Cracked forearm

[gumboman]

My current Lancaster build has been going well until tonight. In an attempt to enlarge the ramrod channel in the lower forearm slightly, I managed to create a crack starting from the lower thimble and extending back towards the trigger for about 5 inches.

See photo.




Now I have to decide what to do to fix this. I can add an overlay easily enough but I wonder if I need to repair the crack. Glue it? Add a plug? Leave it? It seems to me that the crack is not serious enough to scrap the stock. A repair should be easy.

For those of you that have been here before what do you suggest I do. Any advice is appreciated.

[smylee grouch]

Maybe Elmers white glue and some elastic around the stock until it dries. I have done a few like it but not quite that long.

[Pukka Bundook]

Yes, Elmer's wood glue should work.  A bike innertube would be good to wrap it tight.

Good luck!

[54ball]

 I like Tite Bond II but regular Tite Bond or Elmers will work good too. With a damp cloth/rag and my rubber wrap ready, I would run a bead and with my clean thumb I would mash,smear and pump the glue into the crack, wipe my thumb and repeat. You want to try and get as much glue you can into the crack. You have some time with these glues but not a lot of time. You do not want to contaminate the crack with dirty glue or half dried glue so have to get after it. Once the crack is filled wrap it up. You may have enough time to the barrel side but if in doubt....wrap it up. Let it sit at least 24hrs wrapped up.

 Be careful unwrapping. Clean up the excess glue but do not worry bout the pipe inlet right now. Clean excess and clean the barrel channel really really well.

 Next step.....

 It may be a good idea to bed the cracked area from the barrel channel side after the glue has dried. Use an epoxy like regular JBWeld or a bedding compound if you desire to bed the barrel channel over the cracked area. If you bed, make sure the barrel is heavily waxed. Johnson paste wax does well.

 If done right the wood glue bond will be stronger than original wood.

[Goo]

I like to use hose clamps on gun stock repairs. They are availeable from tiny to large sizes can be padded so you don't damage the wood and the pressure is easily controlled by the worm screw.

[flehto]

Try and open the crack just a bit w/ a wedge in the pipe finial inlet where it doesn't show . I've done repairs such as this and the first thing I did was to stain the sides of the crack  and when dry, apply runny super glue and immediately tightly wrap w/ surgical tubing.  The super glue dissolves the stain and the crack is nearly invisible. If the crack is more open then a gel super glue can be used......Fred

[n stephenson]

See if you can get the glue to come from inside the RR hole out through the crack from inside out. That way you will have glue all the way through the crack. Then wrap it , but, be careful that your wrap is pushing it together not holding it open. Nate

[Mike Brooks]

Pry the crack open, stain the area, then work some super glue in the crack and quickly close the crack and wrap the area with surgical tubing or electrical tape. Never try to redrill an existing RR hole again or you'll be out pulling weeds.

[Eric Krewson]

You can get an incredibly tight wrap with string. In this case I drilled for a trigger guard pin and came out in the wrong place, plugged the errant hole and redrilled the hole correctly. When I tapped in the pin it followed the bad hole and chipped out a huge 3/4" long piece of the lock moulding.  All the splinters were still attached at one end so I superglued the parts, pushed them back into place and gave the whole area a very tight string wrap.



The repair came out OK;

[Pukka Bundook]

I never had faith in thin watery Super Glue, but you chaps have me tempted to try it if need occurs!

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Just be sure to stain first.  Super glue will plasticize the wood and stain will not take through it.

[Mike Brooks]

I never had faith in thin watery Super Glue, but you chaps have me tempted to try it if need occurs!

I use Super Glue gel.

[gumboman]

Thanks for all the input fellas. No I will never again try to re-drill a ramrod hole on a stock that is nearly finished. The wood is simply too thin to take the stress.

Regarding clamping or wrapping this stock with rubber tubing to close the crack it seems there is a problem. No matter how much I squeeze or clamp the crack will not close at all. Tried clamp force in all directions and it won't budge a hair.

[rickw]

Gumboman,
 I agree with 54ball's advice.
If the crack won't close, you probably need to add a tight-fitting wooden or metal spacer in the barrel channel.If you just wrap it without anything in the barrel channel, then the crack will pull apart instead of closing up.
If you use a wooden spacer, be sure to wax or tape it so it doesn't get glued in to the stock.
A crack like that should glue up just fine.
P.S.- If your shop is cold, do all your gluing in the house, where it's warm.
Rick W

[Mr. Bubbles]

Gumboman,
 I agree with 54ball's advice.
If the crack won't close, you probably need to add a tight-fitting wooden or metal spacer in the barrel channel.If you just wrap it without anything in the barrel channel, then the crack will pull apart instead of closing up.
If you use a wooden spacer, be sure to wax or tape it so it doesn't get glued in to the stock.
A crack like that should glue up just fine.
P.S.- If your shop is cold, do all your gluing in the house, where it's warm.
Rick W

The reason it's not closing is that the clamping is forcing the barrel side edges together, which widens the crack again.  If you use a piece of pipe or dowel on there that's wider than the actual barrel, that will widen them and pry them apart (be careful here), which should help to close the crack on the bottom.  Give it a few dry runs first before you go at it with the glue though.  Using a glue with a bit more "open time" to it will let you work in a bit more relaxed manner, and give it plenty of time to set up.  Work on it, clamp it, and then go to bed and work the next day.  By the next evening it should be fine.

[Daryl]

As for super glues, (Cyanoacrylate) glues, I have seen and used, "Ultra Thin" CA, "Thin" CA, "Medium" gap filling CA and "Thick" Gap Filling CA.  They all work & work well, if used according to their thickness and the job requirements at hand.
The kicker, if applied to the 'other' piece if gluing 2 together, causes an instant bond.  If you use CA to close or seal a cut, knife slice, or chisel gouge in your hand, arm, leg, whatever, DO NOT spray with KICKER. Water may SHOOT across the room from your eye-balls.  It stings a bit.

Years ago, I bought a tube of "Super Glue". That brand, "Super Glue", I found was not only extremely expensive for the quantity you get, but was inferior to ANY of the other brands that I purchased in the local hobby stores.

[Pukka Bundook]

Good to know, Daryl.

I would have thought that "The brand" would have been best!

Thanks for that.

[Scota4570]

All CA glue is not the supermarket type.  I use medium for most things.  The kicker is very handy.  I made an invisible repair on an original rifle in about 2-minuets.  It is well worth the time to learn about it.

https://www.woodcraft.com/categories/ca-glue

[JTR]

DO NOT spray with KICKER. Water may SHOOT across the room from your eye-balls. 

Thanks for that good laugh!
John

[ltdann]

If you use CA to close or seal a cut, knife slice, or chisel gouge in your hand, arm, leg, whatever, DO NOT spray with KICKER. Water may SHOOT across the room from your eye-balls.

That made my day

[Mark Elliott]

I would second Mike Brooks approach.   I generally use CA to seal a tight crack.  If it is a really tight crack, I use the thin CA.   It will be sucked right in through capillary action.  If it is a little wider,  I will use medium thickness.   I use Satellite City CA from Woodcraft.   You can get it in various thicknesses.  With the barrel in place, wrap the stock with surgical tubing.    Do all this very quickly. 

[gumboman]

Since I will cover the crack with an inlay, I wonder if I need to glue the crack. What do you think?

[Daryl]

P.M. Hansen and BSi - Bob Smith Industries are both good ones.

[Kingsburyarms]

If you use thin CA glue from the inlet thimble side and use Velcro wraps to pull it together (no accelerator on the CA please).... it will bond with no visible seam.  What I have done in the past is this: Seeing it's "through" to the ram rod hole, wrap the stock with a few Velcro ties, so the gap is closed completely (Can't see the crack at all) put the barrel in as well, keep everything straight....Then get some of the Q tips on a stick (The medical types about 6" long with wooden handles) and soak with CA glue and glue from INSIDE the ramrod hole by dragging the Q tip inside the hole outward. it will glue the wood together, and as you have "clamped" the outer wood together, no CA will reach the surface or show through.  you can sand and stain as normal, as the bulk of the glue will be inside the ramrod hole.  re-drill as needed after the glue fully sets.

Jon

[Mark Elliott]

Since I will cover the crack with an inlay, I wonder if I need to glue the crack. What do you think?

I would definitely glue the crack. Otherwise,  it will keep expanding.