Doco Overboard
Ultimate Member
Not satisfied with the handguard fit I decided to heat it up and bend it down at the rear. I soaked a clean linen with BLO and clamped it to a piece of granite countertop scrap.
When the rear band was in place the front hand-guard ears would lift slightly around the sight base and exhibit a gap.
At first I thought it would react well enough with a simple clamp job which worked but they sprung back when the band was tightened.
I wound up using two clamps and a dowel to get a little more leverage to create a slightly more acute bend and hold which did the trick.
Once you soak the cloth in oil and add heat what your doing is creating a super-heated area where you want the wood fibers to slide against themselves. The idea is not to burn the cloth so it catches fire but to heat the oil inside so the clamps can do their thing.
Dribble some oil on the cloth as you watch it evaporate and play a flame around the work piece. It will get hot as the dickens inside the cloth so make sure you remain focused, use PPE and a two minute drill to make sure your work area is free from additional hazards.
Wrapping the cloth with copper wire from the outside will also help it retain heat but it's already plenty hot inside the cloth with a couple wraps. Dont wait until you have a problem before you check your fire extinguishers or work outside if you can, double check your work area when your done or before leaving, we already know this.
There's a nice gap now on the HG underside that flattens out nicely when everything is tightened up.
When the rear band was in place the front hand-guard ears would lift slightly around the sight base and exhibit a gap.
At first I thought it would react well enough with a simple clamp job which worked but they sprung back when the band was tightened.
I wound up using two clamps and a dowel to get a little more leverage to create a slightly more acute bend and hold which did the trick.
Once you soak the cloth in oil and add heat what your doing is creating a super-heated area where you want the wood fibers to slide against themselves. The idea is not to burn the cloth so it catches fire but to heat the oil inside so the clamps can do their thing.
Dribble some oil on the cloth as you watch it evaporate and play a flame around the work piece. It will get hot as the dickens inside the cloth so make sure you remain focused, use PPE and a two minute drill to make sure your work area is free from additional hazards.
Wrapping the cloth with copper wire from the outside will also help it retain heat but it's already plenty hot inside the cloth with a couple wraps. Dont wait until you have a problem before you check your fire extinguishers or work outside if you can, double check your work area when your done or before leaving, we already know this.
There's a nice gap now on the HG underside that flattens out nicely when everything is tightened up.
