Gunsmithing How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

[onesureshot]

I am in the process of building my wife a rifle for a Christmas gift and would like to inlay a medallion in the stock.

The medallion is about 1 3/4" in diameter and about 1/16 inch thick, and will be going into a laminated wood stock, on the right side of the butt, opposite of the cheek rest.

Should I make the hole only as deep as the medallion or go deeper and cover it with a clear epoxy or something like that to seal it in place? It does not have a post or anything on the back to give it much to attach to the wood, so I am worried about it popping out. The rifle is a .223 Rem, so recoil should not be a huge issue.

I thought about trying to solder or braize a post on to it, but am afraid the heat would ruin the colors / paint on the front of the medallion.

Any input or suggestions are appreciated.

 

[JB Enterprise]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

the way i do it is to cut the hole a little deeper than what you are trying to inlay then make sure the medalion is totally clean no oil or anything, take a piece of crocus cloth and scuff up the side that will not be showing then mix up a small batch of devcon or bedding material of your choice put it in the stock after the material has started to become a little more thick then press it down with a popsicle stick until it is at the level that you want, a tight fit around the hole your putting it im makes a big difference in final apperiance. If you choose you can also go deep and before you refinish it you can turn it into burried art by taking epoxy and filling up the cavity with the medallion and leveling it off with the stock the choice is up to you but for your first time stick to just setting it in with bedding compound.

Justin Bowerman
JB Enterprise
07 FFl in Central CA.

 

[dcskater602]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

id def have someone with a cnc/mill do it for you...

 

[bohem]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

I didn't have access to a CNC when I did this, so I traced the inlay onto the wood with a pencil. I setup the little router attachment to my dremel tool and slowly cut around the periphery. Test fit the medallion a lot until you're happy with how it fits.

Then scuffing up the back of the part is a must. If you set the part too deep into the stock you can either place tiny little shims to set the depth underneath or you can make it deep enough to put a slobbering of UV neutral Urethane over the top face and flush out out with the contour of the stock.

 

[locked&loaded]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

Try an 1 3/4" paddle bit with the stock supported/clamped down.
Drill a small hole to center your localion and let the paddle bit follow it.
This should give you a perfect circle with a flush bottom.
Would be a bonus to have a drill press to do it with.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

a forstner bit will drill a flat bottom hole, but a drill press may be required. i dont think they have a pilot, if so, it may not be much of one. paddle bit wont show the pilot if not

 

[Cheech]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

Forstner would be the best bet for a drill type bit. It's a lot more stable than a paddle bit. If you have to use a paddle bit cut the shaft off about 1" from the paddle so it won't wabble on it's slender shaft. The absolute best way is with a trim router a jig/patern and a following collet on the router bace. Make sure you post some pictures when it's finished and good luck with it. Cheers

 

[Ritten]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

I love this place.

I'm looking to do the exact same thing for a set of rifles I'm building for my father and brother. Can this be done with an H.S.Precision stock or is there a shell that would be weakened when drilled into?

 

[former naval person]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

It is a shell. You can cut the hole to fit, then undercut any foam filling around the inside of the hole and for a depth of a 1/4 to 3/8th of an inch, then fill that with your epoxy putty and set the disc flush.

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ritten</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
I'm looking to do the exact same thing for a set of rifles I'm building for my father and brother. Can this be done with an H.S.Precision stock or is there a shell that would be weakened when drilled into? </div></div>

Be very careful with a H&S or you will be in for a lot of work. I just mounted up a Kartsen Cheek Piece in a H&S and was pretty surprised at how thin the walls are in the butt. If you cut too deep all is not lost, but you will have to go in an lay some fiberglass.

 

[mheckman]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

Here's a link to some pictures of one being done...

http://veteransrifle2.blogspot.com/2006/10/veterans-rifle-team-emblem-being.html

Doan is quite the craftsman.

 

[onesureshot]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

After reading all the input / advise from everybody, I took the stock and medallion to work and drilled the hole using our drill press. I measured the medallion and found the right size paddle bit. I got everything leveled off in a padded vice, used a layer of masking tape to cover the stock, marked the spot to center the bit and started drilling. I went very slow, just barely applying any pressure to the bit. I would drill, then bring the press up, clear out the hole and put the coin in to see if it was deep enough. After a few times I got it the right depth.

I should have taken pics during the process, but forgot my camera. The hole turned out perfect.

I brought everything home and used a hand drill to put a few smaller holes down about 3/8" deep into the stock, at offset angles to let the epoxy set down into the stock. Next I took the medallion and roughed up the back with some 36 grit sandpaper. next I decided to use a triangle file and file a groove all the way around the edge of it, giving the epoxy that pushes up around the outside edge something else to grip. I taped off both the face of the medallion and the stock around the hole, cutting the tape to cover the surface, but not anything else. I mixed up some epoxy, filled in the hole, smoothing it out evenly over the bottom of the hole, then pressed the medallion into the stock making sure to apply even pressure and watched as the epoxy came up around the edge of the hole / medallion. I wiped all the excess epoxy off, trying to leave a nice clean surface. I let it sit over night and came back the next morning to check it out.

I pulled the tape off the medallion and everything was looking pretty good at first, but then I noticed the medallion was turned just a bit, so that the top edge of the logo was not quite parallel to the top edge of the stock. First disappointment. Next I peeled the tape off the stock and right at the top edge of the hole, it pulled a sliver of wood up with it. Second disappointment. I tried to use some fine sandpaper to feather out the edge of the chip, but it still looks like hell IMHO. I thought about trying to redo it, but that medallion is not coming out without causing significant damage to it or the stock.

Not sure what options I have to try and make it look any better, but needless to say I am not happy with the results.

I should have done a test run using a coin and scrap wood, but I guess there is no guarantee that things would have turned out the same using different materials.

My wife is not nearly the perfectionist that I am and may not even notice the coin being off set, but the chip is sure to stand out.

So much for the coolest Christmas present ever.

I guess I should explain the colors / medallion a bit. My wife has both her BS and MS from the University of Utah and currently coordinates the EMT program there, so to say she is a Ute is an understatement.

 

[magman687]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

that looks great.

i dont see why she wouldnt love it and you for doing it

i mean unless there is somthing im missing thats pretty damn cool if u ask me. makes me wanna try it with my rifle.


now im not trying to tell you what to do or not to do but i wouldnt stress over it cuz that looks great and it will mean alot to her that you went through the trouble just to give her a one of a kind rifle. so my hats off to you onesureshot.

cya

 

[Cheech]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

I agree with magman. Looks good. Any small imperfections give it character and a "hand made" quality. She'll love it. Outstanding.

 

[Unknown]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

One trick to fill in little chips, cracks and so on. Get some material that is about the same color as the chip..sanding dust from the wood you are using works great. Maybe you could take a little out of the barrel channel. Anyhow, get the sanding dust, put it into the chip area, then use a drop of super glue and press the dust into the chipped area, using the super glue to make it stick. Vaseline on surrounding areas will help keep the super glue from sticking where you don't want it. After the glue sets, use a little sandpaper on the end of a pencil eraser to get the glue/dust area flush.

 

[former naval person]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

Unknown nails it. That is an old carpenters trick to match finishes. (Although the OLD carpenters used hide glue way back when)

 

[onesureshot]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Unknown</div><div class="ubbcode-body">One trick to fill in little chips, cracks and so on. Get some material that is about the same color as the chip..sanding dust from the wood you are using works great. Maybe you could take a little out of the barrel channel. Anyhow, get the sanding dust, put it into the chip area, then use a drop of super glue and press the dust into the chipped area, using the super glue to make it stick. Vaseline on surrounding areas will help keep the super glue from sticking where you don't want it. After the glue sets, use a little sandpaper on the end of a pencil eraser to get the glue/dust area flush. </div></div>

THANK YOU!!! I will give that a shot this week and see if I can clean up that edge.

 

[onesureshot]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

Well I couldn't leave well enough alone. Every time I was working on it, the crooked medallion drove me crazy. I ended up drilling it out, and destroyed it in the process, but that's ok because I was able to buy another one. I made the hole just a tad wider and did a very slight bevel to the edge. I used JB Quik to set the new one in place, giving it a very dark grey border. This time I covered the entire butt portion of the stock with masking tape and made reference marks starting from the top of the stock, then measured down in 1/2 inch lines, giving me a better reference to keep the new medallion level, or even with the top contour of the stock. I think it turned out better than the first attempt.

I got the bedding and pillars done and everything fits well, with the barrel free floated. I added a Nikon ProStaff 4-12X40 scope and stuck another "Ute" logo in the front flip up cover. And I couldn't let her ammo not have a matching box, right? So I found a couple of red MTM boxes and stuck the same logo stickers on them to keep her ammo in.

Here are a few final product pics. I just noticed the lint in the last pic, looks like scratches, but it is just from the rag I used to wipe it down for the pics.

Thanks again to everybody for their input. It was definitely a learning experience.

 

[PittsDriver]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

Oh brother, you did good....real good! Time to go Cougar hunting.

It's going to be easy to pick you and your wife out at the range. I'll wander over to introduce myself if I ever see it.

Go Utes!

RT

Please no comments from others about hunting Cougars with a .223. It's a jab related to a long standing battle with BYU.

 

[Shortdraw]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

What a great Christmas gift, she will love it!

 

[yotedog65284]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

Very nice job. She will love that.
Chris

 

[Cheech]

Re: How to inlay a medallion in a stock?

Top shelf custom. she'll definately love it. Great job and thanks for sharing. Cheers