How do I fix minor inletting gaps

[flintbuilder]

How do I fix inletting gaps, besides be more carefull next time. :wink: I have inlet the trigger plate and have a smaller than 1/64" gap along one side. I also have the butt plate inlet with super super small barely visible gaps. I am a bit of a perfectionist and would like some advice on ways to fix my mistakes. Any advice out there?

 

[Birddog6]

Take a block plane & shave a sliver of wood. Wet it, then put something heavy on it to flatten it & let it dry (Not iron or it will rust) Or just cut you a sliver of wood. Try to keep the grain going the same way.
Then cut to fit the triggerplate inlet & glue it in. Need to use Elmers Stainable Wood Glue. Make lil shims to block it in snug to the wood so you have no gaps. Then reinlet the plate.

On the buttplate, mark the area with a permanent marker on the metal where the gaps are. Remove it & take it to the vice & peen that part in with a ball peen hammer, then take it back & try the fit. Rework until you get it all right. Just peen the edges now, don't bend or whack the whole thing or you will have it all helter-skelter.
Don't attempt to peen it on the stock, as you could chip out a chunk & then you have a mess to repair.

Keith Lisle

 

[jerrywh]

Gaps of 1/64" will probably be gone after you finish and seal. Gaps wider than that should be repaired like Birddog said. I never have seen a stainable glue or had anybody prove to me that there is a real stainable glue.It may be named that but for me it has always shown where it is when finished. I suggest you stain the wood and the area around the gap before you glue the wood sliver in.
When I cut out a stock I never throw any of the excess wood away. I also mark every piece so I know what part of the stock it came from. Just so I will have some with matching grain repairs. Not that I ever have made a mistake you understand. They just show up now and then, usually when your applying the final finish.

 

[Bill Hall]

Jerry makes a good point about the gap shrinking when after the wood is finished. I've tried to repair slight gaps with a sliver of wood, and what happens is I end up inletting past the repair wood and into the glue. So in the end, I could have poured glue in the crack with the same result and less effort :idunno: . With me anyway, I leave very slight gaps alone.

I've also done the buttplate peening Birddog mentioned with good results. Lots of small accurate taps. Bill

 

[Capt. Fred]

Yup, it really depends on the size of the gap. I use a little different method than Keith. Prep the area and your sliver of wood so it is a real tight fit with no gaps. Then stain the area and the sliver of wood, let them dry, and then I glue it in with the real thin superglue. Then re-inlet the piece

But, I have found that a lot of small gaps dissapear when you put on your finish. I made the mistake of inletting everything too tight on the first gun I built. Nothing would fit back in after I put on only a couple of thin coats. I purposely get finish in the inlets on my first coat. I use Formbeys tung oil on the first coat because it soaks in so well. But it does swell the wood a bit. So, now I inlet stuff so I can take it out without too much trouble, then it fits in nice and snug once I have sealed the stock.

Oh, and one other thing you can do is to take the trigger plate over to the vice (or anvil if you've got one) and peen it so it is a hair wider.

 

[ohio ramrod]

For minor gaps I use the old stand by beeswax. You can melt it and mix it with a crayola crayon to get what ever color you desire. :hmm:

 

[bioprof]

To avoid inletting gaps, you should first bevel the edge of the piece that you are inletting. I scribe underneath the bevel with an exacto knife and cut away inside the scribe line with a shallow gouge. Continue the process until the inlay is almost flush with the wood. Then file down the inlay so that it is flush. Don't try to inlet it until it is flush or you'll get gaps.

One trick that I do with small inlays is to use super glue to hold the inlay in place while I scribe around it with the exacto knife. A couple of light taps with a brass hammer will release it.

 

[Tinker2]

For minor gaps I use the old stand by beeswax.

I have seen Chapstick used with surprisingly good results.




Tinker2

 

[saber]

beeswax

 

[phoenix511]

The comments here on "stainable" glue are right on ... the glue never takes the same color as the wood.

But, you can make a paste/putty of the "stainable" glue plus some sawdust from the same piece of wood and make a reasonable filler that will take mostly the same color. You will need a very high wood content to get the right color. It won't be very strong but should do the job of filling the gaps.

Some builders make a practice of saving some of the sawdust from sanding or rasping the stock for just such an occasion.

If you are filling a gap around a tang or trigger guard or butt plate, be sure to coat the metal with paste wax as a release agent. The excess will squeeze out and can be either gently wiped off or sanded after it has dried.

FWIW, I've tried mixing sawdust with 2-part epoxy, but never been pleased with the result as it seems to never color correctly. If you try epoxy, a product by Kleen-Bore,"RustGuardit", is a great release agent and used by makers of modern rifles when bedding actions in steel/aluminum filled ABS.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Ok, nobody's mentioned it, so it's probably taboo..What about accraglas? :shocked2:

 

[jerrywh]

Accraglass works for small gaps . The even have colors for it. I just ordered some new epoxy. Jewelers use it to fill defects in gems.

 

[bioprof]

I would rather have a small gap than a glue line that doesn't match the wood.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Here is a bow making stain matching tip that will work on mismatched glue lines. I use it to match the back of a bamboo backing on a bow to the open grain sides which absorb much more stain.I put a coat of finish on the sides before I stain the unfinished back to cut stain absorption and use the technique below to match up the stain in tight places below overlays

After you put the first coat of finish on your gun, use a calligraphy pen dipped in medium brown leather dye to "write" over the glue line. The finish will keep the absorption low and you can build it up in layers to get the right color. If you get the glue line too dark you can make a quick pass over the area with denatured alcohol on a Qtip, take most of the dye off and start over.

After you are satisfied with the color match, put a few coats of finish over the dye to lock it in place.

 

[inthex]

taxidermy supply companys have different colors of wax, although I doubt they could could compete with crayloa.