If I can't use acetone to flush and dry out the stock prior to applying the epoxy, what do I use?
Thanks,
Ed
Depends upon how old the crack is. If it is fairly recent I wouldn't fret about flushing it out. If it is an old crack that has accumulated a bunch of grime and oil, that is a horse of a different color. After wedging it open (if possible), I would mask the heck out of the outside of the stock, and also tape plastic sheeting of some sort to cover the whole bloody thing. Give it a good blast of compressed air to dislodge the big pieces, then inject acetone or lacquer thinner into the crack and then blow it out again. Let dry thoroughly and proceed with the epoxy protocols described above- all good ideas. Clamp it, wipe off any squeeze-out, wipe everything down with alcohol or vinegar (so as to not dissolve the surrounding finish anymore than you may have already done). Remove the masking/plastic and double check for any traces of epoxy remaining around the surgery site. If you are lucky, careful, and the gods are smiling upon you, you won't have much if any touch-up to do on the finish. If you do, no big deal. Determine what the finish is and get back to us.
As stated above, I'm afraid too that the crack will never be totally invisible after repair. But, form follows function.
As for using cyanoacrylate, I never had good luck fixing cracks in gun stocks with it. May have been my luck, or lack thereof. I'm a firm believer in epoxy for such things.
