Scratch repair.

[SoonerShooter]

I have a 2014 Big Boy .357/.38. It has a scratch on the stock. Can anyone point me to a stain/brand that would match or closely match the stock color?Henry doesn't carry stain.

[GFK]

I bought this stuff for a few light scratches. I have not try it yet though. But, it may be worth a shot, if you can find it in stock somewhere. I got mine from Midwest Gun Works. However, it listed as discontinued.

https://www.classicfirearms.com/markron ... -eraser-4/

[rickhem]

Is it a scratch, like through the surface and into the bare wood?
Or is it just pressed into the wood and not through the surface stain?
Steaming will raise up a pressure dent, but if the damage is through the stain, then yeah, you're gonna need to address that too. YouTube has some good videos on this, watch a few and take the tips and tricks that you think will work best in your situation.

[HenryFan]

Some years back, I bought a set (4, I think) of coloring "pens/markers" at a local furniture store. I think they used them to cover scratches in furniture on the floor.

Don't know what ever happened to them but I recall they seemed to work.

I don't know if such is still available but if might be an option.

[BigAl52]

I dont know how bad your scratch is but if its really bad call Henry and ask them about a replacement. I almost bet they would send you one for free

[GFK]

I dont know how bad your scratch is but if its really bad call Henry and ask them about a replacement. I almost bet they would send you one for free

Interesting!

[Steve51]

I'd consider it a beauty mark from reliable use. I have several Henry rifles and some have surface dents and scratches from being used and riding on 4 wheelers and side by sides. Just part of being used. I want my grandkids to know that grandpa used them and they weren't always locked up in a cabinet.

[Mags]

It's called character.

[Hatchdog]

Waaaaaay off topic but here’s an interesting story.

I bought a Ruger 77 in 1981 and hunted deer and elk with it for 30+ years in all kinds of weather and geography. Needless to say my stock had lots of “character” that I saw as memories of my many hunts with it. A couple of years ago I decided to sell it listing it on the local gun trader site. I didn’t get any interest even tho it was the Mark I tang safety red pad 77 that is desirable. So I ordered a Boyds walnut replacement stock for it, bumped the price up and sold it right away. Yes I could have refinished the stock but I’m no Broken Ole Marine. My skills are limited.

Here’s some before and after pics.

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[GFK]

[Guide]

I’m not sure, but my understanding is that Henry uses walnut stocks. If so it should be a darker color not light. I know my two new Henry’s definitely don’t have a gloss finish. I would try some Odie’s oil. I use it on all my woodworking projects. Easy to apply, smells great and has no VOCs. It’s expensive, but they’re coming out with a 4 ounce bottle. Trust me it goes a long ways. I’d bet if you sanded the whole stock down and gave it two coats you would use a shot glass of oil. You could also ask what Henry finished their stocks with and probably get an answer. Hope this helps. Look at Odies oil use on YouTube. You’ll be amazed at how it looks. There are some that will say it’s no good. I made solid Walnut hand rails for our stairs. It’s been there for 18 months looks as good as the day I put them up. Good luck.

Guide

[BrokenolMarine]

Just an anecdote....

Back in the Mid 80s, while on active duty... we used to hunt the Navy Bombing Range on the island of Kahoolawe in the middle of the Hawaiian Island Chain. The island was small and Steep, with hard rock, hard clay, brush and some trees. Hunt? What would we hunt? During WWII, the US had released a bunch of goats infected with TB as part of a test program to develop a bio-weapon. Never implemented. Eventually the strain died out, but the goats never did and began to cause a major erosion problem on the island. The US government was sued by the Hawaiian People, and lost. They had to implement a program to control the goat population on the island. It was managed by the Navy from Ford Island, in the middle of Pearl Harbor. (They controlled the bombing range.)

I was the hunting chairman for the Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Air Station Rod and Gun Club and organized hunts to the island in conjunction with the Navy Captain in Charge. They loved us, we didn't just SIT in one spot and wait for them to wander by, we covered the island and HUNTED the goats. We flew over on Friday morning, hunted all weekend, and were flown back Monday morning. Great fun. The terrain was rough, you could scale cliffs, or hike to the beach and fish for supper.

kahoolawe landscape.jpg

One trip, I hunted with a Retired Marine Colonel. He carried a beat up, scarred Weatherby Rifle. This rifle had started life as a Presentation Grade with a beautiful Walnut Stock, silver and gold high relief engraving of hunting scenes, and his Eagles inlaid in the stock, and was still beautiful. However, the scars, scratches and dents and dings went thru the carvings, the inlays, and the beautiful figuring of the stock. When we stopped to take a break, hydrate, and rest, I asked him about the rifle. "How can you carry that beautiful rifle through THIS terrain?"

He laughed, "What would you have me do? He shook his head. "Keep it locked in the gun case, take it out to show to people so they can ooh and ahh over the inlays and pretty walnut stock, never shoot it?" He shook his head again. "Every dent, ding, and scar is a memory. Some evenings, alone at home, I'll pull the rifle out of the rack, hold it in my lap, and touch a scar or dent, and the memory floods back."

He pointed, "Here, this is a hunt with my brother in Montana. Slipped on a wet bolder as we tried to get into position for a shot." Another touch. "This scratch, those massive thorns they have in Africa, on the last safari before my wife passed." He touched another. "This one, my Command Sergeant Major, from my last command before I retired. He hunted with the rifle and took a trophy buck in the thick brush in North Carolina." If I had the rifle refinished, I'd erase the scars, and the markers for the memories."

When I passed the old Single shot .22 down to MY daughter than the four kids learned to shoot with, the same one my Grandfather taught me on, I asked if she wanted me to refinish the stock. She laughed and said she didn't. "We put those dings there, they are memories. I'll pass them on to Jo." (My Granddaughter.) "It'll be a bonding moment."

Don't know where you got the scratch... if it holds any memory... but maybe it does.