Filling stock dents.

[Cheshire Dave]

I just got a rifle from a online classified,not this site and it's alot rougher then I thought. Got a few deep dents that need filled. I thought of mixing sanding dust with epoxy. Anyone got a better plan?

[Beekeeper]

Dave,
Have you tried to steam them out yet?
If not try that first. Use a clothes iron and a wet face cloth.
When it stops steaming change the place on the face cloth
If that doesn't work make sure you have as much oil out of it as possible and fill with clear acra-glas resin , file and sand , and then go over the area with linsead oil and then your finish
Tung oil or as I do a mixture of amber shellac and linsead oil 60/40 and add coats until you get the finish you want.
The oil will seep into the wood under the resin and eventually you will not be able to see the resin.
Hard to explain, easy for me to do.
Hope this helps.

Jim

[Cheshire Dave]

Thanks Beekeeper. I was going to steam out as many as possible, but a few are missing wood. So just plain resin no wood dust mixed in. Do you mean bedding compound with the glass fiber but no stain added?I was going to use some Birchwood Casey oil finish I have sitting around.

[stubshaft]

You can try acraglas they have dye packs in the kit.

[bdbullets]

Try steaming them all out. I have had limited luck on raising the wood even in shallow gouges. Try it several times on each one, let it dry in between. Hope it works for you.

[Cheshire Dave]

I will give that a try. Thanks guys.

[10 ga]

The water and steam should handle the dents. For missing wood... If small gouge spot I use Duco household cement or clear epoxy with sawdust mixed in. Just make sure there isn't any oil in the wood. Remember that will not take stain and will be hard to match, use a stained or colored finish and not stained wood. I use 70% isopropyl to get oil out of the wood so glue and epoxy will stick. If larger gouges and missing wood just; clean out the hole to fit a whittled piece of wood to match and glue it in using Duco or clear epoxy. I have put stocks that were in very abused shape back together and finished like this. However they performed real good but most were painted and/or camo covered with tape or shrink wrap etc... 10 ga

[wallenba]

The timing of this post is amazing, just this morning I put my Contender 30 Herrett rifle on the seat of a desk chair in my reloading room, in walks the dog, spins the chair as she walks by turning the butt into the ram links of my Redding T7. Oh.. that sinking feeling looking at that beautiful wood. It's more of a deep scrape than a dent. I rubbed a little Birchwood Casey stock conditioner in it, did'nt help much. How do I dress this ?

[SPRINGFIELDM141972]

About using wood dust as filler... Some one mentioned the lack of stainabilty (if thats a word) of mixed wood dust and epoxy. I have found a cure for this dreaded problem.

Stain the dust prior to mixing.

Here how I do it: First use the wood you are going to fill as the source of the dust. You are going to need a bunch of it to practice with. It takes a little practice to get it right. Next put your stain in a spray bottle ( like the empties you buy at the dollar store) and mist the top of the pile of dust with the stain. Mist only the top until the color is about three or four shades lighter than what you are looking for. Mix all of the pile together. Pull a small amount out and mix it with the epoxy and let dry. Use this dried concoction to compare to your final color that you are looking to achieve. If it to light add a little more stain to the pile and try again. If its too dark... start sanding again and redo. Once you have achieved your color match then stain the stock and put on a light(thin) spit coat of sealer and let dry. Then fill the gouge with your stained epoxy. Once the repair is cured sand down to, but not through, the spit coat. Go back and stain the entire stock only enough to blend any imperfections. Apply your final top coats.

I have been able to repair some pretty big areas on butt stocks, and you had to be looking for it to see.

[Beekeeper]

Dave sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner.
I use the acra glas with out any fiber glass or sawdust moxed in.
I have had better luck that way.
As you oil the stock to bring out the grain before finishing it will soak down to the wood under the glass and sometimes makes it completely invisible.
Over on www.surplusrifle.com there is a section on stock repairs .
The moderator is someone called candyman.
I am not a member there but have read and licked the pages of some of the repairs he has done.
I thought I knew a lot until I started reading some of his stuff.


Jim

[waksupi]

If you have all the oil removed, you can fill with Super Glue. Keep adding after it cures, until slightly above surface level, and carefully sand down. You can make a dent nearly invisible. I've done this on some very expensive stocks over the years.

[TNsailorman]

Good advice all, but the way. I do it is similiar to what Springfield said. I save sawdust in little bottles for gouges, cuts, etc.. When I need to fill a gouge, I make sure to remove all the old finish from it, including any oil stain in the wood. I add a little of the appropriate stain to the sawdust, let it dry, and then mix some into clear acraglas and fill the gouge. Before it dries, sprinkle a little of the stained sawdust on the top after the gouge is filled and let it dry. You should now be ready to sand and finish as usual. Works for me anyway, James