Shotgun - broken forend grip

EPointer=Birdss

Lads,

I have a crack in the fore end grip of my shorgun after it was knocked (unloaded)
The crack is about 2 inches & at the opposite side of the pin lock I.e nearest to the end of the barrell.
The gun is not loose or anything but I'd rather have it right.

I am in the process of sorting it but have a few questions;

Can the crack be glued or is it a replacement job in anyones experience?
Is it dangerous at present to use?
Where is the best place to get a replacement stock?

I know there's no picture of it & I know your not all gun smiths but you may have some experience...
The barrells & stock & all are perfect.

sfakiaman

Since the foreend isn't under stress during firing the crack shouldn't cause problems. A method I use to fill cracks is to trickle in a bit of super glue then sand along the crack before the glue is dry, this mixes dust and glue, repeat as neccessary. Even if the stock has an oil finish this should work as I use this on wet and oily woods in woodturning. Try it on a scrap piece first to see if you like it.

4gun

get a quality wood glue as they bond better to poreous wood and have a certain amount of flexibility

EPointer=Birdss

Once glued & sanded would you re-varnish then?
Would it be best to glue & sand from the underside of it? The side that hugs the barrell.

Half-cocked

Squirt a good quality wood glue into the crack (prise it open to aid this if necessary). Clamp the crack closed tightly. Put some soft pieces of wood or thick cardboard on the clamp jaws to avoid denting the fore end. Wood glues work best when they are under pressure - forces the glue into the wood grain and gives a very strong repair. Should be ready after 3 or 4 hours.

rrpc

Half-cocked wrote: »

Squirt a good quality wood glue into the crack (prise it open to aid this if necessary). Clamp the crack closed tightly. Put some soft pieces of wood or thick cardboard on the clamp jaws to avoid denting the fore end. Wood glues work best when they are under pressure - forces the glue into the wood grain and gives a very strong repair. Should be ready after 3 or 4 hours.

+1

Evo Stik wood glue is very good for this, but I'd leave it overnight at least. Definitely use softwood and if you really want to be careful, some soft cloth to protect the wood from the clamp. Depending on the size of the crack, more than one clamp can be used.

I'm assuming the crack is right through from top (at barrel) to bottom so you need to get the glue into the crack so that no part of the split has not got glue in it. The Evo Stik is good in that you can wipe any excess off with a damp cloth before it's hardened, but note that as soon as you clamp, extra glue will squeeze out, so that needs to be wiped off also.

You need to be sure what the finish is before you try and redo it, but if you glue and clamp correctly there should be no need to sand and therefore no need to refinish.

sfakiaman

I would be very wary of prising the crack open incase the crack traveled right down the forend. If you intend doing this then clamp the lower end of the forend first.

rowa

i know a cabinet maker and all he uses is a glue called cascamite which comes as a powder and you mix it with water , if you could gently prise open the crack and feed in the glue with a stanley knife blade , that would be good .

EPointer=Birdss

Sound lads, seems like the way to go.
I will give it a go & let you know how I get on...
I'll do it today or tomorrow as I'd hate to be gunless for Sat!

Half-cocked

rowa wrote: »

i know a cabinet maker and all he uses is a glue called cascamite which comes as a powder and you mix it with water .

Its the best wood glue, unless you want to start boiling horses hooves etc. But only comes in big tins, more than you'll need for 1 fore end! If you can beg, borrow or steal a spoonful great, otherwise the evo-stick wood glue is just fine.

EPointer=Birdss

There is a troublesome horse across the way that often breaks out! Hmmmm:D
Think the Evo Stick suits my application best. I'll head into the Hardware store later on see what I can get my mits on at a reasonable price. I want to do it the once so i won't skimp...

rrpc

EPointer=Birdss wrote: »

There is a troublesome horse across the way that often breaks out! Hmmmm:D
Think the Evo Stick suits my application best. I'll head into the Hardware store later on see what I can get my mits on at a reasonable price. I want to do it the once so i won't skimp...

It's not that expensive, starts around a tenner I think depending on the size.

Sparks

If you can get the foreend off the shotgun completely, you could also use Gorilla glue:


But the stuff expands when setting, so you'd need the foreend off the shotgun in case you'd do more damage. If you can do that though, the stuff is insanely strong, much more so than the original wood itself (and more so than evo stick, though to be honest, it's like the difference between jumping off the 90th floor of a building and off the 95th floor - both will do the job so thoroughly that you wouldn't notice the difference ).

CJhaughey

Sparks wrote: »

If you can get the foreend off the shotgun completely, you could also use Gorilla glue:


But the stuff expands when setting, so you'd need the foreend off the shotgun in case you'd do more damage. If you can do that though, the stuff is insanely strong, much more so than the original wood itself (and more so than evo stick, though to be honest, it's like the difference between jumping off the 90th floor of a building and off the 95th floor - both will do the job so thoroughly that you wouldn't notice the difference ).

I concur with Sparks here, Gorilla glue is the business for wood. Evostick is only a version of PVA as opposed to Polyurethane.

rrpc

But you don't want it to expand. The real objective here is to make the piece of wood look like it never cracked. I don't imagine it's going to be bearing any load, so as long as the crack is closed and the repair near invisible that's all that's necessary.

But I'll make a note of that Gorilla glue stuff should I ever need to glue a man to a skyscraper by his shoes or something

4gun

plus the evostick will soften over time when exposed to water and heat

Mr Flibble

rrpc wrote: »

But I'll make a note of that Gorilla glue stuff should I ever need to glue a man to a skyscraper by his shoes or something

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4297XZdQsM

(Don't look at this if you're offended by religious jokes.)

ayapatrick

rowa wrote: »

i know a cabinet maker and all he uses is a glue called cascamite which comes as a powder and you mix it with water , if you could gently prise open the crack and feed in the glue with a stanley knife blade , that would be good .

Have used that glue and its very good. Used evo stik to glue a similiar crack and it wouldnt stay closed after getting wet. In the end i used a small drop of araldite and its still stuck!;)