Messed up ....

[Scota4570]

I am a bit distracted today.  Now I have two  holes to fill.  What is the best strategy? 

My initial idea is to get the stock to final dimensions. Turn a cross grain toothpick from  the same wood.  Then glue and drive it in  place.  Carpenters glue. 

I tried a dutchman on another mistake and it shows.  This wood has considerable figure so a large patch will not match the fiddleback.   Perhaps, in the future, make fake pins, and epoxy the thimble in place??

[Don Stith]

I recommend a narrow cat eye shaped inlay from matching wood

[FALout]

If you would have just acraglassed the barrel in place, you wouldn’t need those little pins.  Just kidding.  Things happen even with the best laid plans.  Few years ago I built a trade rifle that I Was trying really hard to copy from a book, it required a third lock bolt at the very end of the lock plate.  I got that okay but thought old Murphy’s law would strike.  I’ve had a few mistakes while building through the years.  In this case, I’d stain dark to hide the patch jobs.
Bob

[smallpatch]

Scott, you’ve got the right idea. If you keep the grain right, it will disappear.

[alacran]

I like Don's suggestion. In fact you could paint the Dutch to look like a tiny knot. I'll have to keep that in the the back of my head for future use.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

However you fill the extra hole, when you are staining the wood, take a black felt marker and draw a little vertical line through the plugged hole and go ahead and finish the wood.  The plug will be virtually invisible...trick I learned from a full time gunsmith, part time dentist that we haven't heard from for a very long time.

[James Wilson Everett]

Guys,

This has also happened to me.  I just designed the forestock molding groove to pass directly through the misplaced hole.  After staining it was nearly invisible.

Jim