby store, if not, get back to me and I can get you the number of a store that has it. You simply torque the crack ever so slightly, touch the ZAP to it and it will wick itself all the way to the bottom of the crack. Release the torque, press together, and if the stock cracks again, it won't be there. Get standard CA++ Zap, not the Zap-a-Gap. It works so well because it penetrates the poors of the wood. It is also fantastic for attaching those exotic hardwood forends and grip caps that come loose from heavy kickers. email me if you have questions or concerns.

Dr. Michael
dcwc@mindspring.com

Gentlemen,

I do sincerely thank you all for your suggestions and words of support. I have looked at the stock this morning and I will begin to form a plan later today.

Since I am at the science facility now I will "acquire" a splash of MEK right now to see if that will work with Acraglas. I will also "acquire" (not permanently) a length or two of surgical tubing.

We have a good hobby store not to far from campus, I will look for this ZAP.

Spenard Builders Supply is a huge warehouse of goodies for the industrial people, I will look for that special boat epoxy there. We also are blessed with a Home Depot. They should have it.

The Health and Counseling Center graciously has donated two 10 cc syringes already.

I will perservere.

Thank you all again.

Almost any stock break can be repaired to as new if...

NOTE: the important thing is get it protected instantly so the splinters, litte pieces, and ends or not damgage..Wrap it lightly in cotton and towels to protect it, and handle it with kid gloves..What makes repair difficult is tossing the broken stock in a box or trunk of your car and hauling it to your smith to fix..all those splinters and little pieces become damaged and leave a gap and that cannot be repaired very well....

i have had these bad things happen also. i usually set the stock in the sun so it gets very warm. i warm up the epoxy so it is real runny. open up the crack as much as you dare and inject the glue. then using low air pressure through an air gun blow it into every nook. surgical tube tie it together and let it cure. clean up and finish. most times you can't even tell where the crack was.

I hope you read this before you try to fix your stock. I have been working on wood things for 35 years. I have had the best results with the problem you have with super glue. This is not sombody blowing smoke up your a#$#3. Go to your local hobby store and purchace some THIN super glue, then push the crack back togeather and hold it tight. Put a drop of super glue on the end grain of the crack and it will find it's way through the crack, hold it until it sets up or get some stuff called kicker at the hobby shop and shoot it on after you apply the SG, it will set up instantly. This has many uses when working on stocks. If you split a stock from recoil clamp it back togeather and let the SG find it's way through the crack, it will find other cracks that you don't see and fill them too. This is not BS try it and you will be happy again.

Dan P.

Roger,

If it's an incomplete crack, don't overlook plain old superglue. I make Shaker boxes, which are steam bent. Often a small splinter will pop up along the edge of the box -- a shot of superglue, a little spritz of methylmethacrylate accelerator (available at any woodworking / turning store), hold it down quickly with a small wood block backed with waxed paper. If it holds down bent wood under stress, it will hold down a splinter from your stock.

Good luck,
Todd

[ 04-19-2003, 05:36: Message edited by: Todd Getzen ]

Ok, I went out looking.

Turns out one of my organic chemistry professors has 5 gallons (!) of the System 3 boat epoxy and attests to its excellent qualities. I wouldn't be able to get any until Monday though.

I asked the lab technician if I could get a splash of MEK and she didn't have any. I didn't want to bother the organic prof again so I asked my inorganic chemistry professor for some. He didn't have any but he DID have some methylene chloride which has similar properties. I took a splash of that (ultra pure too!).

I could not find ZAP. I did find at the hobby store the epoxy Jack was talking about but it is in 2 small 2oz. bottles. I had a choice of 5, 10, 30 minute and 2 hour epoxy. Same drill, equal quantities. This stuff was priced almost as dear as illicit drugs though at $15.95 per blister pack. So now I had two leads.

I went to Freddies and found the Superglue stuff too. I thought about it then decided not to.

I mixed some Acraglas and wouldn't you know it; the methylene choride thinned the epoxy wonderfully. I went to have some dinner and came back and it is already starting to set up. I will see if it gets as hard as it normally does. If not then I can get that two part stuff at the hobby shop. I don't know why the chemical properties of the epoxy would be altered but you never know. I will wait and see.
I also got three feet of clean, pristine latex rubber tubing from the lab tech, she felt sorry for me when I told her why I needed it. She is sweet.

I am testing a lamp set up to heat the stock. Another professor confirmed if the stock is hot it will open the pores and when it cools it will draw in the epoxy.
I am good to go.

I will post an update on how it works out.

OUCH! Do not line a normal desk (has the parallel arms and goes up and down) style lamp hood with tin foil and focus on anything. Good thing I felt the stock before I walked out. Too hot to touch!

[ 04-19-2003, 05:50: Message edited by: Roger Rothschild ]

Roger:
Below is a Brno 22 that Jack Belk fixed so you can't even tell it. Yesterday I took it to the range and fooled with some loads. It still shoots less than a M.O.A. with loads that have the ummmph of a .280 Ackley, even though it is just the regular ol' long-throated 7x57 Mauser that Brno is famous for.

If Jack can fix this mess.... listen to what he says... he is a master!

Thanks Judge---

I was wondering if that still shot well.

Here's a couple pictures I took doing that job. If you pull the grip cap you can see the two allthread 1/4" rods.

That break was clean enough and in two pieces that I glued it back together and *then* re-inforced the joint with the steel rods in epoxy.

After looking at those pics, does anyone think that Jack shouldn't have been an orthopedic surgeon? This is the quote for your grave stone some day, my friend.....

If Talouse Latrec had have know Jack Belk, he could've dunked!