Gunstock crack prevention?

[johnksr]

I own a Ruger 44 carbine and they have habit of developing stock cracks because the wood is thin. I recently finished a wood project where I used penetrating epoxy to add strength to the wood. I was wondering if I was to apply this penetrating epoxy to the thin wood on the inside of my Ruger, would it prevent it from cracking.
What do you think?
Has anybody done this?

[schutzen-jager]

when restocking o;der double barrel shotguns i would brush on a thin coating of acraglas on inner surfaces of thin areas - never had a problem - the penetrating should be better if it does not penetrate thru to finished surfaces - let us know how ut works out -

[country gent]

The AMU finished M14 match stocks using epoxy. But it was an involved process. The way they did it the heavy match stocks gained around 3 lbs in weight.But it also stabilized them to weather.
Here is how I was told they did it.
Fit and roughly finish the stock
Then they went into a rack and into a vacuum pot at 180* for 8 hours This was to pull all the moisture from the stock.
They then went into a pressure pot with the epoxy at 180* and 180 psi, this was meant to thin the epoxy even further and the pressure pushed it deeply into the wood.
At this point they were wiped down and hung to dry and cure for a set time.

I have bedded a couple of these stocks and they have epoxy pushed the the sides of the stock at the magazine well completely. They are much Stronger and much more stable. But they are also heavier.

A piece of pvc pipe with a cap glued on one end with a threaded cap on the other. coat your stock with a heavy coat and put in this and presuurize to 80-100 psi ( depending on your pvc). Let cure. I would mix it light on the hardener to slow the cure of the epoxy giving it time to be pushed into the stock. Doing it when humidity is the lowest would also help. Maybe even a day or two under a heat lamp to dry and open the pores before applying the epoxy.

[porthos]

you can't hurt anything by doing so. SEMPER FI

[Shopdog]

If you want to increase your knowledge base on epoxy "finish".... one very good place for study is on Trad bows(recurves,longbows,self bows).

Can't put a date on it but would hazzard a guess at around 1980? It's known in bow world as a "Massey" finish. Jay Massey was thinning down epoxy,typically with acetone... and then spraying trad bows. The reason this is "so" important is the flexure that bow limbs subject finishes to. Any "hard" finish is probably going to crack or craze on a limb.

Anyway,just posted to give a headsup for further research. Good luck with your project.

[Shawlerbrook]

I have had good luck using Cyanoacrylate or Super Glue on the inletted parts of old stocks to either repair or prevent further cracking. Since the stuff is very water it soaks into unfinished wood very easily. Shopdogs suggestion about Massey’s work on bows is also very good.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I once had a thin piece of nylon mesh--about as thin as a sheet of paper. I can't remember where I got it, but there must be some out there. I used it with Accra Glas Gel to repair cracks in military rifle hand guards. Cut the mesh to fit and then put the Gel in the crack and on the mesh down in the holes. Really worked well. You could line the sides of your stock with this if you could find any.....

DG

[uscra112]

Wooden boat restorers use a thinned down epoxy from West Systems to stiffen and strengthen weak wood that can't simply be cut out and replaced. Water-thin CyA also works, but DON'T breathe the fumes!

[Shawlerbrook]

Mesh is definitely a good idea to strengthen wood.

[Snakeoil]

Before you do anything on a gun stock that has been used is make sure the wood is free from oil. If it has oil contamination, no epoxy in the world will stick to it worth a damn.

How you get the oil out of the wood depends on how deep it it. Lacquer thinner does a good job, but runs the risk of eating off the OEM finish. Normally a combination of lacquer thinner and whiting will dilute and draw out the oil. But it could take several or many tries before you can be sure that it is oil free.

I just repaired a split in an original High Wall forend. First two tries were met with bitter disapppointment. Fortunately, the lacquer thinner also helped remove any of the epoxy for the failed attempts. The third try involved repeated flushing of the crack with a syringe of thinner and a packing of whiting on the other side of the crack. I did this over a course of several days. I then used Acraglas to make the repair, tinted to match the wood. Granted this was a repair and the OP is asking about preventative measures. The need for the wood to be oil-free is key regardless of what you are doing.

Good luck.

[Shawlerbrook]

Snakeoil is right about oil. Heat is also your friend when removing oil from wood.

[johnksr]

My stock doesn’t have a crack. My aim was to prevent one. I used the 2 part penetrating epoxy recently and it’s just a little thicker than water so it soaked in real good. It didn’t seem to add any thickness to the wood but I never needed to measure the thickness before and after. Oil however might be the thing to worry about. I would have to spend ample time removing any oil.
Wish I thought of this before the forend of my double barrel shotgun developed a crack.
I never heard of using super glue to strengthen wood.

Ooraa porthos

[nvbirdman]

I drilled three holes at different angles and epoxyed some nails in the holes. That held it together.

[porthos]

insstead of superglue; i would use thinned epoxy (you can thin with laquer thinner) super glue is brittle. thinned epoxy will continue to penetrate for a good while , as long as you keep slopping it on. do not use fast dry epoxy(it sucks). system three epoxies are also very good. when done with the thinned epoxy; you can add a coat of "thicker" if you wish.

[Rapier]

i mix Acraglass gell wiith Acetone and inject it with a syrenge into cracks, I use fiberglass window screen for the reinforcing mesh. Remove about 1/16" to 1/8" wood then reinforce the forend, Acraglass, screen, Acraglass, smooth with a brush. Set, then sand to fit. The longer and wider the screen, the stronger the repair. Acraglass gel, even thinned, is stronger than the wood. Removing oil is mandatory, I use Acetone and powdered white chalk, if you can not refinish the wood, do not start on a wood repair or reinforcement, learn to refinish different makes and models correctly, do not worry about the poly dip, just take it off, it is mud fence ugly with the slightest dings, looks like water spots.

[nicholst55]

Take a look at the products available at the link below. They're intended to strengthen rotted wood items like boats and exterior furniture. Definitely worth a look:

https://www.rotdoctor.com/products/p...tratingepoxies

[Texas by God]

We repaired and strengthened a cracked 11-48 forend with a muffler repair kit featuring mesh screen and epoxy. The design had room for it and it was hidden from the outside. The crack was visible but rendered immobile.


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[36g]

You could proactively install some stock repair pins in areas that would be prone to cracking. They are basically threaded brass pins that are coated with epoxy and screwed into pre-drilled holes. Once the epoxy has dried clip off any excess and dress down to flush.

[ulav8r]

Twere it me, I would remove wood from the interior of the inletting and fill the cavity with epoxy and fiberglass floc, such as Acraglass.

[GregLaROCHE]

If you want to impregnate wood with epoxy, I’ve always been told, after coating with epoxy, put it in an airtight bag and apply a vacuum. I even a shop vac will work. Perhaps you will need to do some cosmetic sanding, but the wood will have absorbed the maximum of epoxy possible.