Warped stock wood help

[Brad Foust]

I just did some trading with my Brother and have ended up with a 1" X 36" 58 cal green mt barrel.
And a ten year old Fort Hill "seconds" stock that the fore-arm is pretty badly warped. The farther out the worse it gets. Not just bowed, but twisted also.
Thing is, it is just full of curl from one end to the other.
I would like to save this stock and use it with this barrel to build a deer hunting flintlock rifle.
Any ideas on how to straighten?
I am thinking of soaking in hot water and then clamping the barrel in place.
I would wrap the barrel in plastic wrap to protect.
Any other ideas???
Thanks

 

[Black Hand]

I have steamed and bent. It may take several tries to get it where it needs to be.
Be aware that it may "wander" back, but reducing the wood and pinning in the barrel should help minimize this.

 

[kaintuck]

no ideas at all....it took a long time~maybe you could slowly bring it back....but what type of barrel pressure would it create????

sounds like a stock fer a hawkin!!!

 

[Robby]

Is the barrel already inlet? Is it a full stock? Is it pre-carved?
Robby

 

[wulf]

Steaming is the best idea...If not able...I soaked
one and clamped it adding a wet rag every day. It
took almost a year but it came out perfect. That
is why I said steaming would be best and fastest.
Wulf

 

[Brad Foust]

Thanks for all the advice.
I am worried that the pressure from the warped stock might effect accuracy. Seems hard to think that the wood could move the steel barrel, but I have heard it can?
I suppose it would be best to cut back to a half stock like a Hawkin, but my Son wants a fell stock early style and I dont have any other wood.
This stock already has the barrel inlet and RR channel and hole drilled. The rest is about 75% shapped.
It's pretty rough but if I can save it, it is full of curl in the maple.
A company called Fort Hill used to sell these as "seconds" a 10 or more years back for around $75 to $100 a pair. They are very usable, just take more work, Usually just water or mineral stain in the wood.
However this is about as rough of one I can remember seeing.
I wonder how I could make a steamer?
Thanks again

 

[ohio ramrod]

Steamers are simple to make. Use exterier grade plywood to make an box enclosure alllowing at least an inch clearance all around.Use pvc pipe (the heavy type ) to channel the steam from a tea kettle to your box. Allow for condensed steam to drain. I have found it helps to soak the wood over night before steaming. Then steam for at least an hour/inch. :idunno:

 

[Robby]

You could soak the outside of the stock pretty good with water, let it absorb, install the barrel, with pins, and hit it with a heat gun till it is hot and dry, let it sit for a day so the fibers get use to their new home. That should take out most of any warping and twisting. Even so the wood is so thin on the finished gun that it isn't going to affect accuracy. Slot the barrel lugs too. Good luck!!
Robby

 

[Capt. Fred]

Yup, I'd try steaming or soaking it till it was fairly pliable. Then oil your barrel, wrap it in celophane, put it in the barrel channel, and wrap the full length with surgical tubing. Let her dry for a week or two and repeat if needed.

 

[rich pierce]

+1. I have made bows from staves crooked as a dog's hind leg. Once set, they retain the new shape (straight in this case).

 

[kaintuck]

long trough and boil it........for a few minutes at a time?????? :surrender:
as for the metal barrel moving....yup...take a firm grip on a 44" barrel and see how you can 'move' the bullet strikes!!!Thye will flex!!!

 

[Rifleman1776]

I would not trust it to stay straight after straightening.
Methinks you have a half-stock in yer future.

 

[Brad Foust]

WOW! Great thanks to all.
I'll start experimenting.
Just need to be sure I dont rust up my narrel.
Regards to all

 

[jerrywh]

Lacquer the barrel first. Then steam or heat and straighten the wood as described by Rich pierce. It will stay straight. Modern gunmakers bend stocks on a regular basis so do bow makers. Simply wash off the lacquer when finished straightening with laquer thinner.
Don't tell anybody that I agreed with rich pierce. :rotf:

 

[Vaino]

Soak the stock in the bath tub for a day, install the water proofed bbl and wrap tightly w/ surgical tubing. The loops of tubing should be 1"-2" apart. Have done this a number of times and the stock has "stayed put". The sides should be 3/16" or less of wood. Let sit for a few days and the stock will be fine.....Fred

 

[rich pierce]

Lacquer the barrel first. Then steam or heat and straighten the wood as described by Rich pierce. It will stay straight. Don't tell anybody that I agreed with rich pierce. :rotf:

It'll be our little secret, Jerry! :wink:

 

[Sperit de bois]

Got me to wondering: How do stock makers put the right/left offset in a stock.They shift the center line off to fit the shooter and it stays put when dry.
Try steaming ,if it doesnt work out,,go with plan "B"
Tiger maple/burl will be more demanding so take your time.

 

[54ball]

I've read a online article on how to bend a shot gun stock.

The author stated that the stock wood becomes elastic at 150 degrees. He used hot peanut oil and rags on a finshed stock. A cooking thermometer was used to confirm the the temp. When the correct temp was reached the stock was bent in a special bending jig. The oil did no damage to the finished stock.

You might could try this with exteme caution outside.
For a bare stock, I would paint it. Black high temp paint may be good. This will keep the oil from getting into the wood.

Have your barrel ready. Also have some absorbant cloth wrapped around the stock. It would be ideal if you had a wire type digital thermometer to place the lead into the ramrod hole. Heat up some oil in a cooker to about 300 degrees, like you were going to fry a turkey and dip it out with a ladle to soak the cloth wrapped around the painted stock. When the stock reaches 150 degrees or more, grab it by the butt with good gloves, dump the cloth and place the barrel in the channel and wrap it with natural fiber rope. I would have a container under the stock to catch the excess oil and rags to be clean and to reuse if need be. One advantage to this is your barrel does not have to sit in a wet stock.

Be cautious of fire danger and wear approiate clothing and gloves. Hot oil can transfer heat through gloves so make sure you can get them off quickly.

Just an idea.....

BTW... The fore stock on a properly built long rifle is so thin that the barrel supports the wood. So the wood has no effect on accuracy as long as the rifle is breached correctly.

 

[jerrywh]

Every year the Firearms Engravers Guuild of America has it's annual exhibit along with the American Custom gunmakers Guild. As a result I know many of the most accomplished modern gunmakers in the world. We share much info at the exhibit and there are seminars that are free to all who wish to attend. One subject that comes up fequently is stock bending. It is possible to bend wood by steaming or soaking in water as previously decsribed in this forum but it is not the prefered method used today by pro. modern gunsmiths because it is not good for the finish. The prefered method used today is this. The stock is wrapped with rags soaked in raw linseed oil and heated with either sun lamps or some other source of heat [torch or heat gun]. Take great care not to over heat and scorch the wood. If the rags begin to smoke they are to hot. When the wood becomes flexible it is bent to shape. Then the heat and rags removed and the stock is allowed to cool. This process is used on many very expensive shotguns and rifles. I don't mean $2000.00 guns I mean up to $100,000.00 gun and more. If you do this I recomend practicing on some broomstick or something beforehand. Don't go off and leave the heatlamps on the rags or you will have a fire on your hands.
PS. Most of the time the stock is held in a fixture that is adjustable to control the amount of bend given to the stock.

 

[Brad Foust]

Thanks all for all the help.
This stock had the Barrel Channel routered out by the maker.
It was also pretty rough inside and needed some cleaning out of burs, etc.
I cleaned it out pretty well so form and tried to insert the barrel,
After allot of twisting and forcing I was able to get the barrel about where it belongs. I then used three clamps to hold it in place, just to see if it was going to work, and it seems ok.
I am going to let it that way until tomorrow and see what happens.
I dont expect it to change, but will then soak or steam as advised and see what happens.
I may be able to salvage it.
Thanks again