"bending" cast

[Zonie]

I have decided to just leave it be. Thanks for all the advice everyone! I would rather alter how I mount this particular gun, rather than risk breaking such a nice gun.

Wise decision.
Years ago, one of our members decided to bend the walnut stock on his TC Hawken using linseed oil soaked rags, tinfoil to cover it and infrared bulbs to heat it.

He ended up charring the wood so badly that sanding and scraping it wouldn't remove enough burned wood to save the stock. You might say, he was a very unhappy camper.

 

[nhmoose]

Mike Orlen is a great Smith on Modern Shotguns. He bends cast off and on in stocks for a living. I would call or email him.

 

[smoothshooter]

I did it once. Ladling linseed over cotton tied to the wrist of the stock and heated with an electric heat gun.
You have to have a jig ready the direct and hold the stock until it cools.
The stock became quite flexible.
It felt like a stiff rubber. Quite strange.

How do you get the oil out of the wood when you are done so that it does not soften the fibers over time?

 

[The Crisco Kid]

Have you thought about learning to shoot left handed? I know a couple of people who have had to for different reasons. If you're right eye dominant you would have to close that eye while shooting. Weak hand shooting is a skill that may come in handy some day, kind of like speaking Spanish.

CK

 

[Britsmoothy]

How do you get the oil out of the wood when you are done so that it does not soften the fibers over time?

The oil doesn't soften the wood.
The oil just conveys the heat.
The heat softens the wood via the oil without burning it.

 

[Eterry]

For an idea of what is involved.....

I've enjoyed stopping by Mr. Macfarlane's booth at DSC show. The man does impeccable work.

 

[smoothshooter]

The oil doesn't soften the wood.
The oil just conveys the heat.
The heat softens the wood via the oil without burning it.

where does the oil go?

 

[Britsmoothy]

where does the oil go?

Back into the reservoir.

The by hand method is ...
You wrap the wrist in a pure cotton bandage. Now soak in linseed oil.
With a blow lamp heat the bandage and at the same time keep ladling more linseed onto the bandage.

Linseed doesn't catch on fire very easily. You will observe it boiling in the cotton. Keep ladling until the stock feels like stiff rubber.
Now put in you jig or device to Jack and hold the stock where you desire.
The time I did it it wanted more drop to a stock. It worked.

 

[smoothshooter]

Back into the reservoir.

The by hand method is ...
You wrap the wrist in a pure cotton bandage. Now soak in linseed oil.
With a blow lamp heat the bandage and at the same time keep ladling more linseed onto the bandage.

Linseed doesn't catch on fire very easily. You will observe it boiling in the cotton. Keep ladling until the stock feels like stiff rubber.
Now put in you jig or device to Jack and hold the stock where you desire.
The time I did it it wanted more drop to a stock. It worked.

I have no doubt it works. I have the Kit Ravenshear shop manual set of booklets, one of which describes the process in detail. I just always wondered about the residual concentration of that much oil and it’s long-term effects on the wood fibers on the surface.
It must not be an issue since that type of oil is often used in the wood finishing process anyway.

 

[Archer 756]

The process must work local smiths that work on 30k to 80k guns must be doing something right.

 

[Heyyou48307]

I used to hold my head in a very odd way to shoot my bess, but it shot great for me

 

[Sparkitoff]

In New England you can get in touch with Steve Hutton at Brittania Sporting Arms in Portsmouth,NH

 

[waksupi]

Future tip. If you have an unfinished stock, find a container that will hold liquid to a point above where you want to bend it. Fill to the point with strong ammonia, from a janitor supply. Regular ammonia won't do it. Let soak for 3-4 days. After that, put it in a clamping jig, and let the ammonia evaporate. Soak an oak 2X4 long enough, you can tie it in a knot. I have also used this method bending the tight curves when building fiddles and mandolins.