How To Repair Chip In Gun Stock

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As kind of a belatedly Christmas present my father gave me his Encore muzzleloader. "Hooray!" said a minor voice in my brain, as I've been wanting to experiment with some benchrest Encore stuff for a while now.
So I've had the gun a few weeks and but noticed concluding night a chip in the stock. My father confirmed the stock was bumped just the right way coming out of a tree to cause the chip.

Really information technology doesn't look so bad and it's in an out of the way spot only I'd still similar to smooth it over and ideally seal it with something so oil, mud, diesel fuel and any else doesn't first seeping in at that place over time.

Tin any of you lot guys recommend a product for this besides every bit the appropriate sanding gear? I really love the way this stock looks, even with the chip, and would hate to bugger it up out of ignorance.

Also noticed what looks like a tiny hairline crack branching off from the chip (arrow in pics). Don't know if this volition exist problematic?
Bad as that is, about all that comes to mind is to saw it off square and epoxy a contrasting grip cap on it.
Blackness or possibly matching dark-green Dymondwood.

Otherwise, if you don't care if the repair matches the laminates stock?
Build a dam effectually the chip with masking tape and fill information technology with articulate epoxy.
So after it cures, sand, shape, and buff it out with rubbing compound.

rc
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rbernie Contributing Member
It looks like a Boyd's laminate stock. If so, I'd non worry too much about the 'exposure' issues, since the wood fibers take been pretty well impregnated with resin nether force per unit area. You certainly tin can call them direct and enquire them if they recommend repair, and if so how they'd do it.
Surprising to see eleven epoxied laminations declining as if that stock was made from a single slice of natural grain wood.
Be interesting to hear Boyd'south caption.
I remember his fathers 'bump just the correct way' was, he dropped clear out of a tree stand and information technology landed on a rock!
rc
I'yard not a gunsmith but I can fix near anything, and if information technology was my stock I would requite this a endeavour. Make clean the spot by wiping it lightly with acetone. Using a popular sickle stick and mix a modest corporeality of J-B Weld and spread it over the chip expanse and permit information technology dry out for 24 hours. Exist careful to not let it run out of the scrap area. Mix enough to comprehend the bit surface area just don't stack it upwardly so high that it wants to run. Repeat the step until the level of the J-B Weld completely replaces the flake area. After the J-B Weld completely cures use a minor single cut file to shape the repair surface area to friction match the original profile of the stock and then finish the repair expanse with sandpaper if needed. The J-B Weld will cure to a gray black color and should expect ameliorate than the missing chip. The J-B Weld will as well solve that crack problem. If you lot don't like the colour have someone who can use an airbrush match the color of the stock using gray laquer. A good air castor painter tin can even put the lines back on. J-B Weld will fix nearly annihilation. If yous haven't used J-B Weld before practice on another piece of wood before you start.
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rbernie Contributing Member
It looks from the pic like they aren't alternating grain direction, in the interest of making it look amend.
How near trimming off the area putting a dissimilar profile on that department or trim information technology and fit a stock plate to it?
That's what I said in post #2.
A grip-cap would be the best solution.

rc
rc, if yous put a grip cap on the stock yous volition take half dozen/6 of the tip of the grip screwed up because everyone who looks at it will think that grip cap sure looks funny on a laminated stock. If you repair the fleck there will simply be one/half dozen of the tip of the grip out of colour. Also, if you lot repair the grip and don't like the issue you lot however have the pick of calculation a grip cap. The 2 tubes of J-B Weld at a price of $5 is something nigh anyone with basic skills can do, whereas the grip cap replacement is at least $sixty at a gunsmith, if he tin do the job in an hr?
This is one of the few specialties that I am very good with. I've repaired a number of stocks before. Everything from cracked stocks, completely separated splits, and small chips. I may not be certified as such, but I've had very good results fixing them, so much then, that unless someone knows where the previously damaged area is, information technology'due south merely about impossible to notice the repair.
First I tape off the surrounding area so I don't further damage the finish. I then whittle a small slice of wood of similar color and grain characteristics, to a squeamish looking fit. I don't worry about it being a bit higher contour, simply I do try to get a squeamish clean fit around the edges, and try to line upward the direction of the grain with the surrounding grain. I apply a articulate epoxy to bed it in. In one case the epoxy has prepare up some, I utilise a soft cotton wool cloth and acetone to make clean upwardly the excess earlier it completely sets up. After it has dried for a full mean solar day, as it needs to be hard as glass, information technology's a thing of sanding it down with some super calorie-free finishing sand paper, or like. While it'southward nonetheless taped off, I apply the stain, wipe of excess, the use a clear urethane spray of aforementioned gloss factor. Allow it dry out over dark then if necessary, rub it down with a soft cotton fabric to blend the gloss with the original terminate. If you are careful virtually how you piece of work information technology downwardly with sand paper, the epoxy will produce the aforementioned high gloss as a urethane coat, therefore eliminating the need for a urethane affect upwardly.

Cracked or split stocks are a bit more difficult, only if you have whatever decent wood working skills, y'all tin exercise a proficient job. If information technology is fractured and nevertheless fastened to the surrounding stock, I will carefully try to open the fracture a tiny bit by wedging a couple thin feeler gauges into the fracture just enough to get a pocket-sized syringe into the fracture. Then I inject the epoxy into the fracture, clench it together, wipe off excess with acetone, and permit dry clamped for a total day.

I've fixed loftier power rifle stocks, and 12 ga. shotgun stocks, all accept held up 100%. So if ane splits once more, I can just nearly promise you it won't exist in the same spot.

It'south the same process for completely separated pieces, just brand certain you mate the two exactly as they were previous to them splitting apart. Epoxy, clamp, and let dry for at least a full day.

I use acetone to make clean off excess considering it dries instantly, thus information technology doesn't ruin the surrounding finish if y'all go information technology wiped off right abroad. And if for some reason you lot happen to brand a mess with the epoxy, just utilize the acetone to clean things up before information technology dries completely.

I strongly recommend you don't use wood glue, as it doesn't hold up to gun solvents, epoxy does.

GS