Checkering: How To Questions

28 March 2009, 03:49

airgun1

I need a bit of help with checkering. I know there are ACGG members here who are true craftsmen. I am not in the position to hand those guys their tools. I am redoing a pre 64 Win 70 stock, 18 LPI. The checkering is so worn that it is not much more than pencil marks. My two main questions are:

1. Do you recommend cutting the border first or last?

2. How do you apply finish to the finished checkering? I was thinking of a toothbrush?

28 March 2009, 04:05

fla3006

You might also get a copy of Joe Balicke's video, he makes it look easy, although it isn't.

28 March 2009, 04:55

John303.

I'm no pro, I usually do the border about half finished depth - gives me a good line to stop on / checker up to. Do the border full depth once I'm happy with the checkering. I usually soak the checkering with a brush and soak up the excess (almost immediately) with a kitchen towel. I also de-feather the checkering after it is dry by running lightly over the checkering again with a fine cutter and repeat the finish application. Maybe a pro will pop in with his / her method. --- John 303.

28 March 2009, 04:59

Dall85

I prefer to do the borders last. This tends cover up any run overs (a polite word for oh
sh--). Icut the finish to about 50-50 finsh and thinner and apply sparingly a few coats until it looks right. The Balicke DVD is a good self help guide.

28 March 2009, 06:47

Duane Wiebe

Monte Kennedy's book has about as many reprints as the Holy Bible...get one...follow directions..

29 March 2009, 00:57

yeti

quote:
Joe Balicke's video

I like the way he just pushes the four line cutters around.

A toothbrush is handy through most every phase of checkering.

30 March 2009, 03:17

buffybr

I'm no expert, and if I had to do it for a living, I'd starve, but I've done some checkering in the past 40 years. This winter I checkered two rifles.

I use Dem-Bart tools and do 20 lines per inch patterns. The stock is held in a homemade checkering cradle. I also use one of those magnifying lights to help me see the work.

To answer Arigun's questions, I first cut the borders to about 1/2 depth. Then I line the pattern with two layers of masking tape, trimmed on the borders with an exacto knife. This reduces over-runs. I use a tooth brush throughout the checkering process to remove wood dust from the checkering, and to apply finish to the completed pattern.

I completely finish a new stock before I start checkering. This keeps my sweaty little hands from staining the rest of the stock while I am doing the checkering. Then I draw the pattern onto the stock with a Ultra Fine Point Sharpie pen. I also mark the first two guide lines using a flexible straight edge.

Here's one of the stocks that I checkered this winter. This picture shows the borders and guidelines for one side of the grip. Note that the center point of the front of the pattern is drawn but not cut.

This shows the tape protecting the borders and the parallel cuts started in one direction. Do not make these cuts too deep until all cuts are made in both directions.

Here I've made all the initial cuts in one direction.

Here all the cuts have been made in both directions, and the center point of the front of the pattern was formed by extending the parallel cut lines to the desired location.

Here's the completed grip pattern with the tape removed.

And with two coats of Tru-Oil, applied with a toothbrush.

Here's the forend pattern with the borders and guide lines. That light colored piece of wood has two sharpened nails that I use to scribe the top of the pattern parallel to the top of the stock.

Here's the forend with tape protecting the borders.

Here's the finished forend checkerng with two coats of Tru-Oil.

30 March 2009, 03:29

adrook

quote:
Originally posted by buffybr:
I'm no expert, and if I had to do it for a living, I'd starve, but I've done some checkering in the past 40 years. This winter I checkered two rifles.

I use Dem-Bart tools and do 20 lines per inch patterns. The stock is held in a homemade checkering cradle. I also use one of those magnifying lights to help me see the work.

To answer Arigun's questions, I first cut the borders to about 1/2 depth. Then I line the pattern with two layers of masking tape, trimmed on the borders with an exacto knife. This reduces over-runs. I use a tooth brush throughout the checkering process to remove wood dust from the checkering, and to apply finish to the completed pattern.

I completely finish a new stock before I start checkering. This keeps my sweaty little hands from staining the rest of the stock while I am doing the checkering. Then I draw the pattern onto the stock with a Ultra Fine Point Sharpie pen. I also mark the first two guide lines using a flexible straight edge.

Here's one of the stocks that I checkered this winter. This picture shows the borders and guidelines for one side of the grip. Note that the center point of the front of the pattern is drawn but not cut.

This shows the tape protecting the borders and the parallel cuts started in one direction. Do not make these cuts too deep until all cuts are made in both directions.

Here I've made all the initial cuts in one direction.

Here all the cuts have been made in both directions, and the center point of the front of the pattern was formed by extending the parallel cut lines to the desired location.

Here's the completed grip pattern with the tape removed.

And with two coats of Tru-Oil, applied with a toothbrush.

Here's the forend pattern with the borders and guide lines. That light colored piece of wood has two sharpened nails that I use to scribe the top of the pattern parallel to the top of the stock.

Here's the forend with tape protecting the borders.

Here's the finished forend checkerng with two coats of Tru-Oil.

That checkering doesn't look too bad to me!

30 March 2009, 04:16

ramrod340

quote:
That checkering doesn't look too bad to me!

Yep no flys on that checkering.

30 March 2009, 08:20

airgun1

Thanks for the replies to all! Buf that is pretty nice work. 20 LPI looks so much better than 18 LPI but my 70 stocks are all 18 LPI except for my 1st year production 30-06 and it's checkering is in nice shape. But buf, I am no expert but believe your's is borderless checkering.

I am going to cut the border to half depth on this next one and then mask. I thought a toothbrush would be just the thing to put a very light and thinned coat of finish on the checkering

30 March 2009, 22:47

buffybr

Thanks for the compliments on my checkering guys. This was the 4th rifle that I've checkered with that pattern.

Airgun, You're absolutely right about my pattern being borderless. I wasn't thinking about a double line border like this one I did on some 1911 grips 30 years ago.

As for when to cut the second or outside line of a double line border, if I was doing one, I would cut it before I cut the inside line to full depth. Good luck on your project.