fixing inletting mistakes

[rogerpjr]

I am about to finish building a Hawken halfstock rifle that my now ex-son-in-law started.  He did a pretty good job but there are a few mistakes, understandable since it was his first rifle build.  He used a pre-carved stock from TOW and some parts I gave him.  There are a couple noticeable gaps around the rear of the trigger plate.  I don't know if these were his errors or if the inlettiing done by TOW did not exactly match the trigger set I gave him even though they were made by Ron Long and the ones TOW sells now are from Davis but were designed by Ron.

The question I have is how to fill these gaps so they don't show.  There is still about 1/16"wood above the inlet that needs sanded down and lots of rasping and sanding to do overall.  If I were to mix some of the sanding dust into some wood glue and fill the gaps (after putting some kind of release agent on the trigger plate) would the filler stay in place and look acceptable after stain and finish?  The stock is maple with fairly decent overall curl.

[Stophel]

Cut little strips of wood to fit in place, glue them in with Titebond II.  You can even do it so the triggerplate itself acts as the clamp to hold them in place while they dry.  Otherwise, not an easy place to clamp... You can also use crazy glue to glue the pieces of wood in, hold them in place tightly until they dry, and then simply re-inlet the triggerplate.  MUCH better than trying to fill up the gap with some kind of goop.   

[KLMoors]

Yup, listen to Stophel.   Also, if using super glue, put a little stain around the area first. Some super glues will run through the grain a ways, which will effect how well that area will take stain later. Putting some stain there first will help to hide this.  Make sure you let the stain completely dry before gluing.

[Curt Larsen]

Chris and Ken are right on.  Give it a try.

[PPatch]

Agree, the ol' glue and sawdust thing is a no go. Doing it that way will ensure an ugly looking area that will stand out like a sore thumb and never match. A careful inletting of wood is the answer, and I would use Titebond glue.

dave

[moleeyes36]

Agree, the ol' glue and sawdust thing is a no go. Doing it that way will ensure an ugly looking area that will stand out like a sore thumb and never match. A careful inletting of wood is the answer, and I would use Titebond glue.

dave

Is there any problem with the acid attacking the Titebond if aqua fortis is used for the stain?

Mole Eyes