just got a quote from Pedersoli for a new stock . 850.00 delivered to my trembling little paws. Ain't happening. i will go out and cut down a tree and chisel a stock for that kind of money.
I saw a beautiful striped blank on another site for 500.00 Hmmmmmmmmm.
have some rawhide soaking so i guess that's next. i could buy a Kibler kit for 850.00 for petes sake.
I've been repairing broken wrists for years. Often the finer/fancier the wood grain is, the weaker & more prone to breakage it is. IF the wood is all there, that's half the battle. IF it's not been poorly "repaired" already, that's a HUGE plus, but not insurmountable.
Preparation is king. Get all misc crud off the mating surfaces, but do not compromise the edges that will show after. Easy to say & do if there is no glue there, but possible with a LOT of meticulous detail work. Be sure all glue, etc. is GONE from mating surfaces.
Materials
- A long length (8 ft) of surgical latex tubing. 1/4 inch diameter.
- I use Acra-Glas (not gel) with a bit of glass fiber flock (all from Brownells). Add a little brown die to match wood color so the glue line will not show when done.
- Prepare 4 3-4 inch long all-thread reinforcing dowels. These are necessary! They are not for alignment, but will reinforce the wrist against breakage later on. I use #8 to #10 screw threads at least 3in long, 4 if possible.
- About 6 short small diameter dowels, wooden toothpicks even, to prevent slippage. These dowels will allow tight, unmoving fit of the joint line.
Study carefully how the surfaces go together. Most times they will self align, at least in one direction, but will often slip along the grain direction when clamping pressure is applied with glue as a lubricant.
Tang(s), trigger bars, etc. are there for strength, too. If their fit is loose, here's a good time to glass bed them. If they're loose, they will lose most of this benefit.
All-thread reinforcing dowels are necessary! They are not for alignment, but will reinforce the wrist against breakage later on. Mating holes for these have to be co-linear (a drilling challenge!) but don't need to be really close to screw dia. Be careful to line up these long holes so you don't break out into exposed surfaces. A bit of slop here is good, as it allows fine fit adjustment and will be filled with glass epoxy.
Dry fit & adjust repeatedly until all mismatches are done away with and you have a little wiggle room in all directions.
Now drill & use small diameter dowels, wooden toothpicks even, to prevent slippage. Drill holes across the break from inside tang or other inlets so nothing shows when done (if possible, and it usually is possible). These dowels/pins will allow a tight, unmoving fit.
I use Acra-Glas (not gel) with a bit of glass fiber flock (all from Brownells). Add a little brown die to match wood color so the glue line will not show when done. You will have lots of time for assembly and fine fitting adjustments before it sets up.
Put blue painter's tape along the outer surfaces adjacent to the break line and trim for close fit. This will greatly assist clean-up after gluing.
Lay out whatever clamps you may need before mixing the epoxy.
Apply at least one good coat of paste wax to any metal parts that will come in contact with epoxy. Believe me, you don't want a strong joint here! Wipe a little wax on finished wood surfaces to avoid epoxy sticking there and aid clean-up later on.
Mix your epoxy/glass/die well & thoroughly. Then mix some more.
First fill the reinforcing screw holes and remove excess using the screw to push out most of the excess. Twist the threaded rod to screw it in and fill screw threads with epoxy.
Now spread epoxy mix on all mating surfaces, being sure to leave enough to fill all gaps in the joint. Avoid leaving voids or bubbles in the joint, but don't leave so much that you have a huge mess outside the joint to clean up later.
Start the small alignment dowels/toothpicks. You won't need to add epoxy to their holes.
Take a deep breath or two and bring the surfaces together slowly and deliberately.
Drive the toothpicks in to establish fine alignment.
Place metal parts. Draw down their screws lightly to assure fit. Not too tight now!
Try to wiggle and squeeze a bit to establish the glue joint.
Inspect closely for correct alignment.
Remove excess epoxy at joint edges and from metal part inlet lines.
Now wrap the wrist across the joint with the surgical tubing starting about the center of the length of the joint. Pull the tubing moderately tight while wrapping.
Try to get 3 or more layers of tubing wrapped the full length of the joint.
Be careful to avoid inducing any twist or bend to the joint.
Watch both ends of the joint to find and adjust for any tiny slippage. It's way easier to avoid misalignment that to dress it down after the epoxy hardens.
Now take the rest of the night to rest and ponder what what you've done.
After about 6 hours, begin to unwrap the tubing. The epoxy is not fully hardened, but almost.
You'll find it easy to remove excess epoxy on surfaces now w/o inducing sanding or other damage to the finish.
Chase any checkering ... carefully! Small needle files do a great job. Tread lightly.
A little touch-up finish to match checkering color or repair any little scratches and be amazed at how the damage has disappeared! One should not be able to see any evidence of the repairs. The wrist will now be much stronger than it ever was!
