wood filler

[WVAED]

Are there any fillers and can be used for small chips? When is was inletting parts on my rife, a small chip or two broke out. I was wondering if a wood filler would work since it is very small?

 

[tenngun]

None of the fillers I have found worked . They won't take stain. When you sand a drop of glue and stain in the spot with the dust works some what. Or cut a small pies of scrap off and glue it in. Plain wood glue worlds as the finish will protect it from wet. Or replace what your inleting with something bigger, at last resort just clean as best you can and finish as it gives the gun som character. You see some old guns with screw ups. A little beeswax melted and put in the inlet and the piece stuck in while still melted will seal around and can hide some loose fit. I mostly go with the little nick left a swear word or to to my self and a stern self dilivered 'Be more careful'speach

 

[rich pierce]

Agree, gluing in a small piece of matching grain wood is the way to go. Then re-inlet the piece. I keep glue handy and if a chip lifts, I glue it down immediately.

 

[kansas_volunteer]

Two part epoxy wood putty takes stains sorta OK. Color can be worked into it. It works easily with common woodworking tools when set.

Inleting a small piece is preferable. If you are just dealing with chips you ought to have already made pieces the right size to glue in just while working on the stock. You made chips that can fill chips. Dont try to cover the chipped area as is, cut into it and shape it so a matching piece can be glued in. A well executed repair is nothing to be ashamed of, it speaks to skill.

 

[old gunsmith]

we kind of developed a method using 2-part epoxy that's a bit complicated to get set up to do but works really well and once you've purchased the materials you can do hundreds of repairs from small quantities so the price isn't too bad.
We use West System epoxy with the fast catalyst. (there are better choices for glass bedding like Brownell's Acra Glass but West works very well for medium strength bonds) West is sold primarily by boat yards and marinas. Along with the epoxy you need West milled glass filler. West has another filler called colloidal silica that has promise but we are still experimenting with it.
For tint we have found a product called Transtint which is an NGR (non grain raising) alcohol based stain. Transtint mixes with most epoxies and doesn't affect the set up or degrade the strength to any great degree. The colors we have found most useful are brown mahogany, reddish brown, golden brown, and medium brown. Transtint is available mail order from Woodcraft Supply Co.
It takes a bit of practice to develop an "eye" for the color match and to mix everything without bubbles but once you get the hang of it you can make almost any repair disappear. The only other trick is to decide how thick to mix the goop; we find generally that just epoxy and transient works well to repair partial cracks while a thick paste works best for replacement of lost wood. Once you get the hang of it you can actually use separate light and dark mixes to duplicate grain patterns. There's a custom furniture maker in my town that uses this method and loves it and I'll bet there must be hundred's of other repairs around the house you can do with this stuff. Sounds complicated but its really not and I think you'll find it to be a very useful technique to add to your bag of gun building skills. OG

 

[ZUG]

Are there any fillers and can be used for small chips? When is was inletting parts on my rife, a small chip or two broke out. I was wondering if a wood filler would work since it is very small?

When I hear the word "small chip" and the word "filler" used in the same sentence I immediately think of BIG piece of wood removed by accident :shocked2: . Some people MIGHT get away with a tinted filler and save the day but that will be a SMALL percentage of the crowd :hmm: :surrender: . Your best bet is to glue in a piece of same wood and re-inlet the part :hatsoff: . I like Tite-Bond glue but don't over do the glue :wink: :thumbsup: .

 

[MSW]

what Zug said!

 

[WVAED]

Thanks guys. When i say small chip, i mean in some cases the head of a pin small, or perhaps a little bigger. Like when i was inletting the brass toe plate, a small piece came out. Nothing worth re-inletting. I just didn't know if there was a filler to handle these small imperfections before staining.

 

[tenngun]

Well at a point like that it's a matter of the work you want to put in to it. Bees wax could do it and if you brown or blue your toe it may be invisible. Also if you just finish you may not see it. Also something like plastic wood may work. Pick a path you can live with. For me fillers look like a big painted arrow pointing at the chip.
A very dark wood finish near ebony can make near inlets look very sharp

 

[Micah Clark]

One of the guys on this forum recommended a product I used last year when building my first rifle, it's called PC Woody . it is a two part mixed putty epoxy that is truly sandable and truly stainable . . . I am very satisfied with it. It is very user friendly.

You might google PC Woody. . I think I bought mine on eBay.

 

[ohio ramrod]

The old hide glue (still available from wood working suppliers) mixed with sanding dust will make a nice filler for SMALL chips. Try some and see on a scrap piece of wood. Modern glues just don't take stains well, if at all. :idunno:

 

[tenngun]

Elmers will work but stir in a drop of stain first, if you stain dark a very small patch will be real hard to see

 

[Black Hand]

Are there any fillers and can be used for small chips? When is was inletting parts on my rife, a small chip or two broke out. I was wondering if a wood filler would work since it is very small?

For future reference, find the chip and glue it back into place. Filler looks like filler...

 

[okawbow]

The best wood filler for any chip or gap, is wood. Glue based fillers look tacky.

I have repaired chips by using a small gouge to even out the chip area, and then cut a plug using the same gouge. The repair piece will fit right in, and only a slight glue line will show. Small pieces can be taken inside the barrel Chanel or lock mortise, or under the patch box.

 

[Scota4570]

The gouge chip idea sounds very good. I will try it someday. I also use spoke shave, shavings. I glue them in with medium thickness CA glue and spritz with accelerator. Try to take the patch from the same stock with the same grain orientation and it will disappear. Someone wil undoubtly baulk at CA glue. I have it on hand and use it often. It works. IT requires about 10 seconds dry time.

Never use wood putty on a gunstock.