a leather-covered recoil pad is a classic addition to a fine shotgun let me show you how to make one
leather-covered pads are traditionally found on higher grade shotguns like this British
made William cage more side-by-side I'm going to replace the aftermarket recoil pad on this pre
1913 LC Smith number three grade all that's required are a few simple items including a
recoil pad some thin leather and contact cement the ventilated recoil pad on this gun is not
original and the first step is to remove it I'll replace it with a solid pack Myer decelerator pad
because vents in the side would show through the leather I have to plug the screw holes
in the stock because the holes in the new pad don't line up with the existing holes the holes
are drilled out four quarter inch dials I've cut the dials from a scrap piece of English walnut
to match the stock next I crimp the dials to let out any trapped air so the dowels don't pop out
once the glue dries I trim the dials flush with the surface the butt is not perfectly
flat so I use the belt sander to true it up now I can fit the new pad to the stock the
location for the first screw hole is marked and drilled with the number 33 drill I coat
the screw with soap to allow it to turn in easier then the second hole is marked and
drilled now I use a scribe to trace around the butt marking the bottom of the pad this smiles
Gilbert recoil pad installation fixture is used to hold the pad while sanding it
to shape using the square I transfer the angle of the comb line to the fixture then I adjust
the pitch screw until it bottoms out on the base the toe angle is next with the
fixture set I attach the pad then file some chalk into the line to make it easier to see
you
using a belt sander I sand the pad to the line once the toe is shaped I adjust the
fixture against the stop and shape the heel for thicker leather the pad would
have to be slightly smaller than the stock this leather is only about 25 thousands thick so I'm
not going to cut the pad into smaller now I can cut the holes for the plugs
I'm using a shop-made cutter to cut 1/2 inch holes in the
pad oil lubricates the cutter and keeps the pad from tearing
to hold the pad I screw it to a short pine board then grind off the logo otherwise it would show
through the leather the next step is to stretch the leather over the pad this leather is made
from pig skin which stretches easily and this piece has been dyed a nice brown color soaking
the leather with water makes stretching it over the pad much easier from this point forward it's
important to keep your hands clean to keep from staining the leather I start at the heel push
pins hold the leather in place as I work my way around the pad making sure to stretch out
any wrinkles keeping the leather wet makes it easy to work once I'm satisfied with the way it
looks surgical tubing will help hold the leather against the bottom edge of the pad until it dries
after drying overnight the leather has formed the shape of the pad I use contact cement to
glue the leather in place only one half can be glued at a time since the leather can't
be repositioned once the two surfaces touch now I can fold back the other half and glue it in place
the plug holes need to be opened up so I make
a series of pie cuts making sure to stay just slightly away from the edge
then the leather is pushed into the holes next I remove the pad from the board
the leather has to be folded under the pad and glued in place I trim the
leather carefully to keep it from bunching up being careful not to trim past the edge
of the pad again contact cement is used to glue the leather to the bottom of the
pad with the leather in place i coat the bottom of the pad with five minute epoxy
the epoxy helps hold the edge of the leather in place and by clamping the pad
to the bench I'll have a perfectly flat surface where the pad meets the stock I
also need to make some plugs to fill the holes in the pad they're cut from a piece
of closed cell foam to shape the leather to cover the plugs I wet the leather with
alcohol and using a dowel push it into a pre-drilled hole in a scrap piece of
wood once the leather dries I can trim it to size contact cement is used again
to glue the plugs together then I glue and fold the leather around the plugs
a traditional leather pad often has a set of lines burnished into the leather on this
William Cashmore they're about an eighth of an inch from the base of the pad I
have a fixture that's been made here in the shop it's simply two wheels on a small axle
with the pad on the fixture I push the pad into the wheels until the lines are clearly
visible wetting the leather with alcohol helps allow the lines to be formed clearly with the
leather dry the last step is to apply a leather finish which I apply with a small
brush letting it soak in it takes a couple of coats once the finish dries I buff it with a
clean cloth the finished pad is attached to the stock and the plugs pushed into place
you