This is how I repaired an obviously serious
break in the stock of a 1956
Winchester Model 88 rifle (photo 1) using a
WEST SYSTEM® 101 Handy Repair Pack.
I soaked the broken ends in acetone
for about 5 minutes and brushed with
a tooth brush a couple of times to remove
any gun oil from the wood surface.
Besides the breaks, the grain on
the back stock splintered <>(photo 2).
I started with the major breaks first. I
mixed some walnut sawdust with 105
Resin/205 Hardener mixture and
added a little 406 Silica.
I gave all of the surfaces a thick coat of
epoxy (photo 3). The 30 minute working time
was needed, as aligning some of the
splinters in the checkering was difficult
(photo 4).
It was tricky to get clamps to hold. The
surface is round, the epoxy is slick,
and I used plastic wrap to keep the
clamps from adhering to the stock (photo 5).
Although some of the clamps are big,
very little clamping pressure was used
to avoid driving too much epoxy out of
the joints. I cleaned up the epoxy that
did squeeze out with a paper towel.
With the stock back together, I put a
105 Resin and 205 Hardener packet in
warm water before mixing to increase
its flow rate. The mixed epoxy was
poured into the raised grain cracks
and then lightly clamped (photo 6).
The repaired raw stock came out looking
very good. I used dental tools to
clean up the checkering and used furniture
stripper on the old polyurethane
finish. A fine sanding with 400
grit paper completed the stock preparation
(photo 7).
I sealed the stock with 20% tung oil
and 80% mineral spirits. Then I sanded
it 6 times with 50% tung oil and 50%
mineral spirits. I waited 1-2 days between
each application and sanding.
Lastly, I used rubbing compound to
knock down the gloss and bring out
the satin finish (photo 8).
The finished gun
After one box of shells, the finished
stock is still holding solid. The worst
side of the break and the repairs look
great. I don't think it could look any
better given the nature of the breaks.
I am very pleased with the outcome.
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