K31 stock repair/cleanup advice

aps410 · Jun 14, 2017

Hello everybody, I recently picked up a K31 and wanted to get some opinions on what I should do with some of its issues. As you can see from the pics below, the buttstock has some pretty big cracks and the wood in general is pretty rough. My biggest concern with the cracks is that the top crack through the buttplate screw hole is big enough that the screw will not tighten.

So how should I go about cleaning up the stock? I'm pretty good with mechanical repairs but I have little woodworking experience. Which brings me to my second question, am I better off finding a gunsmith to repair the cracks and cleaning up the wood? I'm always up for a project but I would like to not get in over my head. Finally if I do go ahead and repair the cracks, should I use acraglas, nice wood glue, or epoxy? All opinions/advice welcome.

I can also post more pics if anyone is interested. I bought this gun as a shooter so the bluing is worn in some spots but its all matching and has a clean bore.

iH8DemLibz · Jun 14, 2017

Brass screws may work. Screw them in. Then cut the heads off and file flush to the stock.

But you may have a difficult time getting those gaps to close up. They're more like stress checks in the wood than they are cracks. The wood/threads would strip out way before you got everything cinched down.

Some strong wood clamps may bring it all together, but then you lose access to the holes you drilled for the screws.

Good luck.

buellsfurn · Jun 14, 2017

Id use regular wood glue. get a glue injector and fill cracks with wood glue your going to need a clamp if you can get a old wooden screw clamp you can possibly find one at a antique shop . this type of clamp will clamp at a angle you will need. tighten it up best you can those cracks may not close up completely so what its character. you can use a metal clamp but more likely to dent the wood. you could always wrap around the stock with a towel a couple of times to prevent this from happening . Let it set a good 24 hours. after wait time before you remove clamps drill the but plate screws holes out what ever size 3/8 maybe glue wood dowels in these holes wait again for glue to dry.after wait time cut dowels off flush. your choice hear drill threw stock and cracks top to bottom and glue another dowel in this hole 1/4 inch let glue dry again this should help stabilizing the cracks. you can use other glues I'm just into regular stuff over epoxy. not sure how far you what to go with fit and finish. remainder of the cracks can be filled with wood putty sand and stain clear finish or colored wax fill sticks and paste wax finish several times oil finish not sure how authentic you want to keep it. that should keep ya busy for now should you have a question just ask . I'm sure someone has another way of doing this but that's how i would handle it

28Shooter · Jun 14, 2017

I've had old wood planes check like that and used warm boiled linseed oil to close up the "cracks".

aps410 · Jun 14, 2017

iH8DemLibz said:
Brass screws may work. Screw them in. Then cut the heads off and file flush to the stock.

But you may have a difficult time getting those gaps to close up. They're more like stress checks in the wood than they are cracks. The wood/threads would strip out way before you got everything cinched down.

Some strong wood clamps may bring it all together, but then you lose access to the holes you drilled for the screws.

Good luck.

Thanks for the luck and the suggestion. I am hoping to avoid using brass screws but I will definitely consider it should my other attempts at fixing it doesn't pan out. thanks for the suggestion :thumbsup:

buellsfurn said:
Id use regular wood glue. get a glue injector and fill cracks with wood glue your going to need a clamp if you can get a old wooden screw clamp you can possibly find one at a antique shop . this type of clamp will clamp at a angle you will need. tighten it up best you can those cracks may not close up completely so what its character. you can use a metal clamp but more likely to dent the wood. you could always wrap around the stock with a towel a couple of times to prevent this from happening . Let it set a good 24 hours. after wait time before you remove clamps drill the but plate screws holes out what ever size 3/8 maybe glue wood dowels in these holes wait again for glue to dry.after wait time cut dowels off flush. your choice hear drill threw stock and cracks top to bottom and glue another dowel in this hole 1/4 inch let glue dry again this should help stabilizing the cracks. you can use other glues I'm just into regular stuff over epoxy. not sure how far you what to go with fit and finish. remainder of the cracks can be filled with wood putty sand and stain clear finish or colored wax fill sticks and paste wax finish several times oil finish not sure how authentic you want to keep it. that should keep ya busy for now should you have a question just ask . I'm sure someone has another way of doing this but that's how i would handle it

Very interesting, so just to make sure I am understanding you, you recommend getting some clamps (preferably wooden) and using wood glue on the cracks. Then glue a wooden dowel in the screwholes and essentially creating a new anchor point for the screws other than the current tired wood. I can't say I would have thought of that. thanks :thumbsup:

buellsfurn · Jun 14, 2017

aps410 said:
Thanks for the luck and the suggestion. I am hoping to avoid using brass screws but I will definitely consider it should my other attempts at fixing it doesn't pan out. thanks for the suggestion

Very interesting, so just to make sure I am understanding you, you recommend getting some clamps (preferably wooden) and using wood glue on the cracks. Then glue a wooden dowel in the screwholes and essentially creating a new anchor point for the screws other than the current tired wood. I can't say I would have thought of that. thanks

you got it

buellsfurn · Jun 14, 2017

Id also add, after you cut dowels down for but plate drill a hole in the dowels smaller then screw diameter for screws . this take will take some of the expansion pressure off of those cracks

aps410 · Jun 14, 2017

28Shooter said:
I've had old wood planes check like that and used warm boiled linseed oil to close up the "cracks".

Could you elaborate on your technique? I've heard of boiled linseed oil but I have no experience with it. I was considering using boiled linseed oil to help protect my stock from further damage but I didn't think I could seal up a crack with it.

Also for those that don't know, apparently boiled linseed oil in high enough concentration can produce enough heat to cause a rag you soaked with it to catch fire :shocked3:

.

aps410 · Jun 14, 2017

buellsfurn said:
Id also add, after you cut dowels down for but plate drill a hole in the dowels smaller then screw diameter for screws . this take will take some of the expansion pressure off of those cracks

Yeah that is a key component to that plan. Any thoughts on how necessary the dowel running top to bottom through the stock is? I'm curious if I can get away with not modifying any visible areas of the rifle.

buellsfurn · Jun 14, 2017

aps410 said:
Could you elaborate on your technique? I've heard of boiled linseed oil but I have no experience with it. I was considering using boiled linseed oil to help protect my stock from further damage but I didn't think I could seal up a crack with it.

Also for those that don't know, apparently boiled linseed oil in high enough concentration can produce enough heat to cause a rag you soaked with it to catch fire .

combustion, this is true just dont keep several rags balled up lay them out flat singular . if you us this method gluing the cracks later could be tricky

buellsfurn · Jun 14, 2017

to funny, watching the show american pickers he just purchased what looked like 20 of those wood screw clamps from hoarder

buellsfurn · Jun 14, 2017

aps410 said:
Yeah that is a key component to that plan. Any thoughts on how necessary the dowel running top to bottom through the stock is? I'm curious if I can get away with not modifying any visible areas of the rifle.

i think you can get away with out doing that . if it doesn't hold up you can always go back and do it

aps410 · Jun 14, 2017

buellsfurn said:
i think you can get away with out doing that . if it doesn't hold up you can always go back and do it

Cool, thanks for all your advice! I will be monitoring the thread for a few days to see if anyone else has other avenues to repair the stock.

As far as refinishing goes, I may lightly sand the stock and try to recreate the original swiss shellac. Not dead set on this, but I will mull it over.

ted76 · Jun 15, 2017

Wood Golf tees work well for filling smaller screw holes without drilling the holes larger, just glue the in and then predrill a hole of the correct size.

buellsfurn · Jun 15, 2017

aps410 said:
Cool, thanks for all your advice! I will be monitoring the thread for a few days to see if anyone else has other avenues to repair the stock.

As far as refinishing goes, I may lightly sand the stock and try to recreate the original swiss shellac. Not dead set on this, but I will mull it over.

tung oil is nice and easy

Doco Overboard · Jun 15, 2017

I would wash the cracks out with lacquer thinner, Wood glue and then squeeze tight with a c clamp or wood worker parallel clamp,( use a wood block in between the bights of a metal C clamp) let the glue dry and then after the rigging was removed drill out the screw holes and then glue hardwood dowels into the butt-stock. Relieve the dowels around their circumference to accommodate the glue so it does not hydraulically open up the repaired split when you drive them in. Reasonably tight only. When that is going on wrap the toe and heel with a rubber bicycle inner tube tightly to hold everything together so you can drill cleanly with the stock held in a padded vice. For an extra measure, route out and area and make a biscuit for extra support that will be hidden by the butt-plate. If you don't mind plastics, acraglass your biscuit in it doesnt need to be very wide what extends from the biscuit just snap it off and file it flat. If the butt plate allows it, you can drill in some brass or steel threaded rods cut them off flush and then re install the butt plate. Dose them with wood glue for belt and suspenders repair. Something else you can do for stripped screw holes is drive in a soft lead plug, drill the plug slightly under size tap it in and the install the screw.

aps410 · Jun 15, 2017

ted76 said:
Wood Golf tees work well for filling smaller screw holes without drilling the holes larger, just glue the in and then predrill a hole of the correct size.

I may try this method first before resorting to the dowel insertion method. Apparently gluing a toothpick to the inside of the screwhole may also work but your method sounds more secure. Thanks for the suggestion.

Doco Overboard said:
I would wash the cracks out with lacquer thinner, Wood glue and then squeeze tight with a c clamp or wood worker parallel clamp,( use a wood block in between the bights of a metal C clamp) let the glue dry and then after the rigging was removed drill out the screw holes and then glue hardwood dowels into the butt-stock. Relieve the dowels around their circumference to accommodate the glue so it does not hydraulically open up the repaired split when you drive them in. Reasonably tight only. When that is going on wrap the toe and heel with a rubber bicycle inner tube tightly to hold everything together so you can drill cleanly with the stock held in a padded vice. For an extra measure, route out and area and make a biscuit for extra support that will be hidden by the butt-plate. If you don't mind plastics, acraglass your biscuit in it doesnt need to be very wide what extends from the biscuit just snap it off and file it flat. If the butt plate allows it, you can drill in some brass or steel threaded rods cut them off flush and then re install the butt plate. Dose them with wood glue for belt and suspenders repair. Something else you can do for stripped screw holes is drive in a soft lead plug, drill the plug slightly under size tap it in and the install the screw.

you raise an excellent point about relieving the dowels, knowing me i probably would have reopened the cracks. I have seen the lead plug method used in some other interesting applications but it does seem like a viable option here. Thank you and everyone else for their advice and suggestions!

Doco Overboard · Jun 15, 2017

Lead plug works fine and can be found on Garand butt stocks. Just get a soft lead slug beat it into shape with a small hammer and drift it into the oblong hole. People use golftee's toothpicks small wedges but if they do not fill the circumference of the hole completely the screw can enter at a slight angle which is more problematic on soft rubber recoil pads and can strip again once the pad gets drawn up tight. I'm just particular using old methods and avoiding plastics when I can. Plus you wouldn't want to get called out for a non arsenal method by the buttplate checkers.

aps410 · Jul 17, 2017

So I believe my stock is now repaired. I ended up doing the simple glue the crack and clamp the hell out of it. I used Titebond III wood glue which looked to be the strongest wood glue I could find at home depot (If you guys know of anything stronger let me know haha).

When I screwed in the buttplate screw, it looks like the crack split a little bit but I guess there was some leftover dried glue in the screwhole that its hanging onto now. I think the repair will hold but if it doesn't I will either use a lead plug or the toothpick methods suggested here. There is still a fair amount of glue left under the buttplate though. The buttplate is ill fitting so I may just leave it as it isn't bothering anyone.

I also ended up refinishing the stock as the wood was so rough it was unpleasant to try and get a cheek weld. I tried to refinish it as tastefully as I could, but I can't blame anyone for calling out my heresy. The rifle didn't have much collector value to begin with but it should make a nice shooter. The refinish was done with a light coat of amber colored shellac.

I just wanna thank everyone in this thread for the tips and advice.

Doco Overboard · Jul 23, 2017

Looks great, some times you can adjust a butt plate off the rifle with a raw hide mallet and a few blocks of wood as a dolly.

K31 stock repair/cleanup advice

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