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Old 10-14-2018, 11:23 AM   #1
snowdog61
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Muzzle repair advice - wood gun

Have a Apnea 50 midhandle (teak) that the idiot owner (me) side loaded trying to straighten a shaft while it was in the gun which of course cracked the enclosed track muzzle. I previously did a repair using epoxy a good while back but it has let go again. I've pulled the muzzle insert but still debating how to repair this. Split extends from the outside root of the muzzle guide down through to the band loading slot from the front of the gun back to the rear of the band slot. I'll douche the area with alcohol to pull the oils out and use epoxy for the repair but really thinking I need to put a screw or dowel across the split to keep this from re-occurring. Hate the fact that this will mar the appearance of this otherwise beautiful gun (haven't seen another like this) but I guess stupid should hurt. Any one got suggestions for getting an effective repair with minimal damage to the appearance? Am I on the right track here?
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Old 10-14-2018, 11:34 AM   #2
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Re: Muzzle repair advice - wood gun

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Old 10-14-2018, 11:46 AM   #3
Wood Guy
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Re: Muzzle repair advice - wood gun

I think you're on the right track. I would suggest using small diameter (#4 or#6) screws, as long as possible to be countersunk without going all the way through the gun. Use a pan head, not a flathead screw. Use epoxy in the screw holes, and use 2 or 3 screws if possible. Recess the screw heads just below the surface, and fill the hole with sawdust mixed with epoxy in a thick paste. Clamp the muzzle while you insert the epoxy coated screws. Sand when dry and finish to match gun. It won't be perfect, but you can usually locate the screw heads where they won't be too obvious, and the muzzle will be as strong or stronger than before the crack.

You can also plug the hole with a plug cut from matching wood, but I've found that unless you built the gun and have a piece left to cut the plug from, it's easier to match the color by dry mixing different colors of saw dust.

Lots of ways to do it, but the above would be my approach.
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Old 10-14-2018, 12:15 PM   #4
Hpwatson
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Re: Muzzle repair advice - wood gun

I agree, clean the crack out the best you can, countersink the screws (stainless for sure) with a good strong epoxy in the crack and in the screw holes, then cover the screw heads up either with wood filler or dowels. I'd recommend dowels because wood filler might not weather well in sun/saltwater over time.
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Old 10-14-2018, 02:24 PM   #5
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Re: Muzzle repair advice - wood gun

I can't reallllllly see with those pics, another few pics showing from the top and bottom and more of the stock would show more.

From what I see, I'd go at this with G-Flex Epoxy. Douching the muzzle with Alcohol is not enough. You need to get some sand paper inside the crack and get down to bare wood. You could use something like 100 grit. But once you are cleaned up, I'd go back with either a Hacksaw blade or some 40 grit sand paper to really expose and scuff the wood surface inside the crack. You need to think through your repair and figure out how you are going to clamp. You don't want to squeeze too hard, Epoxy you want a thicker glue line but you'll need to think through how you will clamp without the epoxy going everywhere..

Once you have scuffed up etc, get some clear packing tape. Put a piece covering the bottom of the band slot the entire length of the crack and leave the ends out to wrap up. You are Masking off the crack so you can fill with epoxy. Masking off bottom, front, etc.. pour in the epoxy from the top. make sure it gets all the way inside using a very thin pushing stick. Flood the crack. Let the epoxy sit for a little, like 20 minutes and gell. Then apply any vice pushing tight side to side. Make sure that the packing tape is what is touching the vice/clamp and no epoxy is gluing the clamp or vice to the muzzle. Let sit overnight. In morning, pull of the tape, should remove most of the drips and then just sand flush the epoxy along the crack to 320/400. re-oil done. West Systems G-flex is the right tool for the job. I'm all for screwing or dweling accross lams that have opened up on wide places in the gun, but for this, I think Epoxy is the right fix.
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Old 10-16-2018, 09:03 AM   #6
snowdog61
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Re: Muzzle repair advice - wood gun

Thanks for the replies. Yes, getting that joint clean and ready for the epoxy is my biggest issue - And this is the real driver for using a screw (or two) to assist the bondline in holding things together. As much as I hate to do it, I just don't see a way around using a fastener. My previous repair held for a few years and I was very meticulous about getting things cleaned, sanded and clamped correctly - the post repair looked great with only a faint trace of a bondline. I'm thinking one of my shots into a hole where the shaft didn't completely clear the muzzle side loaded it again and opened it back up. It's more than likely to happen again with the type of hunting I do so it really seems to lean towards using a screw here to help spread that load.
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Old 10-16-2018, 04:33 PM   #7
popgun pete
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Re: Muzzle repair advice - wood gun

Brass screws can sometimes work as brass does not rust and the copper can poison any rot that may occur if water seeps in. Ideally bronze rather than brass as the latter has zinc rather than tin in the alloy, but I have never seen bronze screws offered as such. Very early timber spearguns had bronze and brass fittings that have stood the test of time.
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