The Best Ways to Repair Small Wood Breaks

It's all in the details. 1905 Ithaca double restoration Ep. 15.
I asked my long time friend, and internationally recognized fine wood objects and antique finish conservator and restorer, R. Mark Adams to join me in the shop to discuss the best way to repair several very small wood cracks/breaks that must be fixed in order to return this family heirloom Ithaca side by side double back to its family intact and ready to use again.
SixRounds Studios
Wood Chips and Black Steel

[@johnnash5118]

I inherited a Savage Mod. 1899 Take-Down rifle in .30-30, purchased new in 1912 by my maternal Great-grandfather, given to my maternal Grandfather as a wedding gift in 1935 and later to my mother; it has recoil splits down the forearm and stock, it's finished in oil and has never been cleaned of the built-up grime in the cracks. Thank you for producing this episode so I have at least some directions to restore the rifle's serviceability. I plan on hunting with it to carry on the ancestral tradition.

[@SixRoundsStudio]

John, that is a fantastic beautiful story! This is what firearms ownership in America is really. I am glad that I could help you in some way to keep the story alive for future generations. Thank you for taking the time to comment!

[@johndkoop]

I've used a heat gun to extract oil fron stocks before repairs . Oils will flow out of the end grain then flush with acetone. Love your videos

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Thank you JDK. Its been a tough slow road growing this channel so I really appreciate the feedback.

[@jamespfearn4326]

This video deserves WAY more that 4K views and 96 thumbs up. Really interesting content.

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Well thank you! Welcome to the wacky world of KZbin. The struggle is real. 🙃

[@kbjerke]

How did I miss this yesterday!!! Great stuff, Bill!

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Thanks Karl. I hope to bring more of my very knowledgeable friends and experts to the channel in the future

[@kbjerke]

@@SixRoundsStudio I'll be *watching!!* 🙂

[@aronsingletary]

Great information in this post. Thank you for all the work you put in to this.

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@marknielsen2482]

Thank you. This is a big help

[@SixRoundsStudio]

You're very welcome!

[@bomaniigloo]

Great video. Thank you! This will definitely help me with a break I'm stuck on.

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Our pleasure. Thank you for the comment and feedback!

[@SaffronInclinations]

Thanks for the video. I learned more watching this than all of the other wood stock repair videos on the net. I plan on repairing a split stock on a Dutch M.95 Mannlicher WWII bring back. The stock is cracked lengthwise with the grain along the bottom of the forend area. The stock is oil soaked and I knew that most adhesives will not adhere properly. The only thing I am still on the fence about is whether to use an epoxy or a regular wood glue. I know there are upsides and downsides to both, and that epoxy also will "fill" some, but as far as I can tell I don't need that. I merely need an invisible fix. The area is not going to take recoil impact, so reinforcement is not needed. I am only wondering about the adhesive strength of both, long term.

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Thanks for watching and commenting. Getting the oils out of the wood around the breaks are by far the first and hardest thing you need to do....and most important. For these kind of "surgical" repairs I recommend the epoxy...first for the color.(most wood glues are yellow) and most epoxies are clear. And then you can get a much finer repair line and still retain the strength in the joint and repair.

[@howarddavis3294]

Very good video, thanks.

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Thank You

[@swdockter]

Very informative video! You two described the chemicals and their intended purpose well. I fully understadn the need to extract out the oils. I have a perazzi shotgun stock with a split that is in need of repair. It will have 1,000s of rounds shot through it and needs to have strength to prevent the fracture again. Can you help provide guidance if I provide pictures? :)

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Do you do Facesbook or Instagram?

[@tacohell]

I looked, but can't find a video of the actual "fixing" of the splits, by adding glue, etc. Did you happen to record that in a different episode? I did find the video of adding a dowel to a chunk of wood that hade completely off.

[@SixRoundsStudio]

This is the one for the Ithaca. Thanks for watching, commenting, and asking. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKTJf4dtrNCtrbc

[@djftremblay5895]

Very good video, May I ask what kind of epoxy glue did you use?

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Well...believe it or not....I use a basic 12 hour two part clear epoxy available at your local building supply store. I have been using it for years without any issues.

[@djftremblay5895]

​@SixRoundsStudio so the key is to clear the oil and epoxy is good. I was asking because I saw a fsr89 that has 2 small cracks behind the tang, I did wood working class and I am saying that pretty sure I could do something with this. Thanks

[@timmills9727]

This is an excellent way to de-grease and clean a stock prior to repairs. I might mention an alternative where you soak the same end directly in acetone. I found this idea on another gunsmithing channel and think this might be a better approach.

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Thanks for the comment Tim. I have done both. There is potential down sides to soaking the end in the acetone. First the acetone removes the tannin from the wood and can discolor the wood where it is soaking (I have seen this many times). Second...It is not always obvious in a restoration where other potential problems might exist (like additional weak points or previous repairs. In restorations you want to do as "little harm" as possible so taking minimally invasive approaches are always my preferred method. This gun had seen a lot of trauma over its life and I didn't want to add any more.

[@timmills9727]

@SixRoundsStudio Thanks for the reply. While something may look better, it isn't necessarily so. I really appreciate what you do and the idea of conserving rather than restoration. I recently bought a Lefever Nitro Special manufactured by Ithaca. It needs a little bit of mechanical work which is being done by a gunsmith. It has a few issues with the stock and forend which I plan to do myself.

[@SixRoundsStudio]

@@timmills9727 Very cool. If you ever need input let me know. Thanks for the super thanks. Yours is my first!

[@timmills9727]

Thanks!

[@jcm4590]

Where can I buy the syringe and different size needles?

[@th.burggraf7814]

Any pharmacy sells syringes and needles.

[@th.burggraf7814]

Pharmacies

[@johnklungle7539]

What are your thoughts on using animal hide glue on a cracked gun stock. I know it is not water proof but I it is very strong. I repaired a Browning Auto 5 forearm that data grain crack in the center bottom of the forearm where it meets the receiver. I cleaned the crack with acetone and let it dry. Then on the inside of the forearm where the crack was I chiseled a 5/16 in wide notch centered on the crack. Then I warmed the stock with a hair blower preparing it for glue. Then I prepared the glue in a glue pot slightly on the thin side. I slightly opened the crack and applied the glue on the inside of the forearm in the chiseled notch. The. I sucked the glue to the outside of the crack until I had a nice bubble of glue all thur the crack. The. I put a small 5/16 piece of walnut veneer in the notch with the grain going opposite direction of the crack and lastly clamped together. Then I refinished the forearm using Behlen pre catalyzed lawyer. I used that gun to shoot skeet for several years after the repair and it held up good. I could always slightly see where the crack was but the forearm stayed together. That gun was a 1953 Light twelve. About a year ago I traded it in at Cabelas for a 1965 Light Twenty with a similar crack in the forearm. I am planning on doing a similar repair but now am wondering if epoxy is a better choice over hide glue.

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Hide glue is amazing stuff....as has been proven by history. I dont have any objections to it, but for me, using modern adhesives is a more consistent method for mixing and expected outcomes (hide glues do require some understanding of the what and how). Your patch sounds well thought out. I have repaired several Auto 5 forearms...they are all prone to cracking in that same spot. I use a guitar builders technique by epoxying in a cloth ribbon along the length of the crack after the glue repair dries. Thanks for sharing your ideas and comments. We all learn from each other.

[@JULIANBRACHFELD]

Long story short, my Winchester 71 fell off my work bench, landed on the buttstock plate, and a small chunk of wood fell off the bottom where it meets the plate. I tried the gorilla glue thing last night, and in case it looks like crap when I unwrap it tonight, I would like the contact information for R. Mark Adams if he is still doing these types of repairs as I want it to be perfect and I am not even a wood stock repair amateur. Yes, I'm still beating myself up about this as I literally bought this rifle just this past Sunday and decided to clean it last night.

[@SixRoundsStudio]

No disrespect intended...but I am pretty sure that these are not the kinds of repairs that Mark would do. I will ask. Message me your contact info on my FB messenger

[@JULIANBRACHFELD]

@@SixRoundsStudio I just did. Thank you !

[@anton1949]

Shotguns should have some kind of spacer between the metal and the stock. This would prevent oil getting into the wood. Some store shotguns barrels facing down so oil does not gravitate into the wood.

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Storing them on the muzzle is a common method. Better to neve over oil the metal to begin with. A little goes a long way.

[@dowdawg]

Lol engineers…. Little over kill to me, but I’m sure it will have a good fix. We needed a pole barn built at work, when engineering got involved we had 200,000 bucks in a bldg that should’ve cost 20,000. Nice shotgun, I got a few Ithaca’s just like it. Man load up some black powder loads and shoot that thing!!!

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Thanks Daniel...I think?

[@danielhinkle7855]

Mr. Mustache, please talk less with your hands. You are very jitter. Hard to watch but some good info.

[@SixRoundsStudio]

Be respectful...! I introduce myself with every video. Best answer...don't watch.