Help needed.

[bigant]

not sure if this is the write place to put this... but i need some help.
basically my HW 97ks stock has started to develop a nasty crack down it. i have put some pics below i am unsure as to how to repair it.. as once i remove the action from the stock it closes up again so you can barely see the crack and all the guides i have seen that show how to fix a crack like this seem to need the crack to be open all the time or the stock to be broken. i am hoping someone here will be able to help. as there's a few woodworky types here
Thank you Ant.

And the underside

is much worse than it looks here the cam hasn't picked it up very well.

 

[w00dsmoke]

This has happened to me in an old BSA airsporter that I had. I took the stock off, then very very gently opened the crack ever so slightly then using a scewer and a needle, applied wood glue as far down into it as possible and everywhere inside the crack (but thinly). I then clamped the crack shut using a G clamp with rubber pads.

Now the crack in mine was way bigger than yours so after it dried I counter sunk a hole below the crack and drilled a very small pilot hole. Then I placed a long screw (at right angles to the crack but crossing through it) in the countersunk hole and it would act up as a fail safe if the crack split further than what I could glue. I then filled the countersunk hole a dowel. It worked a treat. I'm sure there are better methods but it did the job.

WS

 

[jojo]

If the crack closes when you remove the action from the stock, it could mean the crack was started in the first place by the pressure of the bolt or screw holding the two together? That could be a manufacturing fault.

You could put a sliver of wood (preferably something a bit softer than the stock) in the crack before removing the action, to keep the crack open, then squeeze some superglue down the crack then remove the sliver of wood, that crack should close up and put a bit of pressure on the glue. I'd be careful when screwing the action back on so it does not open the crack again.

 

[FGYT]

i agree there is no way bolting an airgun action down even hard should pressure a stock to split

you could start by running some low viscosity Cynoacrilate (superglue) into the crack which will wick by capillery action to right into teh crack and harden when you take the action out to close the crack

but you need to find out whats putting pressure in the wrong place

ATB

Duncan

 

[wncranger]

Try to find some wood glue, epoxy resin or Gorilla Glue (which is also a resin and my particular favorite, though some dislike the foaming). With the crack exposed (as in your picture), and following the directions on your particular adhesive, apply and clamp firmly. Allow the adhesive to set, again according to its particular instructions and you should be good to go. I've followed this procedure with everything from bb-guns and air-rifles up to magnum rifles (.375 H&H, .300 Winchester Magnum, etc.). Hope it helps!

 

[Draven]

This has happened to me in an old BSA airsporter that I had. I took the stock off, then very very gently opened the crack ever so slightly then using a scewer and a needle, applied wood glue as far down into it as possible and everywhere inside the crack (but thinly). I then clamped the crack shut using a G clamp with rubber pads.

Now the crack in mine was way bigger than yours so after it dried I counter sunk a hole below the crack and drilled a very small pilot hole. Then I placed a long screw (at right angles to the crack but crossing through it) in the countersunk hole and it would act up as a fail safe if the crack split further than what I could glue. I then filled the countersunk hole a dowel. It worked a treat. I'm sure there are better methods but it did the job.

WS

Exactly what yshould do IMO!
I've spent time working on guitar repairs, and the standard fix for a crack in the neck (strung up, tuned and with a tightened truss, a lot of strain going in that bit of wood!) was actually to completely seperate the two pieces of wood, then glue and clamp, or if it was going to be awkward, spread the crack as much as possible without breaking in half, then wood glue and clamp. Clamp very tight, though. Wood glue bonds great to wood (better than most people think) but not to itself, so you really have to clamp it until dry to make the layer as thin as possible, and push it deep into all the ridges of the crack. I'd be very careful on that bit though, as you don't want to split it elsewhere either (gotta love these scenarios) and I assume the stock is partly hollow to take the receiver.

The good thing is, though, that after applying the glue and finding just the right amount of pressure to apply with clamps, the split should be pretty well invisible, and probably less likely to open up than any other part of the wood.

Pete

 

[bigant]

wow thank you for the quick reply's wasn't expecting so many and so fast i shall try and get some decent wood glue and force it open a tad so i can get it inside then drill and screw it before filling with some more wood

 

[Ogri the trog]

Not sure whether it would work in this instance...
After glueing the crack, it might be worth sanding the stock to relieve any potential stresses introduced when you screw the action back into it - I did the same thing with a 22LR stock after finding a protruding area around a securing screw at the front of the stock.

ATB

Ogri the trog