Milsurp After Hours

Don't use oak for the patch. use walnut. The oak grain is very different and will stand out like a soar thumb.

If you don't have an old stock to cut a chunk of walnut, I can send you some.

Thanks for the offer.
Since posting I remembered that I have an old Beretta stock I could use but a friend has donated a piece of Snider forend that will do the job. Collecting it tomorrow along with my new HIEC musket.

Snider for end received and started on. It's going to be a bit finicky I think

I have now made the new piece to fill the damaged area. This is the shaped piece with an oak lug stuck to the underside which will fill the small void above the cleaning rod channel.

Looks like it is coming along. Now to fit it into the stock.

While gluing the new piece of wood into the old furniture I slightly over tightened the clamp ( a bad habit of mine! ) and it split..........




Plan 'B' - open out the hole so I can fit a larger plug and then drill the hole for the cleaning rod from the action end.

Progress on the repair to the forend now I have some descent wood to work with.....




Once the new piece is secure I will shape it using fine sandpaper over a broad file.

Replacement piece now glued in place and shaped to the fore end profile. Metal to wood is better fit than it looks on here. After final de greasing with 100% alcohol I applied a few coats of linseed oils let down with 10% white spirit. Once dry I will apply some neat linseed oil to finish it off.

Looking good. I'd suggest darkening the edges around the patch. Just picking up a couple of my milsurps with originally intended "patches" they each have a dark edge where the patch joins the rest of the stock. The Nagant M39 and the Arisaka are in these photos. Patches that are really patches exhibit the same characteristic at the edges... although I couldn't find one quickly for the images I collected for this quick post.

The white on the edges is glue On the pack it says transparent but it has stayed white. I am going to scrape it out a little and darken the edge as you suggest.