All cracked up, no more

[texassako]

My new to me Model 8 had its crack fix started today. On disassembly I also discovered the littler screw ahead of the screw hold the buttstock on had been buggered up as well and a bit crossthreaded. The buttstock and steel end plate are both stamped with the serial; so I decided to fix instead of replace. The crack had absorbed gun oil for years and still shows as dark streaks and what I thought was a dent ended up being a big screw hole . It gave me somewhere to dowel across the crack at least. I am shooting for a user, not a beauty queen. My sorry camera failed at some pictures but here goes:

Stamp under the tang on stock:

stock serial number.jpg (49.18 KiB) Viewed 4892 times

Stamp on inside of steel buttplate:

steel buttplate.jpg (69.28 KiB) Viewed 4893 times

Glued up crack (spiraled up stock 1.5 times along growth rink) and cleaned out countersunk screw hole that was full of light tan sawdust with epoxy over the top:

screw hole.jpg (53.53 KiB) Viewed 4892 times

[texassako]

Cyanoacrylate dries quick and fits and fills in small cracks. Here is a closeup of the crack glued up and sort of the plug of epoxy and sawdust:

glued cracks.jpg (68.11 KiB) Viewed 4892 times

3/16" oak dowel glued in the hole after drilling it out:

doweled hole.jpg (55.08 KiB) Viewed 4892 times

another of the doweled hole with the plug that will cover it, looks like a match but looks can be deceiving:

doweled hole 2.jpg (57.5 KiB) Viewed 4892 times

[texassako]

The hole is plugged, cut with a flush cut saw and scaped flush with cabinet scrapers(good for deep scratches and dents as well). Gun oil really soaked ino the grain through the crack's pores:

plugged hole.jpg (48.68 KiB) Viewed 4889 times

scraped and sided:

sanded right side.jpg (54.74 KiB) Viewed 4890 times

and the other side scraped and sanded:

sanded left side.jpg (64.59 KiB) Viewed 4890 times

[texassako]

I am finishing with a homemade wiping varnish that starts as 1/3 BLO, 1/3 paint thinner, and 1/3 spar varnish, wipe on, let soak for 15 minutes, wipe off excess, repeat. That is on now and after the BLO has time to dry I will put some on without the BLO since it never truly dries and should only be in wood grain and not on top. Easy to repair and I can build it up as shiny as I like over time, but will never look like the modern super slick finishes of today. Here is one side, crappy camera would have done better with no flash and in brighter light to show the grain:

finish started right side.jpg (52.18 KiB) Viewed 4888 times

Other side:

finish started left side.jpg (53.26 KiB) Viewed 4887 times

Cleaned up the lightly rusted buttplate as well with some scotchbright and gun oil. I like the look of the patina versus completely shining it up:

steel buttplate cleaned.jpg (76.24 KiB) Viewed 4888 times

[81police]

I think that looks GREAT. Way to go, talk about a night and day difference you've done.

[texassako]

I took a pics in better light and a couple more coats of finish. Great piece of wood, and kind of strange it is not a checkered stock. Made it a LOT easier to fix the stock without the checkering in the way . Nothing on the rifle says the grade, a stamp is inside the foregrip but I can only make out ...port,NY.

They say the proper way to put this on is every hour for a day, every day for a week, every week for a month, every month for a year, and then yearly after that. I think it will be good enough by this weekend, left side:

finished stock left better (929 x 697).jpg (143.62 KiB) Viewed 4863 times

You can really see how gun oil and grime really darkened up any cracks in this one and I might need to find a different piece of walnut for the plug (they drill right back out with a press and forstner bit), right side:

finished stock right (929 x 697).jpg (179.75 KiB) Viewed 4861 times

[imfuncity]

Welcome and thanks for jumping right in and sharing (with pictures even!). Indeed a pretty piece of wood - which is looking better and better all the time.