now what?

[dave gross]

After 30 hours of hand inletting a 46" barrel, ramrod hole drilling, and buttplate fitting, I began roughing out the stock of a new rifle.  Much to my dismay there appeared a bark inclusion located halfway between the tang and sideplate panel top edge and parallel to the tang.  Of course the further I chase it the longer it gets and though I am now down almost to final profile it is about an inch long . I don't think I can disguise it with tricky carving as it lies in what will be an open area of the wrist.  How do the members handle flaws of this nature which are hidden until late in the build?  I reckon I could remove the flaw and try gluing in a plug to fill the area or fit a brass wrist wrap as if the stock had broken...then in keeping with the spirited "aging" discussions posted of late drag it down a dirt road, spray it with stove blacking, rub it back with coarse steel wool and swear that grandpaw had used it to battle the Brits in 1812.  I do, by the way, like the antiqued rifles though I can't bring myself to try it on mine.  Just dragging them around the woods for a few years seems to put a good patina on 'em.  Thanks in advance..I shall wait in high anticipation for the flow of information I know will follow.

Dave Gross
Way Down East in Maine......38 degrees F. tonight..yikes

[Tom Cooper]

I would not scrap the project to start over.

Things such as this that are not structurally unstable are considered, by me anyway, as character.

[M.D.H.]

Character by all means.  I have and would recommend hitting the inclusion with Hot Stuff glue or any other heavy duty THIN glue.   It will prevent the inclusion from coming apart and will smooth out nicely.  As for staining, it will be just fine.  First gun I built has a big old knot inclusion in the cheek piece. 
Good luck

[Jim Chambers]

I had a similar thing happen years ago.  I was cutting the forestock molding on a rifle when a section about an inch and a half long just caved in.....ingrown bark.  I simply cut out that section, inlayed a new piece of wood that matched the curl, and went ahead with the project.  Not one single person has ever noticed the repair.  If you have one of our catalogs from the last few years, it's the rifle pictured on the cover.  Many modern builders are way too anal about having everything absolutely perfect.  Nature just doesn't work that way.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I LOVE your philosophy Jim!  Are you reading this Brian?

[Dphariss]

Great save Jim.
I know a man who dropped a finished rifle and broke it into the rod channel in front of the  trigger guard.
He glued in all the pieces he could find. Glued in a piece to replace one that was lost then tattooed it with a needle while flooding it with stain to match the curl. This guy is really good...
So there are ways.
I was able to cover the last bark inclusion I found with a somewhat larger than normal silver plate on the top of the wrist. It was a pin knot in the blank. And I was almost able to cut around it and figured I could cover it with a thumbpiece if needed, but is sure was more than a pin knot when I got down to size.
Dan