Replacing missing pieces of wood is one of the most frequent repairs I perform. This late 17th century flintlock pistol had an old break at the muzzle, missing a piece of wood adjacent to the barrel. I believe that small chips are best left alone, but this piece was otherwise in excellent condition, and the size of the break warranted repair.
This photo shows multiple layers of tape to protect the barrel patina, and an initial cut to clean the stock prior to gluing in a patch of English walnut.
This photo shows multiple layers of tape to protect the barrel patina, and an initial cut to clean the stock prior to gluing in a patch of English walnut.
A patch has been carefully fitted and epoxied into place, with excess material sawed away to ease shaping. When matching a new piece of wood, it is critical that the grain orientation is the same as the existing stock. No amount of applied patina can hide a repair where the grain doesn't match.
To avoid damaging the existing finish, the new piece of wood was carefully chiseled away with progressive diagonal slices. Finally, a new molding was applied to seamlessly join the original wood. No patina has yet been applied in this photo, though artificial "grain" has been added to the joint to hide the seam.
The "magic" of wood repair is making the new wood appear old. Layering the applied color and dings is key to building a convincing appearance of age and patina. The tape is again protecting the barrel from various dyes and chemical solutions used to age the new wood. I am always careful to minimize any overlap of new finish onto the old stock.
In this photo, the new wood is receiving patina, but is still dull and visually doesn't yet match the rest of the wood.
In this photo, the new wood is receiving patina, but is still dull and visually doesn't yet match the rest of the wood.
Photos of the completed repair below. The sheen and color match, with some accumulated "dust" to fill the molding and dents, for an invisible repair.
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