Warped stock wood help

[Zonie]

A number of years ago one of our members posted that he had read about using high heat and oily rags to heat the stock wood for bending.

I really wish I could find that topic so I could give a link to it.

Anyway, he was working on a TC Hawkens walnut stock, trying to put some cast into it if I remember correctly.

The hot oil didn't seem to be working for him so he increased the number of heat lamps and continued to heat the oily rags that covered the wrist area.

To make a long story shorter, he burned the crap out of the stock, totally ruining it. It charred the wood so deep he couldn't sand all of the damage away.

The moral of the story is using heat to bend wood is fine but you have to know what your doing. :hmm:

 

[jerrywh]

Amen. You always have to know what you are doing. No matter what you do. Even bending a buttplate.

 

[Rifleman1776]

using heat to bend wood is fine but you have to know what your doing

We have a lot of old time craftsmen in my area who bend wood for furniture, musical instruments and such. Plus I have a few Roy Underhill books that touch on the subject.
Yes, it is the heat that helps bend wood. Not water or steam, they just conduct the heat.

 

[FL-Flinter]

The secret is to lube it up real good with WD-40, helps the fibers slide over each other easier.

 

[Capt. Fred]

I used to do a ton of curved trim and we used a little soap in the water to help soften the fibers up. Sometimes these were really long pieces of trim that were way to big to heat or steam with what we had available, so we would just soak them in a trough made of scrap and 6 mil poly.

If the trim was going to be painted, the painters would sand it and wash it with TSP. Never had a problem with paint sticking.

I don't know that I would try WD-40 on a gun stock though. Might effect the finishing process.?

Heat or steam make it easier, but it can definitely be done without. I would try it first with straight water if I didn't have the means to heat it.