Stock repair on very old shotgun

[MN_TimTuba]

I'm moderately refinishing a shotgun that had belonged to my great-grandfather, made in the 1880-1910 range, double barrel, side hammers, damascus barrrels, pistol grip, splinter fore-end, marked as "Barker" (yeah, not "Baker" not "Parker", sadly). I've re-checkered the stocks by hand, will be browning the barrels, and this will be strictly a wall-hanger. However, a small piece of the butt stock, about 1/2" wide by 2" long, has splintered off and needs to be re-attached. Since the gun won't be fired it's not in a high stress area, but as friends and family handle the gun, opening the action might cause some stress to the piece, and it butts up right to the action itself, ahead of the trigger guard. My question is - will standard wood glue keep it in place, or is there a stronger alternative? Maybe something heated? I don't wish to have this little piece pinned but I suppose that would be an option.

Interesting side note - when my grandpa gave me the gun, one barrel was about 7 inches shorter than the other. I asked about that. He laughed and said that back in the '20's or '30's his brother was hunting "brush wolves" (local name for coyotes) with some other farmers. His brother tripped and fell, didn't notice that he'd filled the barrels with snow. He found out when he took his first shot. The family got such a kick out of that, they never bothered to fix the barrels, just kept using it as a farm gun on skunks and rats and hog-butchering with one 36" barrel and one 29" barrel. I've now cut and filed them to match at 28", but have kept the blown-off piece to be able to share the story with cousins and my own grandkids.

Thanks for your input re: stock repair.
Tim

[alfredr]

Standard wood glue (Elmer's, Titebond, etc.) is stronger than the wood it attaches to; should be no problem holding the repair together. With the usual care taken to get a good bond, i.e., clean, dry, not too oily. Wipe off any glue squeeze-out with a damp rag; get it all off.

Is this like a finger that has to be stuck on by the half inch end, meaning it will be trying to keep a lever from bending at the break? That might require pinning.

[iiipopes]

Damascus barrels? Every gun aficionado that I know, and believe me we have many here in SW MO, the headquarters of Bass Pro Shops and Cabela Sporting Goods, is that it is one thing to restore them to look good over the mantle. But especially since the gun has already had one accident, it is strongly encouraged to leave it as a mantle piece and NOT try to shoot it or go hunting with it, lest the weakened barrels let go again to everybody's detriment.

[MN_TimTuba]

Popes,
Completely agree, therefore - "and this will be strictly a wall-hanger", and "Since the gun won't be fired it's not in a high stress area".
I also had Grandpa's chicken brooder house, over 80 yrs old. It was in terrible shape, so I salvaged the red barn wood siding and white trim to make a new doghouse for Hilda the Wonderdog. I managed to save a piece large enough to make into a display rack for great grandpa's old shotgun. Will be a fun family heirloom set to pass along to the next generation!
Tim

[Ace]

Popes,
Completely agree, therefore - "and this will be strictly a wall-hanger", and "Since the gun won't be fired it's not in a high stress area".
I also had Grandpa's chicken brooder house, over 80 yrs old. It was in terrible shape, so I salvaged the red barn wood siding and white trim to make a new doghouse for Hilda the Wonderdog. I managed to save a piece large enough to make into a display rack for great grandpa's old shotgun. Will be a fun family heirloom set to pass along to the next generation!
Tim

Please post a pic of Hilda the Wonder Dog.

Ace

[iiipopes]

Popes,
Completely agree, therefore - "and this will be strictly a wall-hanger", and "Since the gun won't be fired it's not in a high stress area".
I also had Grandpa's chicken brooder house, over 80 yrs old. It was in terrible shape, so I salvaged the red barn wood siding and white trim to make a new doghouse for Hilda the Wonderdog. I managed to save a piece large enough to make into a display rack for great grandpa's old shotgun. Will be a fun family heirloom set to pass along to the next generation!
Tim

Excellent. Looking forward to pix. Thanks.

[alfredr]

Mike, I have never heard of Kessler as a brand of shotgun and I'm no expert, but my guess would be that it is what in the tuba world is known as a stencil: one made by a regular manufacturer and branded for a store or retailer or distributor. There were companies that did this as a large part of their business. Again, not an expert, but I have not heard of a bolt action shotgun being manufactured in the time of Damascus barrels. I don't have any bolt action shotguns, so I have not done any research on them, just haven't seen any mention of them in connection with Damascus barrels, usually double-barrel and single shot shotguns. I also am unaware of 'the unreliable safety mechanisms bolt actions are known for...'

I suggest you use this new-fangled thing called the internet available on this other thing called a computer and ask about your shotgun on a site such as ShotgunWorld.com. You can find some experts there.

I don't know if I can describe well enough what Damascus steel barrels would look like, but it involves multiple layers of thin steel built up to make the barrel. The weakness come in corrosion happening in between layers hidden from view. You should be able to see some patterns in the surface of the barrel. I have not seen many myself. In my late father's gunsafe is a Remington double barrel from about the turn of the twentieth century. That is the time frame to be concerned about barrels. Well into the 20th (1915-1920 or so) and Damascus wasn't being used anymore.

You could also take it to a gunsmith to be examined both for Damascus steel and the safety mechanism.

[alfredr]

https://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=212497" target="_blank

I used Google and found this. No concern about Damascus steel in the barrel.

[MN_TimTuba]

All,
Sure, I'll post pics of Hilda and the shotgun work as well - thanks for the interest!
I did go ahead with standard wood glue on the buttstock just behind the receiver. Saturday, while showing it to some cousins, I noticed a major crack in the splinter fore-end. I'll use the same wood glue there, but it'll take a bit of work to get the glue into the long but tiny area. My son-in-law suggested epoxy, and I might go that route just for that repair.
Note on Damascus steel - yes, for cutlery and other uses Damascus steel was/is multiple layers of steel and iron hammered and welded together, which is how you get those beautiful wavy lines on a damascus blade, much like those lines on a laminated stock. For shotgun barrels, the smiths took alternating strips (or wires) of steel and iron and twisted them around a mandrel, hammering and welding them together. On these Damascus Twist barrels you can see the spiral strips under the browning/bluing under close inspection. A nifty technique, but not up to the stress of modern gun powder. If one were so inclined, a good gunsmith could line an old damascus barrel with a modern 20 ga or 28 ga steel barrel, though the extractors (if any) may not function. I have enough other shotguns to shoot, so will just keep Grandpa's gun on the wall.
One other family note on this gun - back in the '50's my dad often played a rodeo clown for the local saddle club rodeos using this shotgun, even with the crazy uneven-length barrels. He'd remove the shot from a couple of shells, stuff some feathers and colorful ribbons in the barrels, and come riding in on a miniature pony with his legs dragging (dad was 6' 3"), then shoot 'em off in the middle of the arena. Often the junk flying out would be on fire (and would only travel a few yards, of course). The things we do to get a few laughs...
Tim

[MN_TimTuba]

The things we do to get a few laughs...

Would, sadly, probably get you arrested for terrorism today.

Preach it, brother.

[paulver]

Titebond Original Wood Glue will do the trick if you clamp the pieces together while the glue sets. Dry fit the pieces first to see how well they'll go together. Apply the glue to both pieces.... use a tiny brush. Fit the pieces together and clamp them tightly..... but not overly tight. If you can clamp it well enough, you might be able to make the glue joint almost invisible. You might have better luck with a strap clamp. If you have to clamp directly over the joints where glue is oozing out, clamp tightly, then remove the clamp and use a damp (water) cloth to remove the excess glue and get it out of the grain, then re-clamp. You might want to use a little wax paper between the stock and the clamp. It'll make for easier removal and sanding cleanup. Once everything is cured, if you're going to stain the stock....... before you stain it, take a damp cloth and wipe down the entire stock with it. Individual water marks will show up if you don't. Let it dry completely. Lightly re-sand it with at least 400 grit sandpaper. Apply your stain and finish. There are a number of tricks to help hide the glue joint. Find a woodworking website for more info.