stabelizing a wood separation problem

[curly]

I'm building a halfstock rifle for a friend of mine and yesterday I inletted the barrel & tang. I use stain on the wood where the tang will be inletted as a visual aid to scribe around the tang for inletting. As the inletting progressed, I noticed the stain indicated a wood separation about 1/8 of an inch from the top, straight across, from left to right. This area is critical for the relief carving I intend to apply later on. Does any one know if there is some sort of fluid epoxy or anything I can use to stabilize this area, hopefully that will take a stain as well? This is a beautiful piece of very dense, almost brittle, hard to work with sugar maple.

Thanks for your replies

Curly

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

If the crack is open enough to get some wood glue in and clamp the wood that's what I would try. I asume you are talking about a hairline crack. My experience is that wood glues that are not all over the surface will stain pretty well. Epoxy does not stain you will have to tint the epoxy first then it will blend after you stain the wood.

[David Veith]

If hairline where you can't get it to open up to add Titebound even with blowing air from your compressor. I would move on to your favorite super glue and let it soak in to the crack. you may have to do a little fuax finishing to get it to blend in water colors or Goes(SP) but like water color and revisable.
David

[kutter]

I'd also use a super glue in a hair line crack. Use one of the liquid (non-gel) type, the most common actually. It'll draw itself deep down into a crack,, not unlike penetrating oil does into a steel joint.

When the joint stops accepting more glue and it starts to pool at the surface of the joint, I usually wait 30 seconds or so, then lightly sand accross the repair with a piece of 320 backed with a block.
That'll kick up a little wood dust and pack it into the crack with the glue at the surface and just below it plus the heat from sanding will harden the glue quickly.
I still set it aside for an hour or more before continueing.

The repair will probably need a tiny bit of grain touch up (after carving) as as Mr Veith pointed out. Water based ground colors work well if applied in very thin 'washes' after the stock is stained.
Then set the touch up with a very thin coating of clear finish to protect the work and go on with the rest of the finishing.

The water based colors if applied too thickly in an attempt to color the area quicker will become cloudy and dull under most clear finishes. A repair is easy to spot that way, but done with multiple coats of what some call a 'wash' gains color w/o a surface buildup that's noticable.

A very thin crack line such as this and one hidden within a carving plus being in figured wood is the easiest to make disappear.

[mark esterly]

you can also work titebond into a crack with thread or a sliver of paper

[Dphariss]

If the crack will open slightly  work all the Titebond or similar in it you can in 30 seconds or a minute then clamp overnight. The thread or sheet of paper is a good idea. Wish I had thought of it years ago
If possible drill a 1/16 hole into the crack from a hidden area then use a hypo syringe with a blunted needle to force in glue. I get them from my Veterinarian.
Wood glue well into the crack is the best fix. If this can't be done then anything put on the wood is going to provide minimal penetration.

Dan

[sleddman]

when your ready to stain do so and put a little hot iron on the glue spot to darked the glue to match.   Try it on a scrap first.   Have done this with real good results.

[woodburner]

There are some good gluing methods.  I might add that super glue will
discolor (if you are sloppy like me) . This can be resolved by spraying
a clear lacquer and sealing the wood before super glueing.  This step
would normaly be done before finishing so sanding would remove the lacquer. It may work for wood glue too. As mentioned before, try a scrap first. 

[curly]

Thanks for all the good advice guys. I've spoken to several friends of mine and they've added their solutions as well. My good friend Ryan, from Muzzleloaders Builders Supply turned me to a product from a bow supply house, that is specifically made for cracks in wooden bows. It's not going to be cheap by any means, but I'll do what I have to. The lacquer spray is a great idea, as my stain penetration was a major concern for me. That helped allot.

Thanks again for all your help

Curly

[Black Hand]

a product from a bow supply house, that is specifically made for cracks in wooden bows. It's not going to be cheap by any means, but I'll do what I have to.

Love that Zap-a-Gap....!!!!