Stock Sans Barrel

[JCurtiss]

I've read in several places that you're not supposed to leave the barrel out of the stock for more than a day. It seems that the stock will warp itself into a "pretzel" if it's left without a barrel in place for an extended period of time. So, is there truth to this supposition?    

I'm at the point now where I would like to do the final sanding and staining on the stock without the barrel in the way.  So this means unpinning it from stock during the day and then re-pinning it for the night.  Well I'm concerned that I will eventually lose the snug fit with my pins, owing to all this pinning and unpinning.  So perhaps I can leave the barrel out of the stock for a week or so while I finish sanding and staining?  What is the maximum time the stock can withstand not being married to the barrel?

Thanks!

Jason

PS: I just dropped a full bottle of wine on my tile floor; does anyone know how to get red wine out of grout? :'(t

[Joe S.]

Probably don't want to go with my experience but I left my barrel out of the stock for a week here and there with no issues.The stock never moved but have heard other folks have theirs warp when the barrel was out for an extended period of time.

[Acer Saccharum]

You can lay a broomstick or water pipe in the channel if you've got to leave the barrel out for a long time. The barrel is the support for the stock, and the stock itself is naught but a wafer thin shell. If it warps a little, the barrel will straighten it out again.

[WaterFowl]

Stocks have been stained and sealed for centuries with out the barrel..
Acer has good advise if your worried.

Remove the grout and replace......Install a hardwood floor..lesson learned.

[davebozell]

You can put the barrel in the channel without installing the pins.  During my extended building time, I only put the pins in when I first drilled the holes, and then again when I did the final assembly.

[Nate McKenzie]

The heavy rubber bands used to tie off your arm when they take blood work great for tying the stock to the barrel  for a while.

[volatpluvia]

Wine will stain your hardwood floor too.  It is much easier chip a thin strip of grout out and replace it than replacing hardwood pieces.  Trust me, I have had to go back into homes and replace wood planks when the commode overflowed, door leaked, kid broke a bottle of milk in front of the fridge, etc.  Here in méxico they sell paint especially for grout, maybe there too?

[kaintuck]

tomtom has a special recipe for stains
and as for leaving the barrel out~ buy a wood dowel at the hardware store....tape it in the stock~more danger of breaking it, than warping!
marc n tomtom

[Long John]

Jason,

I don't know what you mean by "sand".  But when I get to the point where I am doing the final finish scraping I leave the barrel in the stock unless it is seriously in the way.  If I have need to remove the barrel, for engraving the barrel etc. and I need to leave it for the night or whatever  I return the barrel to its groove and use rubber bands or gum rubber hose to hold the barrel in place.  I find that the barrel protects the stock far more than the stock protecting the barrel.

If I remove the barrel from the stock I always do that with the ramrod in place.  Once the stock is thinned down to finish dimension it is quite fragile and if the barrel inlet is tight it is possible to break the stock in two while pulling the barrel out of that fragile shell of wood.  When I pull the barrel for browning the ramrod is left firmly in place to help support the stock.   In my "shop" (yea, a corner of the basement of my house) the only time a stock is minus both the barrel and ramrod is when I am staining and/or applying finish to the stock.  But I'm just an amateur builder - what do I know?

Best Regards,

J. Cholin

[JCurtiss]

Jason,

I don't know what you mean by "sand". 

I mean rub the stock with sand paper to achieve a desired finish, but you knew that.     

[jerrywh]

 I just put my barrel in the stock and tie a rag around the stock t ohold it in.

[frogwalking]

I used to have a sailboat.  After one spill on the white deck, red wine was banned from the boat.  White wine, beer and (especially) sourmash were fine, but no red wine.

[Long John]

Jason,

I don't know what you mean by "sand". 

I mean rub the stock with sand paper to achieve a desired finish, but you knew that.     

Yes I did.  Having seen a gunmaker break a stock in two while trying to remove a barrel I thought I would warn you of that potential and tell you how I have managed that potential in my work over the past 2 decades.  While doing that I tried to add a little humor and get you to question whether you really wanted to use a 20th century process for an 18th or 19th century art-product.  Clearly I didn't do such a good job.  Should there ever be another time when I make such an effort I'll try to do better.

John Cholin

[JCurtiss]

Jason,

I don't know what you mean by "sand". 

I mean rub the stock with sand paper to achieve a desired finish, but you knew that.     

Yes I did.  Having seen a gunmaker break a stock in two while trying to remove a barrel I thought I would warn you of that potential and tell you how I have managed that potential in my work over the past 2 decades.  While doing that I tried to add a little humor and get you to question whether you really wanted to use a 20th century process for an 18th or 19th century art-product.  Clearly I didn't do such a good job.  Should there ever be another time when I make such an effort I'll try to do better.

John Cholin

Thank you for the well thought-out riposte.

Having made several violins, I am definitely a "scraper".  But I find myself scraping AND sanding on long rifles.

[jerrywh]

For the wine problem try Oxyclean.