How to hide a repaired crack in stock

[whomeno]

ok guys, I am doing a stock for a family member, after taking finsih off I found a repaired crack in the stock. how can I hide this when I refinish it? they do not want it stained
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Thanks

[quack1]

That's a tough one, since it is already repaired. If it were me, I'd try to "paint" a few grain streaks with artist oil color and a Q-tip to try and hide the crack. Burnt umber is the color I use the most, but it depends on the wood. Maybe also use a graining pencil. Don't just make one streak, that won't look natural, but make several. Also, the less color on the Q-tip, the better, you're trying to camouflage the crack, not completely paint over it. Just be sure to keep your lines and the grain lines of the stock parallel.
From your picture, I'd guess you won't be able to hide it completely, but could make it less noticeable.
A good book showing some really involved graining methods is Gunstock Finishing and Care by Donald Newell. It's dated, but the methods still work.
Good luck.

[Walter Laich]

I'm not a expert and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn....but

Can you clamp the stock and close up the crack? If you could get it closed that way some glue acraglas or the like could be used. Since you won't be staining it no need to worry how the repair will take stain.

If you are stuck with it open like the picture shows sand the stock and make a slurry of sawdust and acraglas/glue and fill it that way.

I'm not sure you will ever be able to hid it completely

[whomeno]

I talked to the family member, he told me it was ok to stain it. the stain hide most of it. he said it was fine with him so the custumer is always right. the crack was repaired but not by me.

[pietro]

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The surface of the repair material can be gouged out enough to apply an outer/visible layer of new epoxy that's had some sawdust from the buttstock (drill a small hole under the buttplate to obtain the sawdust) mixed into it before applying it to the crack/gouge.

Using sawdust from the same stock that was repaired should result in a repair that's nearly invisible to a viewer who's not looking for it.



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[Ballistics in Scotland]

It would be better to use sawdust from some lighter wood, after testing some and letting it harden first. Epoxy or lacquer is likely to darken sawdust. Finer sawdust than you can get by sawing (e.g. from a belt sander) might be best. I'd be inclined to trust to epoxy, darkened with something like Brownells epoxy stain.

Of course checkering that part of the stock would hide the crack.

[waksupi]

Clean out the crack, apply Acragel or Acraglas dyed black. It will blend in better than anything else, unless you want to inlet matching wood into the crack. Not all that hard to do.

[RobertS]

I have also used a fine tipped sharpie to draw in a few fine grain lines at angles to the crack and across it that will help camouflage or draw the eye away from the line. Go slowly and don't overdo it, and extend some of the natural lines that are already there.

[scrub buck]

where's the after pic?

[gnoahhh]

The thing to remember when coloring epoxy with sanding dust, as stated above, is that it will darken too much long before it is thickened enough to use as filler paste. One has to pre-thicken it (I use colloidal silica- the white floc Brownells puts in their Acraglass kits) and then darken it with sanding dust. Go slow- a wee bit at a time- it darkens right fast.

[EDG]

Make sure it is reinforced on the inside so it cannot flex and pop open ruining your work.