As I approached my final dimensions while removing excess wood I was confronted with the realization that I'd committed an irreversible guffaw...It's true. I botched it. To be 100 percent truthful, I kinda' knew this was gonna' happen but I put the blinders on and plowed ahead with fingers crossed.Allow me to attempt to describe my peril...While inletting this pistols' grip / action housing I purposely removed more material than was necessary until the action would drop into the stock. Then, I carefully covered the action with a release agent and employed a quality epoxy to pour a mold into the stock into which the action would fit like a hand in glove. The plan went off without a hitch and the stock to gun mate up was and is, perfectly snug. However, while bringing the stock down to it's final dimensions, I was compelled to remove enough wood that I exposed the epoxy beneath in several areas. On top of that, I have to confess another "repair" that I employed earlier on in the project...The chunk of walnut that I began with was not exactly ideal. To be truthful, it was not adequate for the task. Firstly, no matter how I laid out the pattern I was gonna' end up with a small amount of sapwood in the finished product. Secondly, there was a weak streak of compromised heart wood running right up the center of the stock. But it was walnut and it was free so I threw caution to the wind and dove head first into the project....Well, at one point after sawing out the rough pattern and hogging out the skelletonized look, I took the piece to a very aggressive, bench mounted belt sander and the coarse belt grabbed the wood and slammed it down onto the table. The force was enough to break the stock completely in half from grip to butt. After throwing a mild tantrum and several days of mild depression, I resorted to epoxying the stock back together and now that repair was rearing it's ugly head as well.So it was with a heavy heart that I resigned myself to my only, visually appealing and inexpensive option for making this otherwise solidly constructed and ergonomically ideal shoulder stock ......Bedliner coating!!!! It'd hide all of these sins and yet it'd still be appealing to the eye. I would've much preferred to keep the natural walnut and exotic wood grip cap but those flaws will always be blatant reminders to me of mistakes made.On the plus side...This option will sped up the process somewhat.
Here's a few pics of the project and finished gun:
Blank cut out:
Roughed out:
Shaping up:
Oops! Epoxy repairs showing through:
Bedliner to the rescue!!! Finished Project!!!
.
Here's a few pics of the project and finished gun:
Blank cut out:
Roughed out:
Shaping up:
Oops! Epoxy repairs showing through:
Bedliner to the rescue!!! Finished Project!!!
.
