FIXING A BREAK

[t.caster]

I finished up this pretty little .40 cal Armstrong rifle last week and was putting a coat of wax on the stock......








...when it slipped off my table and broke in two at the wrist !!!!!





...the tears finally dried up after some counseling with Capt. Morgan, and the thought process kicked in overnight on weather to scrap it or fix it. Well, scrapping was never really considered, (too much work into it) because I have always been about fixing things that happen on the job or in the shop. It was a pretty clean break, so I set it up in my two vices and glued it back together with Tite-Bond II. After that set up, I drilled a 3/8" hole from the breech down thru the wrist 8" deep and glued in a 3/8" hickory RR in place.







After drilling out the holes in the rod for lock screws and the sear area, I sealed the inside up with epoxy.



The crack barely shows now but it is there when you look close. The stock should be fine to use now.
Some guys would use a steel threaded rod instead of wood dowel, but I didn't want to add any more weight to a 7.6 lb. rifle.
I plan to sell it after the first of the year at a discounted price if anyone is interested.

[rich pierce]

Wow, that’s hot yo be a heartbreaker but you sure fixed it well.

[t.caster]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the times that try men's souls.

[redheart]

What a terrible experience. My heart's on the ground for you. I think I might have had a heart attack if this happened to me. It's a beautiful rifle and I'm glad you were able to save it.  Obviously the grain was running exactly like you don't want it to run in an area like this.  :'(

[smylee grouch]

Nice recovery.  I have had to do two that broke just like that. Gut wrenching for sure.

[Jdbeck]

Wow that’s a beaut. I would have been talking to the Captain all week😢. Nice recovery!

[old george]

Tom,
  PM sent.

geo

[Austin]

I have a neighbor gunmaker, (not to mention any names but he lives on Stoner Creek)😂 that had a similar break and fix….. the take home is no matter how pretty the wood, the grain in the wrist is crucial….just an observation from a non gunmaker 🤷

[Daryl]

Nasty stuff does happen sometimes. Nice fix. In a year of use, it should be less noticeable as well.

[Stoner creek]

I have a neighbor gunmaker, (not to mention any names but he lives on Stoner Creek)😂 that had a similar break and fix….. the take home is no matter how pretty the wood, the grain in the wrist is crucial….just an observation from a non gunmaker 🤷

Let me add that the break that I had was identical. The mistake that I made when buying the blank was that I was blinded by all of that pretty figure and paid little attention to the grain structure in the critical part of the stock. I fixed it. Lesson learned.
W

[oldtravler61]

  Tom nice recovery on your gun. I've repaired a couple guns with wrist breaks. Pretty much the same way but they were both modern guns.
I used a much darker stain and sweated the wood at the crack. Hardly can see it.. None the less the more clear stuff I drank..the better I felt...ha ha

[t.caster]

Well, I feel better knowing so many other have dealt with the same problem. Thanks for sharing!

As far as the wood choice goes, I purchased this "in the white" from the estate of my old friend Fred Schelter. He purchased the Getz barrel and had Fred Miller (I believe) inlet it and pre-shape the stock in 2000-2001. Whether it was his wood or Miller's, I don't know. He had two Armstrong stocks done this way at the same time, one was a .50 cal (sold) and this .40 cal, rifle. Fred S. did the carving and inlay of the patchbox, butt, toe plate, nose cap, and trigger and guard. He had made the forend escutcheons for the barrel keys, but didn't inlay them.
Both stocks were inletted and drilled for a large Dlx. Siler Flintlock, but only one lock existed and it was curiously interchangeable. So I had to buy a second lock to complete this one. I fashioned a new trigger for a lighter pull and made a patchbox release, side plate and sights. Then I did the engraving and finish work.

...so, now you know...the rest of the story!

Tom Caster

[Dphariss]

Good Job.

[JTR]

Nice job on that repair! A little use and it'll look good as new!
John

[reddogge]

Nice job on the fix. On longrifles, the wrist is always a weak spot since the grain runs down the forestock. The wrist and the toe are always susceptible to breakage.

[Jim Kibler]

It can be tricky to read the grain direction in a non-quartersawn board.  The "cathedral" arches you see, do not necessarily indicate grain direction.  Add in variations in grain direction because of figure and it can be very difficult.

[Scota4570]

Glad the repair worked out.

Grain flow is everything.  On a quarter sawn blank it is critical that the grain follows along the wrist.  IT is nice if it follows the barrel  but not necessary.  It is best if the grain makes a turn so both flow straight.  On a slab sawn blank you gain strength in the wrist but sacrifice curl in the final stock. 

I would not have used the stock that was shown above. 

[recurve]

 I had a break in a Cabin Creek rifle Brad fixed it and it was very similar to your fix (but he said he used a steal rod) can't find the break without knowing where to look

ps I would love a .40

[Cory Joe Stewart]

I have a project right now that I am going to run a steel rod into the wrist.

Has anyone ever had a break from recoil?  Or is it usually from a drop or rough handling?

Cory Joe

[WKevinD]

I had a USPS break







 
Hickory dowel and epoxy and a lot of cussing.

Kevin

[HarmsWay]

Nice work all around !... This looks to be a good strong repair. In the past I have used (believe it or not) Bamboo skewers... Like in "shishkebab skewers" As well as Hickory. I never thought of using threaded steel rod, but it sounds like a really good option.

Many years ago, I worked part time at the Henry Ford Museum, In the conservation department. A 1600's Matchlock rifle came in that had been on display in Cotswold Cottage, it had been hung by leather straps that over the years got dry and brittle,.. as did the stock of the old original Matchlock. well as you would expect, eventually the leather straps let go and the Matchlock, hitting the stone floor came apart quite spectacularly.. There was a very talented young guy that was working in conservation, who had been exposed to very nice old firearms all his life as his father was a collector.

He built a repair cradle/jig to reconstruct the demolished stock that was literally like a jig saw puzzle... over a long period of time and a lot of talented work. He actually was able to make it look like the damage never happened.             

[WKevinD]

I would have used a threaded rod but for the sear and the tang bolt.

Kevin

[t.caster]

Kevin, that's the other reason it didn't make sense to use a steel rod.

[t.caster]

"I plan to sell it after the first of the year at a discounted price if anyone is interested."

Rifle sold last week, pending funds

[Enfield]

The same happend to my Tennessee.... in the very first seconds I was not sure if I should simply get down too or start kicking the wall.
Finally I fixed it like you, but with a long threaded bar intead of the wood stick you used.