Help with glued cracked stock

Freedom777

Freedom777

Freedom Ain't Free
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My dad has a Winchester model 74. I noticed a crack in the stock a couple years ago. Before I could could take it somewhere and get it fixed right, he put Elmer's white glue on it. He's 92 and he does what he wants to. He told me the other day that he wanted me to have it. I would like to get it repaired correctly. Is there someone who repairs stocks here who could help? Is it possible to remove the Elmer's glue and do it right? The problem is that it was not glued flush. The crack is raised on one side. It's a 1951 with Walnut stock. Located in Thomasville, NC Davidson County.

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It would probably be cheaper and better to source a new stock for it.

If it had not already been glued it could possibly be fixed well using dark wood glue and then sanding and refinishing afterward. The problem now is that the glued area will tear out chunks of wood if you try to break the crack for proper gluing. That will make it look even worse aesthetically.
 
The only thing that I can think of that might work is to source some dark walnut sanding dust.

Cut a V to remove the old glue then mix that walnut dust with a wood epoxy, fill in the V and then sand it all flush.

I’d say you have about a 60% chance of making it presentable with this technique.

As said above, other than that, replace the stock.
 
Scsmith42 said:
It would probably be cheaper and better to source a new stock for it.

If it had not already been glued it could possibly be fixed well using dark wood glue and then sanding and refinishing afterward. The problem now is that the glued area will tear out chunks of wood if you try to break the crack for proper gluing. That will make it look even worse aesthetically.
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I've been looking for a stock. There was one on eBay, but it had been cracked too.
 
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White glue (done properly) will be stronger than the wood itself. Aside from looking bad, is it structurally sound or continuing to split?
 
Before getting a new stock, I would try sanding down the raised area at the crack, stripping off the old finish and refinishing it with multiple coats of tung oil. If the glue got down into the wood fibers, it should hold well. If there is any open crack on the inside or outside, put some wood glue in a syringe and inject it into the crack and allow it to dry and then sand flush. I believe you will be surprised how well it will turn out. I have repaired and refinished several old walnut stocks with good results.

Is your rifle for long rifle or shorts? I have one in short and LR. I don't recall if there are any differences in the stock or not, but I believe there might be some differences between the early rifles and later ones. Should be able to look up the serial number to get an estimate when it was made. A new stock will probably need inletting and finishing, compared to an original stock.

I took the 74 short that I got from my grandfather, and gave it a good cleaning, including removing the magazine tube out of the stock and it was filthy with crud and rust. I don't think it had ever been cleaned other than maybe a brush down the barrel.
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beamernc said:
Before getting a new stock, I would try sanding down the raised area at the crack, stripping off the old finish and refinishing it with multiple coats of tung oil. If the glue got down into the wood fibers, it should hold well. If there is any open crack on the inside or outside, put some wood glue in a syringe and inject it into the crack and allow it to dry and then sand flush. I believe you will be surprised how well it will turn out. I have repaired and refinished several old walnut stocks with good results.

Is your rifle for long rifle or shorts? I have one in short and LR. I don't recall if there are any differences in the stock or not, but I believe there might be some differences between the early rifles and later ones. Should be able to look up the serial number to get an estimate when it was made. A new stock will probably need inletting and finishing, compared to an original stock.

I took the 74 short that I got from my grandfather, and gave it a good cleaning, including removing the magazine tube out of the stock and it was filthy with crud and rust. I don't think it had ever been cleaned other than maybe a brush down the barrel.
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It's a 22LR. 1951. There are 3 different variations of the stock according to what I found. I think that's what I am going to do. Try to refinish the stock.
 
Jeppo said:
White glue (done properly) will be stronger than the wood itself. Aside from looking bad, is it structurally sound or continuing to split?
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It looks ok. I haven't put much pressure on it. He glued it and put it up. That's been a couple years. It hasn't been used since he glued it.
 
Freedom777 said:
It looks ok. I haven't put much pressure on it. He glued it and put it up. That's been a couple years. It hasn't been used since he glued it.
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I was taking you down the road towards what @beamernc suggested. 😉
 
If it’s Elmers white glue, like what kids use on paper, I bleeve it’s water soluble. You may be able to soak that area and blast it out with air. Then let it dry, see if you can squeeze the crack closed. Someone else may point out a flaw in this that I’m unaware. If so use a syringe & needle to inject Titebond II in the crack, wrap with surgical tubing for a clamp to close the crack, and hopefully you’ll be good to go. I got the tubing technique from Brownell’s Gunsmith Kinks books. Works like a charm on odd shaped items that need to be clamped.
If the crack won’t close I’d go with Brownells Acra-Glass and use their due to color match.
 
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Get Off My Lawn said:
If it’s Elmers white glue, like what kids use on paper, I bleeve it’s water soluble. You may be able to soak that area and blast it out with air. Then let it dry, see if you can squeeze the crack closed. Someone else may point out a flaw in this that I’m unaware. If so use a syringe & needle to inject Titebond II in the crack, wrap with surgical tubing for a clamp to close the crack, and hopefully you’ll be good to go. I got the tubing technique from Brownell’s Gunsmith Kinks books. Works like a charm on odd shaped items that need to be clamped.
If the crack won’t close I’d go with Brownells Acra-Glass and use their due to color match.
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I read where white vinegar would work to soften wood glue. If I determine it's good and solid then I will just leave it and refinish the stock or have an experienced person do it. I'm not very good at this sort of stuff.
 
For black walnut, Titebond dark wood glue will be less visible than regular Titebond or white glue.


The problem with the original repair is that wood glue does not usually wick very deeply into an existing crack. You need to either wedge the crack open wider in order to get it to penetrate deeply, or break it as cleanly as possible in two so that you can coat both sides of the wood and reglue it. Unfortunately you have no idea of the quality of repair that was done originally.

As Chad suggested, fine walnut sawdust mixed into wood glue will help hide the crack. It's best if you can use some dust from the original piece - that way you have the best color match. What you may want to consider is removing the butt plate and sanding it with some fine sandpaper (maybe around 220), and capture the sawdust that comes off so that you can mix it into the wood glue. Once the glued joint has dried sand the outside smooth and refinish. The crack should be barely visible.
 
Get Off My Lawn said:
If it’s Elmers white glue, like what kids use on paper, I bleeve it’s water soluble. You may be able to soak that area and blast it out with air. Then let it dry, see if you can squeeze the crack closed. Someone else may point out a flaw in this that I’m unaware. If so use a syringe & needle to inject Titebond II in the crack, wrap with surgical tubing for a clamp to close the crack, and hopefully you’ll be good to go. I got the tubing technique from Brownell’s Gunsmith Kinks books. Works like a charm on odd shaped items that need to be clamped.
If the crack won’t close I’d go with Brownells Acra-Glass and use their due to color match.
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IF you go this route you will need to let the stock dry for several weeks before attempting to reglue it. Wood is hygroscopic - it will absorb and release moisture and if you soak the stock to soften the glue the wood fibers will swell. If you reglue it right away, it will crack again as the wood dries out and shrinks back up.
 
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