Basic Stock Work and Finishin

Recently, while walking through a gun show, I found just what I’d been looking for’a partially inletted stock for a large-ring Mauser. The wood had lots of figuring and the price was right, so I paid the man and walked away with my bargain. That’s not to say things were perfect, as my purchase would require lots of sanding, the removal of several small dents, and the barrel channel wasn’t even wide enough for a pencil. It was time to get to work.

Inletting the Stock Even though many stocks are advertised as being ’95-percent inletted, I can guarantee you the last 5 percent is the toughest part. While there may be some power tools that can be used for inletting, I don’t take advantage of their supposed assistance. Inletting is one area where it’s easy to get carried away and remove too much wood. This is what I call an "acoustic" job.

In other words, like an acoustic guitar, you use no electricity, and you have to "play it by ear." An inletting job requires good tools and manual dexterity, plus patience and time. And it never hurts to practice on an old stock or a scrap of wood, particularly if you are trying out anew tool. Begin by placing the action into the wood and observing how it fits. For those spots that may be a bit snug, coat the action’s contact area with inletting dye or plain old black shoe polish.

When reassembled and then taken back apart, the areas that need to be addressed will have black spots on them. It’s then a simple (if somewhat time-consuming) task to gingerly remove bits of wood with various chisels, gouges, files, and other inletting tools. When using wood-removal tools, go slowly and resist the urge to use a hammer to force the tool to remove more wood. Use the palm of your hand to push the cutting tip into the wood and then roll the tip outward, prying away a bit of material.

This process is continued until no more black marks can be seen. Of course, if the rifle is to be glass bedded, you’ll have to remove additional wood to allow for the bedding compound. Sizing the Barrel Channel Barrels come in all shapes and sizes’ round, octagonal, or even a little of both. Luckily for me, this one was an ordinary round barrel which allowed me to use the tools on hand to get the job done.

There are a number of techniques for enlarging a barrel channel, and most any cutting tool will work if employed properly. Some gunsmiths use a die grinder with progressively larger sanding rolls, while others might use a variety of files, chisels, and scrapers. I once let a power tool get away from me and it gouged the wood. (I’m a slow learner.), I now prefer to use tools specifically made for barrel bedding.

These cutters look like a stack of razor-sharp coins suspended between two handles and come in a variety of diameters. All that’s required to en-

Use hand pressure only’not a hammer. large the barrel channel is to drag or push the "coins" up and down the original channel until the barrel is a perfect fit. This sounds simple’and it is’but take your time and check for proper barrel fit every few strokes. The key is to maintain downward pressure and not let the tool ride up into the side of the channel. If you do otherwise, you risk widening the upper portion of the channel and damaging the fit of barrel to the stock.

Whether you plan to glass bed the entire barrel or just ensure it floats free of contact with the stock, remove only enough material to accomplish the mission. For finishing, I use various grits of sandpaper wrapped around a wooden dowel of the proper diameter to put on the final touch. Dent Repair The tried and true solution for a dinged-up stock was to steam the dents out by holding the damaged spots over a pot of boiling water.

A slightly more modern method called for the use of a hot iron and a dampened piece of soft cloth applied to the dented area. The boiling-water method was a hit-or-miss affair, and clumsy steam irons didn’t do much better. Now that permanent-press clothing has made the old iron practically obsolete, a different solution had to be devised to remove those dents that would otherwise ruin a fine piece of wood. The tool I use came to me thanks to a couple of my friends.

These guys are model-airplane fanatics, and spend their spare time building and flying. Early balsa-wood models were covered with a type of paper that was glued to the wings and lightly sprayed with water, which caused the paper to shrink to a perfect fit. While it did a good job of simulating the cloth covering on real airplane wings, the paper covering was fragile and easily damaged. Some time later, a thin plastic material came on the market.

This material also needed to be shrunk to fit properly, but the shrinking process uses heat instead of water. The heat source is a handy little iron that concentrates the heat where it’s needed and can easily be held in place. Best of all, this tool is available at most hobby shops that cater to model-airplane builders and a similar item is available from Brownells. With the lightweight hobby iron, removing dents in wood is simple.

Just dampen apiece of soft cloth (I use on old white T-shirt), place it on the damaged spot, and apply the heat. The little iron’s temperature can be adjusted, and may require a bit of experimenting on your part. With

mine, I set the control at the halfway point, which seems to work well. After the dent is raised, the newly repaired spot will require some sanding, as the grain of the wood will also rise along with the dent’which brings us to the next subject. Sanding Techniques and Tools The typical unfinished stock has numerous details that require hand sanding, and these can be attacked with some inexpensive "tools." A small scrap of wood can serve as a hand sanding block, making sure that flat surfaces stay flat.

And different diameters of wooden dowel rods area great way to get the contours of the rollover cheek piece to blend into each other. Just wrap the appropriate grit of paper around the dowel, hold it in place with your fingers, and smooth out the rough spots.

Next time you’re at the home supply store, ask if they have any short scrap portions or buy a few different sizes; these rods can serve a multitude of purposes in your shop. (I turned apiece of 3/4-inch dowel into a holder for rolls of emery cloth.) Speaking of abrasive products, it’s wise to stock up on a variety of grits. Starting the job requires 100 or 120 grit, and several more grades will be needed as the job progresses, up to and including 600.

And don’t buy the Tool & Material Sources Most of the tools and materials men is are available from Brownells The Brownells part number i the elow: Item Part No.

Inletting Black 457-001-050AA Palm Chisel Set 615-100-006AA Barrel Bedding Tool Set 364-700-000AA Stock Iron 875-100-002AA Art’s Gun Stock Filler 464-101-000AA Tung Oil 586-501-016AA Boiled Linseed Oil 083-040-016AA The Ryobi Detail Sander (DS1000) and the Black & Decker Mouse sander are available from online retailers or most hardware and home centers. cheap poor-quality sandpaper.

It may seem like a bargain, but it will lose its grit quickly and will load up with sanded particles, requiring you to get a fresh sheet much more frequently than with the more expensive stuff. A good sanding job can help make an ordinary stock into a much nicer one. All it takes is time and elbow grease, although the need for either can be reduced greatly with sanders powered by air or electricity.

If you have an air compressor, an automotive body sander (often called a "jitterbug") is a great help in quickly sculpting the gunstock. By starting with a coarse grit and sanding with the grain, the major wood removal goes quickly. If no compressed air is available, an electric automotive sander will do, but they’re generally heavier and more cumbersome. There are some excellent smaller units that are sized perfectly for working on gunstocks.

One I like is the Ryobi DS1000 detail sander and another is the extremely versatile Black & Decker Mouse. I say the Mouse is versatile because it comes with a number of attachments that make the small jobs easier. Also, the sandpaper can be changed to a fresh sheet or different grit very quickly, because the paper is held in place by a Velcro-like material. It also has gel padding in strategic locations, meaning you can sand for long periods of time without your hand going numb.

Of course, electric and airpowered sanders are best used for the initial stages of the work, and can do damage if you aren’t paying attention. Final sanding should always be done by hand and checked frequently. Rub your bare hand over the entire stock to detect rough spots or areas that require more work. The final step before staining and finishing is to raise the wood grain by moistening the stock with water and allowing it to dry.

A quick check will reveal wood that looks like it has several day’s growth of beard. A fine grade of paper will remove these "whiskers." Repeat the process as many times as needed. Most stocks require one or two times depending on the species of wood, and some will require this process to be repeated as many as four or five. Finally, the Finish Just like a fancy paint job on a car, the prep work makes all the difference in the finished product.

Now that we have the surface of the stock smoothed to perfection, it’s time to fill the wood and select a stain. It is indeed rare to find apiece of wood with few open pores, and fancier woods often seem to require more filling. There are a variety of fillers, some that already are mixed with stain. My personal favorite for better grades of wood is Art’s Gun Stock Filler in French red. This stuff really brings out the figuring in wood and makes fancy stocks just that much nicer.

Art’s also makes a clear filler, as do several other companies, when you want to use your own stain. This open-grain wood filler is easy to apply. I use the cheapest brushes available (buy a bag at the hardware store for a few bucks) and paint it on liberally across the grain. When nearly dry, wipe off the excess (again, across the grain) and set the stock aside to dry. If you use clear filler, the stain must be applied before the filler material.

If you want to get creative, stains can be blended to achieve a whole new spectrum of color. Glass jars (from baby food or pickles, etc.) are great for mixing and storing stains, simple to label with a felt-tip marker, and make it possible to see the color. Wipe on your favorite stain and allow several minutes for the color to seep into the wood. The longer the stain stays, the deeper the color. And, if the final

result isn’t to your liking, most hardware stores carry wood bleach. If necessary, you can bleach the wood and start the staining process over. Once the color is to your liking, the final finish can be selected. There are various spray-on finishes that supposedly mimic a genuine hand-rubbed finish. I much prefer the real thing, however. If you want to do it my way, begin by mixing equal quantities of tung oil and boiled linseed oil. Apply the oil with wet-or-dry sandpaper.

I start with 320 grit dipped in the oil, and sand in small circles until the entire stock is done. Set it aside for 15 minutes and then wipe off the excess oil against the grain using a paper towel. This process is filling the final few spots on the stock to achieve a custom finish. Think it’s not needed? Apply one coat, allow to dry overnight, and hold it up to the light. You’ll see numerous tiny fissures in the wood that don’t show when the grain is properly filled.

Repeat the sanding-with-oil process several times, concluding with two coats using 600-grit paper. Once the oil is dry, I put a small amount of the oil mixture on my hand and rub it into the wood. This is the crowning touch that will make all your efforts worthwhile. The finished product will be stunning. Conclusions There are no secrets to doing fine woodwork. It just takes time, effort, and attention to detail.

With that, even poorer grades of wood can be made to look attractive, and fine wood can rival anything made by the masters in merry olde England.

AMGFW08 AG DBI Spread Ad (p/u from 3/08 issue)

AMGFW08 AG DBI Spread Ad (p/u from 3/08 issue)