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

If the wood at the head of the stock was lower than the metal because it was hammered down as with a dent, or otherwise compressed, then yes, steam or water will swell it and it will stay raised up. If the metal is proud of the wood because it was sanded off too low originally or in a prior refinishing job, it will not raise very much, if at all, and it will shrink back very quickly as the moisture content stabilizes with the ambient humidity. You could move from the dry southwest to damp coastal Oregon, but that might not be practical.

Furniture joints which are wetted to swell quickly loosen back up. Loose hammer heads which are wetted to tighten the handle quickly loosen back up when they dry. Loose wagon wheels may stay tight for a while because they will be driven through mud and water frequently. But if they dry out, they will also loosen up. White Oak (quercus alba) is frequently used for wagon wheels because it has the property of swelling a lot when moist. This is why white oak is also used for wine and whiskey barrels. It is self sealing when filled with liquid. If you can figure out some way to keep your stock constantly wet without rusting the metal, you're good to go. Otherwise, this would be a waste of time. Sorry.

Gil I do not think you will get very far with this .Belive me I have tried ever trick in the book and a few that are not to try and do what you want . Nothing I have done has made ant noticeable difference

Reference to wagon wheels whilst interesting is a different ball game ,these are made up of diferent peices and diferent woods ,look at Constables famous painting "The hay wain" wetting the wheels to swell them .Wont work on a gun stock .Unfourtunatly.

An autoclave used to force thinned resin into the wood under high pressure will swell it permanently. I've seen specialty wood impregnated this way.

With reagards to the comments about CA (Cyanoacrylate) glue, It is my understanding that CA glues are actually activated by water and this is the reason that they bond to skin so readily and the packages warn you about eyelid bonding (yikes!). My thought is that if the stock was wet, the CA glue would not wick at all and instantly set up on the surface of the wood. I have not tested this though.

If the wood is truly dry, why not apply some mineral oil (ie rose oil)? I've had great luck expanding furniture joints, and restoring vitality to some old, dry wood

You are absolutely correct. You need enough moisture to activate the CA but moisture content in the wood has to be low enough to cause the wicking action.

How about Gorilla glue then.

It's moisture activated and self wicking.

I have net seen any moisture cure polyurethane (the original Gorilla Glue) that is thin enough to wick into the end grain. I think Gorilla is now also marketing a CA glue. Is that what you are referring to?

Gil, I have not found a good consistant method for doing what you ask. Sometimes it works...other times it doesn't. If the wood is below metal all the way around .... make a new stock.

You may have to cut the stock under the tangs and force a thin shim in, but you will need to be very careful,make a really good glue joint,and will have to contend with a gap next to the tang.Only you can decide if it's worth the trouble.
Mike