doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Stock Bender

why not save the original wood from probable destruction by using it as a pattern to fabricate replacement wood, more to your ego driven specifications....

There are a lot of interesting and very similar bending jigs on this thread. Mine is also very similar, built out of stout 2" black maple. But it has one noticeable difference. The jigs here use static clamps to move the stock. Those clamps require frequent attention and adjustment. That is how I used to do it, until I saw an interesting modification using slings and two small pulleys that were connected to a bucket of sand or water. The constant weight negates the need to adjust the clamps as the wood moves and all you needed is a stop to prevent it from moving too far. I find this a bit simpler. Anyway, it is a modification that someone might want to try.

I believe I have a copy of Orlen's essay on bending, but it does list an author. If it is not from Orlen, it is probably from Jack Belk. Jack sent me a number of documents on gunmaking topics. Anyone that would like a copy of the bending essay can send me an email (in my profile here, and I will ship a copy back by return email.

One other thing that I have found useful is a laser point-and-shoot thermometer that lets me know how hot the surface of the wood is. When it gets up into the 200 teens or close, I try to hold it there a good long while so the heat can "soak" into the center of the wood. It helps prevent overheating.

You might google the melting temperature of lignin (seems to vary depending on source), but getting the lignin to melt, or nearly melt has a lot to do with being successful in the bending, I think.

I just read this thread and I may be wrong, but based on the first two pictures these guns have more cast off than I have ever seen except on a gun made for a physical disability. The tangs look to have been bent before stocking. Most of the ugliness comes from the bent tangs IMHO. If that is corrected before bending, I would be worried that the entire stock would need to be re-inlet. I'm basing that on my own experience in trying to modify stocks in the past.

I am not convinced these could ever be made to look as they should with what exists there.

You mention being a lefty and I can' imagine how you could come close to hitting with these guns in their present state, or how you could move them far enough to get there.

I have only had 4 or 5 stocks bent, but I have never had one move back. I have had a lot of experience with bending of both musical instrument wood and boat building components. The first are thin (mostly) of course, but I have bent guitar sides and left them taped together in sets unsupported and left them for extended periods with no recovery at all. I have also seen wood thicker than a stock wrist bent into sharp curves with no subsequent recovery except the original spring back. I have a theory about this that was discussed above. I think that people tend to not get to a good temperature and tend to bend them too cold, leaving stresses. This is likely due to trying to protect the finish or some other reason, but when wood is heated to a proper bending temperature, it becomes quite plastic. The difference between a hard uneven bend that springs back and surface cracks and one that bends with little resistance and conforms to the bending jig completely is often only 10 degrees or so. When the temperature hits the right point, it is easy to do. Before that, you have to fight it.

AGS,
I agree on all accounts, very astute observations.

I have considered that. I have talked to 3 stock makers this year. Lowest quote was 4K per gun for restocking side locks. That seems like a lot to sink into them.

I am rightly. Another responder is lefty. I am surprised how well I shot well with them in current configuration. Issue is aesthetic, more than function.

My mistake. The thread is getting long and I confused the names.

Honestly, those are nice guns, but if you shoot them well I would personally have a lot of reservations about putting $8-10 K in those two guns for looks. I suspect swapping them out on the market with similar guns would be much more economical.

hit dont have to cost four grand...

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