I'm confused by your post, builder. Are you saying the alcohol was necessary to re-introduce moisture into the wood, or that you tried it using the alcohol bath once but never again?

My issue is that the wood has always shrunk too much, when using acetone alone, and the metal is proud of the wood. This is a big issue. For it to look right the action would have to be annealed so that it could be filed down to the level of the shrunken wood. Much work that needs to be avoided at all costs. Some way to reintroduce moisture into the wood, other than letting it sit for a year in high humidity is necessary.

SRH

May God bless America and those who defend her.