TexasCHLforum.com

Is there a product that you can use that is a goop that fills in cracks or nicks in a rifle's wood stock? Then, it dries into a paintable surface?

What paint kit would you recommend for this?

I have some wood stock rifles that have minor dings I want to repair for cosmetic reasons.

Thanks,

AndyC wrote:Minor dings? Take a damp cloth or teabag, place over the ding and iron it with a hot iron. The steam expands the wood-fibers, lifting out the ding.

The minor ding is a 1cm by 3 cm by 5 mm deep chunk of missing wood. I'll buy you a keg of beer if you can fix that with a tea bag. LOL.

The scratch is a 1 mm groove that is 15 mm long. Tea bag might fix that. (thanks)

Bondo, just like you use on cars. Will bond to the wood and is paintable. Available at any auto parts or home improvemenrt store. Most have a little small plastic tub for around $6-$7.

http://www.bondo.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Keith B wrote:Bondo, just like you use on cars. Will bond to the wood and is paintable. Available at any auto parts or home improvemenrt store. Most have a little small plastic tub for around $6-$7.

http://www.bondo.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Does that stuff take stain well? I just picked up a [previously] nice Browning M92 .357 mag levergun, and it has some gouges and deep dents in the stock that I want to fix up. Without having researched it thoroughly yet, I would assume you would raise what you can with steam, sand out the scratches, bondo the deep stuff, and then restain it. I just don't want the bondo part to be discolored.

drjoker wrote:

AndyC wrote:Minor dings? Take a damp cloth or teabag, place over the ding and iron it with a hot iron. The steam expands the wood-fibers, lifting out the ding.

The minor ding is a 1cm by 3 cm by 5 mm deep chunk of missing wood. I'll buy you a keg of beer if you can fix that with a tea bag. LOL.

The scratch is a 1 mm groove that is 15 mm long. Tea bag might fix that. (thanks)

A "Ding" is by definition a small dent, implying that the material was compressed. If what you had was a ding, AndyC's method of repair, utilizing steam to lift the grain, was and is the accepted method to effect a repair.
You have a "Gouge", that was created by removing material. The only way to effect a repair is to replace the material that's been removed. Keith B's suggestion of Bondo is good if you are going to cover the repaired surface with an opaque sealer or paint. If you plan to apply a stain and a clear sealer (varnish, oil, urethane) there are a number of wood fillers available at home improvement stores. Epoxy based fillers are very durable and will resist the elements better than a water based filler, though they are much more expensive.
Or you can create your own filler using shellac or oil based varnish. Your "Scratch" would be candidate for this method.
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=gA202dglXtA[/youtube]

AlaskanInTexas asked about Bondo:

Does that stuff take stain well?

Ummmmm. No. Not at all. It will stay grey unless you paint it.
No filler, that I am aware of, takes stain well.
You can use epoxy and have a clear patch which sometimes looks good.
You can dye the epoxy, but it won't have any grain.
http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools ... aspx?dym=y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If it were me, I'd either leave it or do what you suggested only with clear epoxy and not Bondo.
If you refinish the stock after all the repairs you can sand the epoxy flush with the surface of the wood and it will be less noticeable.
I would leave it natural, not stain it, as the epoxy covered parts will remain lighter.
If the epoxy parts are small enough you could try dying the epoxy.

drjoker wrote:

AndyC wrote:Minor dings? Take a damp cloth or teabag, place over the ding and iron it with a hot iron. The steam expands the wood-fibers, lifting out the ding.

The minor ding is a 1cm by 3 cm by 5 mm deep chunk of missing wood. I'll buy you a keg of beer if you can fix that with a tea bag. LOL.

The scratch is a 1 mm groove that is 15 mm long. Tea bag might fix that. (thanks)

The minor ding sounds big enough that finding another piece of wood with similar grain and carving a patch would work well. Get it to fit in nicely, epoxy it in and then carefully sand/file it down to match the stock's contours and finish it.