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Checkering/ re-Checkering a Wood Stock..EDIT

GuvamintCheese
EditI should have been more clear, the checkering on this gun has been botched. It has to come off, and I did not want to loose any mass...Sorry

Is there any method of recheckering that involves filling and recheckering instead of sanding the old checkering clear down to wood..?
I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this. when you sand the old checkering you lose so much mass. Has anyone tried refilling (epoxy, woodglue) the checkering? Then sanding and recheckering?
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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • swearengine
    If all you are looking to do is sharpen the points and not carve a different pattern, just chase the existing checkering with your checkering tools.
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  • PA Shootist
    Quite a bit of accumulated bumps and bruises to checkered areas can be repaired by recutting the existing checkering. This is relatively easy, following the old lines with your tools, and doesn't remove all that much wood mass. If deep dents etc, many times they'll steam up before the re-cut. I have never heard of putting a filler of any kind over checkered areas and recutting the patterns.
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  • rhmc24
    As others say, careful chasing of the existing pattern can sharpen old checkering. You can buy checkering tools or make one as shown in http://www.gunsmiths.com/articledetail.php?id=66

    For missing checkering, commonly on 1911s a patch of checkering is knocked out, I clean the area, fill it with a paste made of clear epoxy glue & sawdust, level it off and checker it. By choosing sawdust color or dyeing it you can do a perfect match. Epoxy tolerates most any kind of color that is not water based.

    Experiment on scrap before using it on your gun.

    EDIT http://www.gunsmiths.com/articledetail.php?id=39 article covers major checkered area rework. A lot of good gun fixes on gunsmiths.com.
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  • Hangfire
    Todd..I've used these for years..Best things ever for cleaning up checkering..Repaired many nicks and dings with acra-glas gel, then cleaned/shaped.. I have a set that I purposely snapped-off the tips to give a true edge that allows cleaning up to an absolute corner.. If you only get one, the riffler would probably work best for occasional use.. I have several of each- 60 & 90, fine, medium, and coarse..

    http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=702/Product/_V__SHAPED_90_deg__BENT_NEEDLE_FILES

    http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=701/Product/THREE_SQUARE_60_deg__BENT_NEEDLE_FILES

    http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/cid=0/k=checkering+riffler/t=P/ksubmit=y/Products/All/search=checkering_riffler
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  • p.muerrle
    If you have to conceal a large area I don't think there is any product that will let you get away with it. John Durkin, the checkerer in the Custom Shop shared with me how he could conceal small problem areas with sawdust and other ingredients, but if it is a large area you will not be able to conceal it well enough so it doesn't show.
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  • GuvamintCheese
    Thank you Pauline. Mr. Durkin knew his checkering.
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  • Tailgunner1954
    Cartod
    Not a restoration technique, but (and as I'm not a big fan of checkering on a rifle) could you cut out the checkering and replace it with a inlay of either a piece of ivory or another specie of wood (checker the replacment wood?)?
    It would be some fiddly work, but you should be able to make the inlay match the origional checkering outline.
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  • RCrosby
    Two very different situations depending on whether the original checkering was well done but has since been damaged, or (as it sounds like you're saying) the original checkering job was badly done. If this is the case, simply following, or even trying hard to not follow, the original lines, won't work. Unless the original stock was already of an overall thin profile, I'd lean toward sanding away the existing checkering and reducing the overall dimensions of the non-checkered portion as well. This would give you the best chance for a good checkering job. If you feel there isn't enough "meat" for this to work, you might consider sanding in the barrel channel to give you a good quantity of "dust" and use this to color the necessary quantity of acraglas gel. Fill in the old checkering, sand smooth, and start your re-cut.
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