Ah *%#t

[Jerry V Lape]

Made a very nice wood patchbox cover with almost a perfect grain matchup for a Lancaster I am building - and then the corner of it dropped off as I was fastening on the brass end and things went downhill from there.  It is no longer useable as determined after several attempts to make suitable repair.  Soon as my patience returns I shall start in again I suppose.  Maybe the reason brass patchboxes were invented was because someone had the same experience. 

[Daryl]

It happens - take a breath - have a schnapps (or 10) and make one tomorrow.

[PPatch]

commiseration here Jerry. A couple of days ago I knocked off a chunk of right at the intersection of the tang and barrel while attempting to shave "just a bit more" wood to flatten and thin the upper lock panel. I looked at it this morning but left it be, not ready to tackle it just yet, but it will have to be addressed eventually. Of course the chunk is long gone into the pile of shavings on the floor. 

dave

[Eric Krewson]

I knocked this gun off my bench with barrel in but not pinned or tang bolt in installed. When it hit the concrete floor the barrel went one direction and the stock went another.

To my horror I found the barrel took out a chunk wood to the left of the tang in multiple splinters, enough to cover a dime.

I got out my super glue and tried to piece what I could back together. The floor of my shop was covered with sawdust and shavings so finding the slivers was problematical. I never found all of them but I did find the ones that broke off the surface. Superglue and sawdust filled the empty void in the hollow below the surface of the tang inlet.

So, here is the repair, I was surprised how invisible it became after I sanded applied finish to the stock.

[Jackie Brown]

good work

[WKevinD]

I've always thought the true measure of a craftsman is in the recovery from  the incident not the lack of the incident.

[smallpatch]

Yep, you gotta learn how to make the best of, or learn to hide your mistakes!

[Old Ford2]

That is why I use "Bondo", fills all cracks.
You can barely see it with both eyes closed.
Fred

[Jerry V Lape]

I do believe this rifle is jinxed (except I don't believe in such things).  It has fought me every step of the way and I am not done yet!  I think as the last step I will carve "Patches" into the wood somewhere because at the rate I am going it will have more patches than my jeans as a kid.  I have figured out a fix but the cover is about 1/4" shorter which no one but me will ever know as long as you don't tell on me. 

[Stophel]

Every rifle always fights me every step of the way.

[smallpatch]

Well, all this talk about recovering from your screw ups must have jinxed me. 

First lollipop tang in a long time, and had it inlet pretty nice.  Went to put that rear screw in, and snapped that baby off in the wood.  In the process of getting it out, I enlarged the hole around the lollipop.  So, now I'm patching that hole with a wood patch, and re-inletting.

Sounds like a good place for some additional antiquing???!!!

[thecapgunkid]

I've always thought the true measure of a craftsman is in the recovery from  the incident not the lack of the incident.

If you have not experienced this then you are not a true craftsman.   You have to be a member of the A.S.S at least once in your career.

( thats Ah S$#@ Society)

Some of us Cordwainers believe that you're supposed to bury one mistake in the prodcut so as not to offend The Good Lord by producing prefect work.  Never had a problem with doing that.

[WadePatton]

I find well-done repairs add character to the piece, and unintentionally "age" it for us...kick starts that program!

John tells of the time (each time we drill a rr hole) he had the bit run out the bottom of a blank.  He made a "wear patch" to cover it and competed the gun-quite worried what his customer would think.

The customer was ecstatic to have a "period" repair on the gun for no extra charge.  

The real kicker for the professionals, is that a mistake isn't just a thing to fix, but it's a "feature" that is generally going to cut into the beans and bacon money.  A bit like having to stay over an hour, without pay, at an hourly job for each mistake you made.  For the hobbyist, once you get over the "D'oh!" moment, it's a grand learning opportunity (re-learning for some)  and bonding moment with your gun-making bros.  

[mountainman70]

Jerry,when I got back into this wunnerful addiction,in 2010,my first serious project was a f/s flint 58 Hawken,TOW kit.By the time I was finished the first time,Patches is its name.After 4 years and several more guns,I got her out and reworked a problem area,where I had tried to hide a seam with brass tacks.It looked too tacky ,even for me,so I kept fixing at til it was really broke.I was even considering another stock,but being the knotthead I am,I got the rasp and took the cheekpiece side rear butt down to below the buttplate edge.I then filled the area with bondo-sound familiar-and proceded to work it back to the proper contour.I refinished and slimmed down the extra wood,and stained it almost black with brown "highlites"Painted the bondo semi black,and worked it in to the stained wood.it came out better than it had any right to,and I learned a lot of lessons,mostly,if it aint broke,LEAVE IT ALONE!!!Keep on keepin on
Cheers,Dave F

[Jerry V Lape]

Well the fix has come out pretty nice.  I did use some epoxy to hold the metal end cap while I drilled for screws.  Looks nice again.  Oh yeh, I broke two different box latches I had bought while trying to get the angle on the lump aligned with the metal cap.  Made the next one out of strip of common steel and it will work really nice.  Able to heat and bend the end to make a lump plus align the lump so it is parallel to the buttplate.  Filed a shell shape to the lump.  On to the next struggle!!