My stock. Craftsmen look away now

[deejayuu]

Here's the stock from my Mklll bought new over 50 years ago.


Dropped by our son over 20 years ago. Bless!




Decided to make a start yesterday



By thunder it's very secure


Just got to choose the right glue now. Then loads of elbow grease!!

[martintheveg]

Will be interesting to know which glue you decide to use, perhaps your boy could volunteer to assist you with the elbow grease ! Good luck with it.
martintheveg.

[peddy]

Just done a similar repair, though mine was a crack rather than a complete break. I drilled a hole like yours but oversized it in length and diameter to fit a threaded bar.(long bolt with head cut off) I injected the hole with epoxy resin bought off the bay. worked the bar back and forth to remove air then pushed it in the hole so nothing was visible inside the stock apart from resin. Left it to set for 24hours and its now stronger then it was before it cracked.
I wouldn't use a scew with a head, but it's your choice.
Peter

[deejayuu]

Thanks for the interest. I'm using the screw so the repair is structurally sound without gluing.
The glue will then fill any voids and provide a surface finish along the break.
At some stage my Christmas present will be used to mask/enhance/b?#@er up the the final finish.

[isobar]

might be an idea to add some glue before you tighten the bolt just in case you get a bit of twist. atb

[peddy]

Thanks for the interest. I'm using the screw so the repair is structurally sound without gluing.
The glue will then fill any voids and provide a surface finish along the break.
At some stage my Christmas present will be used to mask/enhance/b?#@er up the the final finish.

You could use the screw just to hold the two pieces together bonded with epoxy resin then do the rest as I did, you will end up with a very strong stock. Once it's stained etc you won't see the break.

[deejayuu]

Thanks again for the interest. Went with Cascamite in the end. Stuck with what I know. Got a tub spare anyway and I'm a cheapskate.
Left to cure 'till tomorrow then on & up hopefully.

[AC99]

I carried out a similar repair to the stock of a mk3 with a broken stock which I bought very cheaply about eight years ago. It was a fairly clean break and I simply drilled a hole through the two sections in the position in which you have fitted the bolt but I used a 3 or 4 inch long wood screw with the countersunk head inside the stock, ensuring and the two sections were perfectly aligned. I then removed the screw and applied standard wood glue to the join and re-fitted the screw and allowed the glue to set overnight. On one area of the break a splinter of wood was missing and I filled this very small gap with the wood glue mixed with a similar coloured sawdust which effectively disguised the missing splinter after rubbing down and re-finishing the stock.
The resulting repair is very strong and the join only visible on close examination.

[SPILY]

Here's the stock from my Mklll bought new over 50 years ago.


Dropped by our son over 20 years ago. Bless!




Decided to make a start yesterday



By thunder it's very secure


Just got to choose the right glue now. Then loads of elbow grease!!

I would and have used PVA wood glue, its stronger than the wood itself, good luck.

[Airsporterman]

I would and have used PVA wood glue, its stronger than the wood itself, good luck.

Me too!
No metal screw. - Once set, I would have drilled it in line with your proposed screw and inserted a hardwood dowel also glued with PVA. Once set, filled and sanded, should be almost invisible repair if done well!

ASM

[steyrman]

Did a repair a few years back and used the adhesive to stick Kitchen work tops together the type where you spray one side and apply adhesive to the other you only get one chance when sticking them together i never used any screws/bolts just the adhesive it is still ok today and that was on a .243

[frontend loader]

LOL,its a Thunder bolt

[Papa g]

I would and have used PVA wood glue, its stronger than the wood itself, good luck.

Pva is strong but not entirely water proof, the stuff that claims to be "waterproof" has resin added to give it to give it better adhesion in damp conditions, cascamite on the other hand is a resin glue that comes in powder form & needs to be mixed with water, it is completely waterproof (timber can be completely submerged in water & the joint will not fail) which is why it's used in boat building, I believe it was also used on the construction of the mosquito fighter/bomber of ww2, so basically all I'm trying to say is it sticks like s..t to a blanket & is incredibly strong!
Regards G

[hermun]

with both cascamite and a thunder bolt. it is not going to move then!

good preparation and patience with the refinish, should make it stronger then it ever was.

personally I like oiled wood but hey! we all like what we like.

be nice to see it when finished.

all the best

[keith66]

Quick lesson on glues from an experienced boatbuilder who has used them all & seen failures in most of them! in order of strength & durability, PVA is ok for interior work but its not waterproof & not for things like gunstocks, There is a similar waterproof glue called Titebond 3 that is a lot stronger & just as easy to use.
Gorrila glue, or similar foaming PU glues are for quick & dirty work & do not have long term strength or durability.
Cascamite is a urea formaldehyde one of a family of glues developed for aircraft in WW2 (including the mosquito) Aerolite is a another that is very good. They are not recomended for underwater use & will start to degrade after 30 years or so.
Rescorcinol glues like Aerodux or Cascophen are still available & were also developed for aircraft use. They are still the most durable & waterproof glues going, they are not the easiest to use as they need very accurate mixing & are sensitive to temperature.
Epoxies are the strongest & most versatile, waterproof & easy to use. Main drawback is they have very low UV resistance so if exposed should be painted or varnished.