Should I or should I not?

[Roger Fisher]

 Latest build is steel mounted with the stain rubbed back (not severely) in wear areas.  Used Jimbo's oil finish and worked well and is even better than the ol tyme leaded blo I'm usually using....

Now then this is my minor problem and although minor it bugs me..... You know the feeling!  I failed to make the ends of my carpet installers double edged razor blades 'safe' I also failed to notice one scratch until after the stain and finish job was completed.  I took 320 paper and worked the scratch away and managed to blend in the stain and finish neatly!  So, now I have a minor dish in the stock abt 1/4 in forward of the butt plate edge half way down.  Not bad but it bugs the H out of me.  Now what say you, would you back some 320 paper and take the edge of the plate down and level that dish  Or let it go.  Actually the edge of the plate viewed from the heel and toe end would not be tooooo noticeable. Blending in the stain and finish again and browning the plate edge should be no problem and would give me something to do to stay out of trouble..... ;)If I get careless enough I will possibly grow the dish which would really tick me off>

I'm sure none of you out there has ever made this mistake.  So what would you do if in my shoes?  I have no deadlines that I am aware of, well maybe the last full weekend in July!

[bdixon]

Well Roger you are right none of us have made this mistake and actually have never made any mistakes period!!  But IMHO.  The quality of my work really wouldn't warrant much worry over what you have going on, I like a nice rifle, but am not capable of doing one YET!!  Something like that would just have to be what it is and I would use the rifle and love it.

Brett.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Roger, I would likely have just left the scratch alone, and lived with it.  But since you've already started, you might want to feather the 'dish' out a little farther to make it less noticeable.  If that involves filing the edge of the butt plate, that's not a biggie either.  You sound like you've already talked yourself into that already anyway, so go for it.  You'll be happier in the long run if you do the repair well.

[Roger Fisher]

Roger, I would likely have just left the scratch alone, and lived with it.  But since you've already started, you might want to feather the 'dish' out a little farther to make it less noticeable.  If that involves filing the edge of the butt plate, that's not a biggie either.  You sound like you've already talked yourself into that already anyway, so go for it.  You'll be happier in the long run if you do the repair well.

Well Good Ol Taylor has talked me in to something I had decided to do anyway.  Thanks Taylor. Coming from you it must be the way to go!

[northmn]

If a cheek piece bugged me enough to refinish why not a scratch   Normally I leave scratches alone, and my latest was a poor boy so I lived with a little more than for a nicer build.  Sometimes that which bothers us has no realtionship to how severe it is.

DP

[Acer Saccharum]

Now that I know about it, Roger: POINTS OFF!

Hahahaha.

You probably shouldn't have said anything, now that's all anybody's going to look at.

Tom

[billd]

Is this the gun Tom will be judging at Dixon's?   

Bill

[jwh1947]

After a day or two in the woods, that scratch will have company.  After 10 years of hard use, the gun will look more like a real Kentucky.  Furniture salesmen call it "distressing" and sometimes have the gall to charge more for it.

[Roger Fisher]

After a day or two in the woods, that scratch will have company.  After 10 years of hard use, the gun will look more like a real Kentucky.  Furniture salesmen call it "distressing" and sometimes have the gall to charge more for it.

Your on the mark of course; but I try to do the best I can and that scratch was (note the 'was') bugging me I'd rather not have any flaws that 'show'!

[Roger Fisher]

Now that I know about it, Roger: POINTS OFF!

Hahahaha.

You probably shouldn't have said anything, now that's all anybody's going to look at.

Tom

Yes, ol big mouth here in trouble once again.!

[Roger Fisher]

Is this the gun Tom will be judging at Dixon's?   

Bill

I hope not seems like!

[stuart cee dub]

I just did both about a week ago .I have one dish and one scratch now under multiple finish layers on a lightly stained stock .
The dish is more noticable especially under shop lights where there is a bit of a waver in the reflection off the finish in the forearm.
I agree with JWH ,Scratches always have company.Besides people pay extra for that distressed finish .The dish looks like you tried to fix it.
 

[Don Getz]

Fess up Roger, you're just worried about what those judges will say at Dixon's............Don

[Acer Saccharum]

Fess up Roger, you're just worried about what those judges will say at Dixon's............Don

That's what I think. 

T

[Nate McKenzie]

You are a very lucky man. You no longer need to worry about the proverbial first scratch.

[B. Hey]

I have a close friend who is a master dulcimer maker ... www.bearmeadow.com ... He once commented on how hard we work to make that which is created by our hands to look as if it was created by machine. Just a thought .. Bill

[Lucky R A]

Roger,  When you go to fix it, which you will now that everyone knows where to look.   Please make sure and use a good flat backer for your sand paper.  I will bet that when you took the scratch out you used your fingers as a backer.  Remember the old saying when you sand with fingers the result looks like fingers.  This will avoid turning your little dish into a much bigger one.  Have at it, play the light to your best advantage to check your results,  Remember June 21 the longest day is almost upon us, so you might get done before your critics get to see it.   
Good luck,
Lucky

[Roger Fisher]

Roger,  When you go to fix it, which you will now that everyone knows where to look.   Please make sure and use a good flat backer for your sand paper.  I will bet that when you took the scratch out you used your fingers as a backer.  Remember the old saying when you sand with fingers the result looks like fingers.  This will avoid turning your little dish into a much bigger one.  Have at it, play the light to your best advantage to check your results,  Remember June 21 the longest day is almost upon us, so you might get done before your critics get to see it.   
Good luck,
Lucky

The little 'dish' is history and yes I used a hard flat backer to the paper; but did fail to do that the first time, as you pointed out correctly.  Thanks Lucky!  I'm now blending it in, stain and finish.  Thats a lesson for everyone that populates this site..

[Daryl]

Roger,  When you go to fix it, which you will now that everyone knows where to look.   Please make sure and use a good flat backer for your sand paper.  I will bet that when you took the scratch out you used your fingers as a backer.  Remember the old saying when you sand with fingers the result looks like fingers.  This will avoid turning your little dish into a much bigger one.  Have at it, play the light to your best advantage to check your results,  Remember June 21 the longest day is almost upon us, so you might get done before your critics get to see it.   
Good luck,
Lucky

The little 'dish' is history and yes I used a hard flat backer to the paper; but did fail to do that the first time, as you pointed out correctly.  Thanks Lucky!  I'm now blending it in, stain and finish.  Thats a lesson for everyone that populates this site..

OH!  I was going to suggest filling the dish with bondo.  The light green colour would make a nice 'touch'.

[bgf]

I was going to suggest smacking it against a skull-shaped object to simulate having been in a fight -- the dish would blend right in.  Bondo works great, but it might not be acceptable in some re-enactments.