Repairing Tack Holes in a Stock

[COTNTOP]

Sounds like a plan. I always clean my wood really well after using stripper.

 

[necchi]

I was thinking I could strip the finish and then steam the holes like you would to remove dents.

Ain't gonna work.
That move should remove the dents, but them hole are there.(period)
Go ahead, strip an steam,, but you'll need sanding too.
I'd plug the holes with silver rod (or pewter), or add an inlay to cover,, or plug with Walnut,, either way, those holes won't close.
It's best to make use of the holes in a decorative manner other than tacks.
You'll never be able to hide them.

 

[SDSmlf]

Refinish if you want. Sanding or steam. Have at it. I wouldn’t worry about it. You bought a stock with a bunch holes and blemishes in it. Chemically strip the stock if you must, sand, stain (maybe a dark color) and finish. Should look better than it does today. Worst case, you will have an interesting looking stock. Work on the story you will tell about it if asked. And don’t be disappointed if no one asks about.

 

[Billy Boy]

I picked up a Pedersoli Pennsylvania rifle recently that the owner had decorated with some brass tacks. The tacks were poorly done so I don't want the tacks in the stock. What would be the best way to repair the holes. I was thinking I could strip the finish and then steam the holes like you would to remove dents. The holes might close or close enough that when I sand a stain to refinish the stock the holes wouldn't be noticeable. Anyone else dealt with this before?

Cut some wood from under the center of the butplate, cut it up enough to get some sawdust, mix with a little stock finish and smear it across the holes

 

[Whughett]

toothpick plugs will show up much darker when stained. you would be staining end grain.
i'd try steaming with gentle tapping the wood around the hole when it is hot and wet. repeat as many times as needed.
then when you finish it, wet sand the first couple coats and the slurry will act as a filler.

Wet sand with BLO or Watcos Danish oil. Wipe across the grain with a soft cloth and a light touch.

 

[Whughett]

Ain't gonna work.
That move should remove the dents, but them hole are there.(period)
Go ahead, strip an steam,, but you'll need sanding too.
I'd plug the holes with silver rod (or pewter), or add an inlay to cover,, or plug with Walnut,, either way, those holes won't close.
It's best to make use of the holes in a decorative manner other than tacks.
You'll never be able to hide them.

The holes aren’t drilled. All the wood is still there, just compressed by a sharp tack and they are very small. Once finished the stock may have a pattern of small dots which should be all most invisible against a dark stock. Unless it’s a completely blank stock with no grain pattern the overall appearance could be quite attractive.

 

[TC]

I have used the following products successfully in patching chips. Mix the the epoxy first- part a and part b. Then add the walnut powder to you get the color to match your stock. Then squeegy it in fully into the tack holes. Let it cure sand and stain or finish. There are different shades of powder u can get.

 

[sturmkatze]

2 pages for this?? Just steam them.

 

[TC]

I would first use heat and moisture to try to swell those fibers closed first as others have suggested.

 

[Dude]

The data has been that if the fibers aren't cut, steaming can restore the shape. The big question is whether the fibers have been cut. Steaming has worked on damage I didn't think was possible so I'm curious how this plays out. If steaming doesn't do it, I'd think the next best solution is filling the holes with brass or silver pins. Maybe form the end that shows into a star shape or something ornamental.

 

[French Colonial]

Steaming will not hurt and may work, If it works great! If not, what are you out, some time and some water.

 

[Reno]

Heat and a damp cloth are good suggestions. I’ve used an iron and a damp cloth to raise dents. Steaming could close the holes. I would let it dry and cool after doing that to see what happens. If it is a maple stock and you have striped it. The toothpick points could also work. But sand well afterwards. The stain. It might not be detected at all.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Agree. The more I can raise everything the less sanding I will need to do. I was thinking to use a stripper for the finish. I wonder if I should put toothpicks in the holes to keep the stripper out of them? Keep the wood as natural in the holes as possible.

The toothpicks will have end grain at the surface of the wood and will stain darker than the original finish. The plan to steam and then fill with a slurry of sawdust is the best approach.

 

[Kabulrocks]

Ain't gonna work.
That move should remove the dents, but them hole are there.(period)
Go ahead, strip an steam,, but you'll need sanding too.
I'd plug the holes with silver rod (or pewter), or add an inlay to cover,, or plug with Walnut,, either way, those holes won't close.
It's best to make use of the holes in a decorative manner other than tacks.
You'll never be able to hide them.

To add to what necchi said, when I did a lot of wood working, instead of trying to hide a plug over a screw hole, I would use wood plugs of contrasting wood because it’s difficult to match the base wood. For instance, on ash I would use plugs made out of redwood or walnut, and the contrast was part of the design.
If the tack holes don’t steam shut, perhaps find some small diameter white or ivory colored plastic rod in the holes, similar to the fret markers on a guitar? That rod material is available from Stewart-McDonald, a company catering to the musical instrument trade. They also have pearl and abalone dots. Another option would be to use brass or copper wire to make the dots, like a tiny headless nail.
Yet another option- connect the dots with a wire inlay of German silver.

 

[Kabulrocks]

To add to what necchi said, when I did a lot of wood working, instead of trying to hide a plug over a screw hole, I would use wood plugs of contrasting wood because it’s difficult to match the base wood. For instance, on ash I would use plugs made out of redwood or walnut, and the contrast was part of the design.
If the tack holes don’t steam shut, perhaps find some small diameter white or ivory colored plastic rod in the holes, similar to the fret markers on a guitar? That rod material is available from Stewart-McDonald, a company catering to the musical instrument trade. They also have pearl and abalone dots. Another option would be to use brass or copper wire to make the dots, like a tiny headless nail.
Yet another option- connect the dots with a wire inlay of German silver.

Here’s a link to Stewmac for the fret markers: Search - StewMac

 

[Hawk54]

I have used the following products successfully in patching chips. Mix the the epoxy first- part a and part b. Then add the walnut powder to you get the color to match your stock. Then squeegy it in fully into the tack holes. Let it cure sand and stain or finish. There are different shades of powder u can get.

Where do you get the walnut powder?

 

[TC]

Bought some years ago online. Just do a search and it should pop up

 

[flntlokr]

I picked up a Pedersoli Pennsylvania rifle recently that the owner had decorated with some brass tacks. The tacks were poorly done so I don't want the tacks in the stock. What would be the best way to repair the holes. I was thinking I could strip the finish and then steam the holes like you would to remove dents. The holes might close or close enough that when I sand a stain to refinish the stock the holes wouldn't be noticeable. Anyone else dealt with this before?

I would find some sanding dust from a similarly coloured wood, mix it with a drop of epoxy, and use that to fill the holes if the steaming doesn't work. If the tack heads cut the grain when they were driven in, you may have to scrape/sand the surface to get rid of the damage; use the dust from that.

 

[French Colonial]

Using epoxy or any other product and you have created another spot that will not take stain like the rest of the stock. Just like the toothpicks and the end grain mentioned above.

Steam it and then use the dust from the same stock while using stain applied with scotch-brite pads or very fine sand paper is my advice.

 

[deerstalkert]

when you are to the point of having steamed it, sanded it, slurry filled the holes, etc, and are ready to finish, one thing i have also done is to use a sharp blade, very sharp, and bake a miniscule cut parallel with the grain. this will take stain darker and look like grain. if it is walnut. lighter wood? yer on yer own!