Stockmaking, The Final Frontier
Howdy!
Anyone who enjoys traditional firearms(metal AND wood construction) probably finds themself in the situation where they think they can make their own stock. A few have the temperment AND skills to complete a great stock, beginning to end. Others have the skills but not the temperment (PATIENCE!!) to do a great job, but can create something that they can be proud of, mistakes and all. Most folks have neither the skills nor patience to make anything that they would want anyone else to view.
The problem is; you wont know which group you're in, until you try.
I've been in each of the groups, at one time or another, and I believe the part of the equation which most will lack, is the patience.
You may spend days, weeks or months, finding a piece of wood which, you believe, has a stock hiding inside it, so it takes a lot of patience to keep from screwing it up.
I made a stock out of a plank of wood which had been used, for twenty five years, as the walkway into an old coal-shed. I had to literally dig it out of the ground. It turned out to be a beautiful piece of red cherry, with very fine, straight grain and was a joy to work.
I've used pieces of it for table tennis paddle handles, the barrel channel of a splinter forend on a 28 ga. side by side, and a stock for an old Mod. 42 (?) Mossberg 22 target rifle.
On the stocks I have made and /or modified, I have had to also make many of the tools with which I worked. The barrel and action channels were scraped out with tools made from a variety of old, worn out files. They were "spotted" into place using some of my wifes cream face rouge.
I have used pure linseed oil to fill the pores of the wood, more than once, but have also used eggwhites, which may sound strange, but there's a scientific reason behind it, and it does a great job, if you take the time to do it right.
Some of the newer finishes I've seen, look great but don't like it when they get scratched, and separate from the wood (and some of the stocks, on some VERY expensive modern firearms, turn out to be nothing more than a PICTURE of a piece of wood, glued to a piece of glorified particleboard).
One tip I believe is handy, is to have an old, beat up version of the action you are trying to match your stock to, in order to do the majority of the fitting, shaping and filing to, before you nestle your good barreled action into the almost finished stock.
One slip, of a chisel or file, early or late in the stockmaking process, can ruin either the stock or the action, so that patience must begin early in the process.
I have found that the best information comes from the oldest sources, because they used simple materials and paid attention to detail.
Most modern finishes, on new guns, look like they have been sprayed on, and left that way, "eggshell" and all.
READ! READ! REad! Then take your time!!! That will help you more than most anything I can relate.
Thanks for your time.
