I have a stock that someone tried to inlet a CVA Hawken patch box into in a very bad way. I want to fill in the area and refinish the stock. Is there anything (wood filler) that wouldn't be glaring obvious that might blend in with the wood? I know it won't be perfect, but I'm trying to figure out how to make it look better. I'd love to completely remove the patch box, but I don't know if a hole that big can be covered up.
In my opinion wood filler of any type I am aware of is not the answer, unless you are planing to paint the stock…..
I guess you could try gluing chips or shavings of stock wood (a good source is under the butt plate) to fill the gaps, but just do not see that as a practical solution in this case. Gaps seem just too large, but you could try.
If this stock were presented to me to ‘repair’, I would go with either a purchased or fabricated patch box that covers the current crater once installed. Doesn’t have to be functional, but you could hide that mess. If you have a TOW catalog you can compare their ‘actual size’ photographs to see what may work, or print options from their online catalog (make sure you change your printer settings to actual size, not fit to paper or something like that).
Another option that I have seen, is to make a faux sliding wooden cover and permanently fasten in place. Downside is it likely wouldn’t look correct, plus at some point in the future someone will work diligently to get it to slide open. Have seen this a couple of times.
If none of the above seems appealing, maybe just live with it as is. It’s changed hands once in that condition. Or my initial suggestion if you insist on filling, use something stable like Bondo, then sand and paint the stock. Although this option leaves a potential trap for a future owner when they try to refinish the stock to a non painted finish, assuming a wood stock will be hidden under the paint…..
