Stock restoration, reinforcement.

WAW44 · Sep 14, 2018

Bringing a No1 MkIII* back from bubba land. The forend I want to use is marginal though, old DP rifle. Not much out there without spending more than the rifle is worth.

Is the stock even usable? I'm not sure. If yes, I'm thinking that I should strengthen and repair the inside of the stock where the receiver sits. Something along the lines if what Lithgow did, with wooden or metal recoil pads and such. I'm not sure how to approach this thou. Epoxy and then shape with a dremmel and drill for the pad?

Any thoughts would be welcomed.

Medic! · Sep 14, 2018

Sure it can be saved.
Not sure how it fits the gun. So it may be undersized? [I usually see bad wood on the gun and make up my mind on repairs].

But it can be fixed. And made beautiful.

coop44 · Sep 15, 2018

bed the action is what I would do, make sure the stock is clean as possible on the inside.
clean the reciever
get a good 2 part epoxy, I used some "liquid steel" last time.
steal some playdo from a toddler next door, color not important, use it to plug any srcew holes or recesses you don't want filled with epoxy.
I have used commercial release agents, grease, and Pam cooking spray in the past.

clean, plug holes, apply release agent, mix epoxy, apply more than you think you will need,apply to inside of stock, set reciever into stock, press it in unitl it is fully seated, let it ooze out a bit. wait until it is partially set trim off excess with a used up gift card or a sharpened popsicle stick. wait longer. remove action from stock, admire your handiwork, repeat as needed if you have unwanted voids.
I reccomend any cross stock reinforcement be done with heavy brass wire or thin brass rod.

as far as the exterior of the stock goes, I would go old school. go to harbor freight and buy a set of cheap wood chisels. what you are looking to use is the edge, not the blade end. you want a clean 90 degree edge to shave the material off. much like a spoke shave or a draw knife. this method can leave you with a cleaned up stock quickly, and a smoother surface than using sandpaper, just make sure you draw with the grain. use sandpaper to clean up areas you can't get to. I can, start to finish, clean up a stock in a few hours and be waiting for my finish to dry.

this method isnt new, gi's cleaned up garand stocks like this, I substituted the chisel edge for the broken glass they used.

WAW44 · Sep 15, 2018

Thanks, that's helpful. I got some PC products 2 part wood epoxy for this.

Barefoot African · Sep 15, 2018

I found that pouring acetone over the area to be repaired was best for stripping the wood of oils. I used abour a quart, repeating cleaning a dozen times over a few hours. Dried it overnight. Where the wood was not missing I used Titebond III and clamps to repair cracks and splits. In one place I scarfed in a missing bit with an offcut of wood similar in color. Sanded the repair and then in two areas inside the action where wood was missing or badly damaged (around some screw holes) I did an epoxy filler job.

MountainBear · Sep 15, 2018

Non chlorinated brake cleaner works well to blast out worn in oil and debris. Reinforce with brazing rod if necessary. If you want to scrape as suggested above, use a worn out hacksaw blade (non-toothed side). Run the blunt edge against a sander or grinder to put a burr on it. Marine-Tex, deacon, or acraglas will all do the job. The former two don't run as much as acraglas. Sometimes that's good, sometimes not...