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Crack at wrist?

richbug
I just picked up a Thompson center TCR 83. The gun is perfect, fancy walnut, but has a small crack at the wrist by the trigger guard. It isn't structural, about 1" long and just thick enough that you fingernail catches on it. Looking at it a 2' away you think it is just the figure of the wood. It is only on a 223 so a can't see that recoil did it.

Should I let it be? or fix it? What would the best method of fixing it be? I thought about using a syringe to shoot some glue into the crack and then putting a clamp on it, then touching up with some true oil.

My border collie is smarter than your honor student.
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Comments

5 comments

Date Votes
  • 1KYDSTR
    Well, you just answered your own question, I think...or at least you are doing what I would do! If it's not structural, then just concentrate on the aesthetics. Instead of using a syinge (too small a hole to get properly diluted carpenters glue through), you might want to try what I've been doing for years.

    First off, try not to laugh, cause this really works, I swear! I dilute the glue by about 20% with water, and then try to stress the wood so that the crack opens up a little(of course, be VERY careful about this!), and lay a bead of glue across the outside of the crack. At this point, I either use compressed air or simply blow as hard as I can to get the glue to creep down inside the split. This usually works well enough to get some kind of penetration. Clamp, and clean off the excess glue that has run out with a damp towel.

    Failing this, or if the crack is bigger, (this is the part where I ask you not to laugh too hard) I use a cat whisker (I knew the wifes love of cats would come in handy SOME day), which is naturaly tapered/graduated, dip it into the diluted glue and use the tip to force the glue into the nooks and crannies. I've tried this using boar bristles and all maner of natural and artificial fibers, and the cat whisker seems to be the best (the cat's don't seem to appreciate being plucked much either, so if I were you I would wear gloves for THAT part of the job!). I collect old Savages and all manner of mil surp guns, so I have seen my share of cracked stocks! This has worked marvels for me, and if you can get over the idea of the whole thing, I bet it will work for you too.

    "When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
    "When I was 14 I used to marvel at how ignorant my old man was...by the time I was 21 I was truelly amazed at how much the old bugger had learned in the intervening 7 years!" Samuel Clemens
    "History is written by winners"(Patton)
    "You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
    "There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)
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  • allechalley
    Dang it, 1KYDSTR, I always thought the only good use for a cat was either cat gut or "moving target". I almost split a seam , but since I have a stock that has just this problem, I guess I will have to find a "donor feline". A friend of mine's contractor dad taped the whiskers of a cat on one side together. He asked his dad why the cat kept walking in cicles. "steering clutch must be locked". About that time, his mother started the INQUISISION. Time to go was the reply.....Some people have WAY too much time.
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  • yoshmyster
    A syringe in it's self has a large enough hole to shoot anything, however if you're speaking of the needle then some guages are tiney. You can get 8 Guage needles will pump through semi-congealed butter (makes a best turkey shooter) anyhow, just pop in to a local farming/feed store that sells Vet. Meds/supplies.

    I was playing around with a new bottle of Elmers (sp?) wood glue today and it seemed a bit thinner compared to the stuff I had. To widen the crack a bit I'd use a set of dental picks or a feeler guage.
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  • Alpine
    My suggestion on this would be to use a different glue. Gorilla glue or any polyurethane glue that expands will hold more than carpenters glue. If it is a crack then it will expand and get worse.

    I had this problem on a shotgun, I drilled two 1/8" holes in the crack, forced polyurethane glue into the crack and stressed area, used air pressure to force the glue further into doles and crack. Clamped up the area for 24 hours. I was able to use the gun for the rest of the season. Then it is giving me an excuse to have a custom made stock made for the gun.

    Your mileage may vary.
    "Every time a system is made foolproof - a new class of fool emerges."
    Prod Harris

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    "If you ain't got pictures, I wasn't there."
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  • MIKE WISKEY
    I WOULDN'T USE ANY WATER BASED GLUE ON A GUN STOCK. BROWNELLS ACCRAGLAS IS MADE FOR WOOD AND WORKS VERY WELL. DRILL A SMALL HOLE ALONG THE CRACK (FROM A NONEXPOSED AREA), MIX UP A SMALL BATCH OF ACCRAGLASS AND FILL THE HOLE (NO GLASS FILLER), TAKE THE SAME DRILL AND FORCE THE BACK OF THE RILL INTO THE HOLE (ACTS LIKE A PISTON AND FORCES THE ACCRAGLASS INTO THE CRACK). REMOVE THE DRILL AND REFILL THE HOLE. WIPE OFF ANY EXCESS AND LET IT SET UP, END OF CRACK.
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