The Gunsmith As Furniture Repairman

When addressing issues with stocks and gun furniture we are dealing with wood that has been stabilized and convinced not to rot. The artisans of an earlier age did a fine job with good wood. It is handling and the elements that have caused the problem. When a rifle is brought in for stock repair, cracks are one thing. We know how to replace a stock if it is beyond repair but it is the gouges and scratches that present a problem.

When a rifle has been mishandled there is little point in restoring it as the duffer will do it again but a fine rifle with the occasional nick and gouge is a firearm to be respected and restored. Among my personal rifles I regard the scratches and wear from hunts and decades of readiness as signs of hard work, much like a scar earned in service. When you repair a rifle or shotgun stock you do not necessarily have to refinish the entire stock. Patching and repairing is possible.

Taking care of such dings and scratches is the spot bluing of stock work. Even if the stock has a synthetic covering material, it is possible to repair the stock without a complete refinish. We have to understand the how and why of how dings occur and also why they look the way they do. Among the best examples of a well cared for rifles with numerous dings in my safe is a Beretta-produced M1 Garand rifle and a Winchester Model 94 .30-30 WCF, circa 1911.

Each has even wear in the wooden furniture with a number of gouges from honest wear, all consistent with the carry modes. The Garand was carried by the forend and pistol grip balance points. It appears not to have been carried by the sling as often as simply handled by the wood. The Winchester was carried at the forend, the perfect balance point of the rifle, and the nicks are not created equal.

Looking at the comb where the cheek welds during shooting, the dents are darker having soaked up oil from the shooter’s face. Wood is alive with a system that distributes moisture through the tree but when the tree is felled and the wood cut up for blanks, the moisture leaves the wood. Wood shrinks a bit when it dries but not as much as one may think.

When you understand this construction you will realize there is only one means of effectively and cheaply raising dents and that is to introduce moisture into the dent. Most stocks are not so dead and dry that they will not react to the introduction of moisture, as a stock swollen from moisture indicates. Raising dents with moisture requires care, however, after a time and with practice such work becomes second nature, but care is always needed.

First, you must understand that the finish, light or well worn, will prevent moisture form entering the wood and must be removed. Start at the bottom of the dent and work up. Remove the finish in the dent to perhaps 1/8" around it. When scraping with a razor knife, don’t remove any wood, only finish. When you are satisfied the dent is well scraped, irrigate with water. Leave the water to soak in for twenty to thirty minutes. Examine the wood.

If the water is still standing without having soaked into the pores, the finish wasn’t adequately removed. The stock must be leveled, in a rack or placing it on boxes or books, to allow the dent to be horizontal and allow the water to soak in. I have used modeling clay to properly level a stock. It works well and also helps properly align parts and firearms for photos. After a few tries there should be a difference in the dents. Some effort and time will pay off.

Dents differ in how they respond to the effect of moisture because of the endless possibility of different types of damage and the differences in how pores are closed shut by the damage. Some dents come up much easier than others. Repeat the process in several ways over a period of days until the dent is noticeably changed. When the dent finally shows a difference, supercharge the process by taking a damp cloth and placing it over the dent.

Work a household iron up to maximum heat and iron a wet compress over the dent for two to four seconds. This should raise the dent noticeably. In common with bluing a steel firearm and painting a vehicle, the preparation is what counts the most. When addressing the finish, the dent that has been raised is now lighter than the rest of the wood. If properly treated with light finish, the dent will soak up oil with age and match

This old M1 isn’t as bad as most. the rest of the finish. Tru Oil applied with a soaked cloth works great for this type of work. Scratches A scratch may be defined as a dent that went through the finish and penetrated into the wood. The wood may have absorbed oil, solvent or other material and appear darker than other areas A little restorative work will go along way. within the confines of the scratch. A scratch is different than a dent.

You can raise a scratch just the same as raising a dent, no problem, but then you have a dark raised area. So we use a bit of wood bleach first. Wood bleach is offered under a number of trade names and may be obtained at your local hardware store. Bleach the dark spot, raise the wood and use oil American Gunsmithing Association

Above center: While the barrel band has been compressing this stock for 50 years or more, the stock is in good shape. The owner has kept it oiled. It has been repaired and the rifle is good to go. to refinish. The same procedure is followed as is used with the raising of a dent, except that the darkness of the scratch must be addressed. There are instances in which the stock has suffered a little worse than simply a dent or a scratch. Apiece of wood is actually excised from the wood.

My old reliable and treasured Smith Corona bolt gun and M1 Garand has several of these apparent. I would like to think the Smith Corona suffered this gouge from contact with a rock in a trench at Guadalcanal, but I have no way of knowing. A minute or two is all that is needed. This particular Garand wasn’t a war time gun so the gouges are probably from rack use. Attempting to sand the stock flush after losing apiece of the wood ends up being along, difficult job resulting in a stock with eddies in it.

It simply doesn’t look right. Carefully fill the hole or nick with Brownells Acraglas. This is a good compound that works wonders for many things. I tape off the area to be repaired to avoid staining areas that are not affected by the repair. Acraglas is often used to repair a splitting or even a completely split stock and works great for this chore as well. Acraglas provides a great wood weld provided you force the compound into the nick, split or crack.

While I have used a ladle and other tools, if you really need to force the Acraglas into a crack or crevice, try using compressed air, such as the canned air used to clean computer keyboards. This fills in missing wood very well. Wax and finish with Tru Oil and the rifle will look much better than with a heavy gouge out of the wood. Working the stock and general wood repair is an important part of the gunsmith’s work load and a steady source of income. Attention to detail and a steady hand will carry the day. AG