Recycled 'Oil Bottle' 'Sanding Block(s)' for Stocks

[NomDeBoom]

I just wanted to post a tip that I came up with one day while sanding a typical wooden rifle stock. I was looking for something to fit all the curves, flats, & contours and found the perfect item to support the sandpaper. My oil bottle.
I had previously saved a few little clear plastic eye-drop bottles to fill with oil. This one had the oval (not round) cross-section, with the screw on cap.
When I changed the oil in the car -a good synthetic- I just turned over the 5 qt. jug to drain towards the lid- then I pop off the tops (the 'plug' with the little drop/squirt hole) of the eye-drop bottle, pour full of oil, put the 'plug' back in, & screw on the cap for some handy, leak-proof, pocket sized, go anywhere gun kit/tackle box/electric razor/sewing machine/???? oil bottles. Saves $$$, works great.

Later; I was redoing an old wooden gun stock (Winchester?)- & discovered that by wrapping my little oval plastic oil bottle in sand-paper, it had all the perfect contours to fit every surface of the stock. You just leave it capped, & full of liquid (oil) -or at least air- to create the right amount of 'give'...but it works great. I used the small size for eye-drops, but you might also use larger 'Elmers' type, or PVA wood glue bottles to suit your own project. You could just use them 'as is'.
Yeah; I know I'm a cheap ol' bum- but I enjoy saving time & money by reusing old things (like my brain)- especially when it works out well. I tend to save & recycle all sorts of (mostly plastic) bottles & container caps to refill/replace the ones that break. Anything from kitchen spice bottles/squirt caps for detergent/ peroxide/ rubbing alcohol, car wax, glue, etc...This way, if my off-size lid breaks, I can usually reach in the drawer & come up with something better than plastic wrap & a rubber band ;-)
Years ago, I fixed my car's transmission linkage with random 'junk drawer' parts. Saved $700, & am still drivin' it.
Hey; we're just here to do good work, dammit.
HOW we get it done, is up to us.

 

[Shadowrider]

Good tip!

I use these but lots of things work.

 

[Catt57]

Years ago, I fixed my car's transmission linkage with random 'junk drawer' parts. Saved $700, & am still drivin' it.

Are you related to @swampratt ?? LOL

 

[swampratt]

I like the way you think @NomDeBoom

 

[Bocephus123]

I just wanted to post a tip that I came up with one day while sanding a typical wooden rifle stock. I was looking for something to fit all the curves, flats, & contours and found the perfect item to support the sandpaper. My oil bottle.
I had previously saved a few little clear plastic eye-drop bottles to fill with oil. This one had the oval (not round) cross-section, with the screw on cap.
When I changed the oil in the car -a good synthetic- I just turned over the 5 qt. jug to drain towards the lid- then I pop off the tops (the 'plug' with the little drop/squirt hole) of the eye-drop bottle, pour full of oil, put the 'plug' back in, & screw on the cap for some handy, leak-proof, pocket sized, go anywhere gun kit/tackle box/electric razor/sewing machine/???? oil bottles. Saves $$$, works great.

Later; I was redoing an old wooden gun stock (Winchester?)- & discovered that by wrapping my little oval plastic oil bottle in sand-paper, it had all the perfect contours to fit every surface of the stock. You just leave it capped, & full of liquid (oil) -or at least air- to create the right amount of 'give'...but it works great. I used the small size for eye-drops, but you might also use larger 'Elmers' type, or PVA wood glue bottles to suit your own project. You could just use them 'as is'.
Yeah; I know I'm a cheap ol' bum- but I enjoy saving time & money by reusing old things (like my brain)- especially when it works out well. I tend to save & recycle all sorts of (mostly plastic) bottles & container caps to refill/replace the ones that break. Anything from kitchen spice bottles/squirt caps for detergent/ peroxide/ rubbing alcohol, car wax, glue, etc...This way, if my off-size lid breaks, I can usually reach in the drawer & come up with something better than plastic wrap & a rubber band ;-)
Years ago, I fixed my car's transmission linkage with random 'junk drawer' parts. Saved $700, & am still drivin' it.
Hey; we're just here to do good work, dammit.
HOW we get it done, is up to us.

good idea

 

[NomDeBoom]

The sharper curved 'edges' of these little plastic bottles fit well when sanding around the front of the comb or any
built-in, carved cheek pieces. So yeah; you might want to try this.
And a copper (pre-1982) penny makes a good tool to scrape down those little 'rust pits' that sometimes occur on blued steel surfaces. Damn things can be 'evened out' a little better by just soaking in a drop of oil & using the edge of the coin to scrape the rust down/out/off. It's just the right hardness to loosen up rust, but won't hurt the solid blueing. Old trick, but one we can all use at times. Always remember to immediately clean any blood spots off of blued, (or even stainless) steel too, as it can etch into the steel & really wreck yer purty gun. So if you get a cut, or touch blood from hunting, keep it off of your firearms. I have an old WW2 Japanese Arisaka bayonet with some pretty deep etching...If it could talk, it'd prob'ly say ."Arrrrgghhlluhbbbshhhh!"
I'll have to make another post on patching & filling splits, small cracks, holes, etc... I have refined a few techniques that are fast, easy, & as LEAST as permanent as the missing wood ;-/

I'm very new to all this & am trying to learn to post things in the best category/forum- but please feel free to copy/adapt/move any of these little hints or methods to wherever they might get used to help someone.